Changes galore in sectional assignments

Everyone knew changes were coming, but when the IHSAA released their sectional assignments for the next two years, more than a few eyebrows were raised.

Penn out of the local 4A sectional?

Splitting up Bethany Christian and Elkhart Christian in 1A?

Elkhart and Penn in different football sectionals?

Jimtown and Fairfield going different directions in Class 3A football?

Mishawaka joining what could be the state’s best 4A football sectional?

And those are just a few of the highlights after the IHSAA Executive Committee approved the sectional assignments in six team sports for the the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.

The baseball and softball sectional realignment committee will meet later this summer to decide those sectional sites.

Let’s start in Class 4A, where Elkhart, Concord, Northridge, Goshen and Warsaw will be in one sectional in boys and girls basketball and volleyball.

The Penn Kingsmen, who have been in this sectional the last two years, will now go west with Mishawaka, LaPorte, Michigan City, South Bend Adams and South Bend Riley. They’ll be joined by South Bend Washington in girls basketball.

In Class 3A, Columbia City and Tippecanoe Valley will join with NorthWood, Fairfield, West Noble and Wawasee. This sectional was a five team sectional with Lakeland, but the Lakers fell to Class 2A.

Jimtown will also go to Class 2A and will be joined in its sectional by South Bend Career Acacemy, LaVille, Bremen, Knox and Winamac.

The real surprise came in Class 1A, where the IHSAA decided to split up local rivals Elkhart Christian and Bethany Christian.

The Eagles of ECA have a tough sectional with North Judson, South Central, Argos, Culver, Oregon-Davis and Triton.

In boys and girls basketball, you’ll also have Trinity Greenlawn.

Meanwhile, Bethany will go east, with Fort Wayne Canterbury, Fremont, Lakewood Park, Hamilton and Lakeland Park.

Fort Wayne Blackhawk will play up in all sports but girls basketball, where they will be added to Bethany’s sectional.

In football, Penn and Elkhart will go in different directions for their Class 6A sectional.

Elkhart will be in with Carroll, and Fort Wayne schools Northrop and Snider. Penn will go west with Crown Point, Portage and Lake Central.

Snider won the state in 5A last season and moves up due to the Success Factor. Crown Point beat Penn in the regional last season and reached the 6A title game.

In 5A, Warsaw moves down with Snider moving up and will be in a football sectional with Concord, Goshen and Fort Wayne North.

Mishawaka moves into a strong 4A sectional with defending state runner-up NorthWood, Northridge, Plymouth, Wawasee and South Bend schools St. Joseph, Washington and Riley.

In 3A, Jimtown and Marian will go west with Calumet, Glenn, Griffith, Hammond Noll, Knox, and River Forest

Meanwhile, Fairfield, now coach by former Jimtown coach Cory Stoner, will play in a sectional with Angola, Fort Wayne Concordia, Garrett, Lakeland, Tippecanoe Valley, West Noble and Woodlan.

There are just three classes for boys and girls soccer and there are fewer changes there.

In boys 3A locally, you will have Concord, Elkhart, Goshen, Mishawaka, Northridge and Penn.

The boys 2A will feature NorthWood, Bremen, Culver Academy, Glenn, New Prairie, South Bend Saint Joseph and Wawasee.

Defending state champ Bethany Christian will be joined in the boys 1A by Elkhart Christian, LaVille, Michigan City Marquette, Oregon-Davis, Trinity Greenlawn and Westville.

In the local 3A girls soccer sectional, defending sectional champion Northridge will be paired with Concord, Elkhart, Goshen and Warsaw. Meanwhile, Penn will go west with LaPorte, Michigan City, Mishawaka, Penn, South Bend Adams and South Bend Riley.

The 2A girls have Jimtown and NorthWood going different directions with Jimtown going west with Glenn, Marian, New Prairie and South Bend St. Joseph.

NorthWood will be in a sectional with Culver Academy, Plymouth, Tippecanoe Valley and Wawasee.

The 1A girls will have Bethany Christian, Bremen, Central Noble, Elkhart Christian, Lakewood Park, Trinity School Greenlawn and Westview.

Host sites for the next two years will be determined by athletic administrators in each sectional.