Martin RPI ranks Sandusky No. 1 in Div. III (in 7-division format)

A year from now, it is expected that there will be seven classes in high school basketball in Ohio. If that were the case this week, Sandusky could be ranked No. 1 in the state ... in Division III. Of course, there currently are four basketball divisions and the Blue Streaks are in Division I — and one of the smallest schools in that classification. But if the OHSAA moves on the idea to add three classes, which it has already floated, Sandusky and other area schools will be lined up with more programs their size. "It's pretty much gonna happen," Sandusky coach DeMar Moore said. "It would be good for us; it'd even the playing field. It'll put us up against schools more our size. It's hard to compete with schools with 1,200 boys when we have 346 (grades 9-12)." Martin RPI, which releases power rankings in basketball and was used to seed boys and girls district tournaments last season in a pilot program used by the Northwest District, compiles rankings each week based on seven divisions. It ranks Sandusky No. 1 this week in what would be the new Division III. Lutheran West, which defeated the Streaks in a regional semifinal last season, is ranked No. 2, followed by Louisville, Lexington and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy. Other Sandusky Bay Conference teams that Martin RPI ranks in the top 10 this week include Bellevue (No. 7 in Division IV), Willard (No. 10 in D-IV) and Margaretta (No. 9 in D-V). The OHSAA this season began using an RPI formula to rank districts. The formula is comprised of 40 percent winning percentage, 35 percent opponent's winning percentage, and 25 percent opponent's opponent's winning percentage. The OHSAA snubbed Martin RPI — which uses similar analytics — after last season's Northwest District experiment and instead chose to partner with MaxPreps to compile power rankings. The RPI rankings will be used to determine seeding for the statewide district tournament draws, which are February 4 for girls and February 11 for boys. Bellevue, which is 12-3 and coming off an impressive road win Saturday at Willard, currently is in a rugged Division II boys district but would move down to D-IV under the new format. "The obvious thing is we get out of our district right now, which has been really, really good, "Bellevue coach Ed Rich said. "I like it better. It gives the smaller schools a chance to compete more." Rich said the switch to seven classes "definitely sounds like a done deal." Perkins coach Eric Kochendoerfer is on board with the expansion if it shortens the season. "That's my number one thing. I just think the seasons continue to get longer and longer," he said. "You've got kids working multiple sports that never get a break. The one thing I've heard is this is an opportunity for the seasons to shorten up some because there's less tournament rounds. That's the part I'm very excited about. "My key thing is I want to make sure it's a good, quality tournament experience for our kids. For me, it's length of season more than anything else. It's just gotten too long, in my opinion." The OHSAA is holding meetings the next two weeks throughout the state to gather feedback about expanding classes, but the organization seems ready to make the move. "Almost since day one when I became executive director (in September 2020), many administrators and coaches have expressed interest in expanding tournament divisions in several of our sports," OHSAA executive director Doug Ute said in a news release last month. "As everyone knows, we have seven tournament divisions in the sport of football, so why not give student-athletes, schools and their communities the same, or at least comparable, opportunities to compete for a state championship in some of our other sports." The first meeting to discuss adding divisions was held Monday in Columbus. Other meetings are scheduled for Cincinnati (Tuesday), Findlay (Friday), Streetsboro (Feb. 5), Cambridge (Feb. 7) and Logan (Feb. 9). The OHSAA Board of Directors' next meeting is scheduled for February 15. "The Board of Directors has been very supportive when discussing this, and I have been pleased that we seem to be on the same page and could possibly have a proposal in front of the Board in the very near future," Ute said. He added that the OHSAA also will discuss adding tournament divisions in other sports. The proposal could mirror what the OHSAA has in place for football, a sport in which the top 10 percent of schools by enrollment make up Division I with the other six divided evenly. In the basketball format, Division I and Division II could include fewer teams with the other five divisions divided evenly. Moore, a 1995 Sandusky graduate, played on teams his sophomore and junior seasons that advanced to the regional level in Division I. The Blue Streaks lost both times. Sandusky is 12-1 this season — losing only to Toledo Whitmer, which Martin RPI ranks No. 3 in D-I — with a team that boasts five junior starters. The Streaks are receiving votes in this week's Division I poll conducted by the Associated Press sportswriters. It's not a stretch to say the Streaks would be one of the top teams in the state next season if there were seven classes. "The expectations would be pretty high," Moore said. "Not that they're not high now, but with schools similar to us, it's a little different."