State tournament play will look a lot different next fall and winter, thanks to some fairly significant changes to sectional alignments introduced Tuesday by the IHSAA.
Some of the biggest differences will come in volleyball and basketball, where Greenwood will be dropping down to Class 3A and join a sectional with Indian Creek, Beech Grove, New Palestine, Roncalli, Rushville and Shelbyville. In Class 4A, Center Grove will now play against Decatur Central, Franklin Central, Mooresville, Perry Meridian and Southport, while Franklin and Whiteland will remain together with Columbus East, Columbus North and East Central.
The Class A alignments will keep Greenwood Christian and Edinburgh in separate, largely unchanged sectionals.
In Class 5A football, rivals Franklin and Whiteland will go their separate ways next postseason. The Grizzly Cubs will be grouped with Columbus East, East Central and Seymour, while the Warriors will be with Mid-State Conference rivals Decatur Central and Plainfield as well as Anderson.
Indian Creek’s Class 3A sectional will look a bit different, with the Braves sharing a bracket with Corydon Central, Edgewood, Madison, North Harrison, Owen Valley and Scottsburg. In Class A, Edinburgh and Greenwood Christian will be joined by Eastern Greene, Knightstown, Milan, North Decatur, South Decatur and West Washington.
Center Grove (6A) and Greenwood (4A) did not see any big changes to their alignments.
All four of the county’s Class 3A girls soccer teams — Center Grove, Franklin, Greenwood and Whiteland — will be reunited, matched with the two Columbus schools, but the same can’t be said on the boys side, where Greenwood will move out and play against Franklin Central, Greenfield-Central, New Palestine, Perry Meridian, Roncalli and Southport.
Indian Creek boys soccer was aligned with Brown County, Cascade, Danville, Edgewood and Monrovia, while the girls will be in a bracket with Beech Grove, Herron, Roncalli and Speedway.
Host sites will be determined this summer. Baseball and softball realignments will be approved in late August.
