Three area basketball teams will play in new divisions

Three area high school basketball programs were moved down a division when the OHSAA announced its new breakdowns Tuesday. The boys teams at Port Clinton and Vermilion will switch from Division IV to Division V. Edison's girls will move from Division V to Division VI. The 2026-27 school year will be the first of a new two-year enrollment cycle using enrollment data provided by the Ohio Department of Education. Girls and boys basketball also go through the OHSAA competitive balance process, but no area schools had significant CB numbers. Wrestling divisional breakdowns will be announced in the fall. Port Clinton's boys are moving down a division as the Redskins are on an upward trajectory. PC will build around leading scorer Grayson Jones — a second-team All-Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division selection — as well as leading rebounder Landon Leis. "Division IV and Division V are both competitive, but we have an improved team this year," PC coach Jared Rhode said. "Our kids are working hard and we're really excited." The Redskins have beefed up their 2026-27 schedule, adding Tiffin Columbian, Perkins, Norwalk and Clyde from the top division of the new Northern Ohio Conference. PC also will play talented Sandusky Bay Conference schools Gibsonburg and St. Mary Central Catholic. "We're strengthening our schedule so hopefully we'll be more tournament tested," Rhode said. Vermilion's boys team now has the largest enrollment in Division V at 191 in grades 9, 10 and 11 as of last October. The Sailors' adjusted enrollment did not change because their competitive balance number is zero. "Anytime you're one of the bigger schools in your division, it's a good thing," Vermilion coach Kurt Habermehl said. The Sailors graduated their top two scorers in Brock Meyers and Adam Gerber, but will have a strong senior group that includes Mason Cooper, Drake Hooks, Luke Habermehl and Noah Penton. "The past couple years we've been going against good-sized Division IV teams and sometimes it's hard to match up against the athletes we've faced," Habermehl said. "But no matter what division you're in, there are going to be good teams." Edison is the only girls team that will change divisions next season. The Chargers moved from Division V to Division VI and will be the largest school in the state in Div. VI with a girls enrollment of 129. Edison has a competitive balance number of zero. Sandusky and Norwalk are the only area schools in Division III, in boys and girls basketball. Norwalk's boys have the second-smallest enrollment in Div. III with 264 in its top three grades. Five area boys teams will play in Division V. Joining Port Clinton and Vermilion in Div. V will be Edison, Huron and Margaretta, which was a regional finalist last season. Bellevue, Clyde and Perkins — which advanced to the state semifinals — remain in Division IV. Danbury, Monroeville, St. Mary Central Catholic and St. Paul remain in Division VII in boys and girls basketball. Monroeville's girls have the smallest adjusted enrollment in the area with 61. The Monroeville boys enrollment is 83. The girls basketball programs at Bellevue, Clyde, Perkins and Vermilion all remained in Division IV. Huron and Port Clinton girls will be in Division V and Margaretta will join Edison in Div. VI.