Roncalli won’t be able to defend its Class 4A state football championship next season.
Due to the Tournament Success Factor, the Rebels were bumped up to Class 5A when the IHSAA unveiled new classifications in six sports Wednesday — boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, football and volleyball. Those groupings will be used in state tournament play for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years.
The only other changes impacting local teams came in soccer, where there will now be three classes instead of two. With the exception of Greenwood Christian, which will remain in Class A, all of Johnson County’s boys and girls soccer teams as well as Roncalli, will be competing in Class 3A.
The Rebels will be the smallest Class 3A girls soccer program with the exception of traditional powers Brebeuf and Guerin Catholic, who both opted to play up in 3A despite smaller enrollments.
All of Johnson County’s football teams will stay put for the next two seasons — Center Grove in Class 6A, Franklin and Whiteland in 5A, Greenwood in 4A, Indian Creek in 3A and Edinburgh in Class A. Some of their sectionals, however, will be impacted by other movement; Greenwood, for example, no longer will have to contend with Roncalli in its sectional.
New sectional assignments will not be announced until early May.
County teams also will maintain their current classifications in basketball and volleyball. Center Grove, Franklin, Greenwood and Whiteland will be in Class 4A, Indian Creek in Class 3A and Edinburgh and Greenwood Christian in Class A.
Updated classifications for baseball and softball will be released at a later date, once success factor adjustments have been made after the current season.
