Though it is uncertain if a high school fall sports season will be played, the Ohio High School Athletic Association must continue to plan, despite the current situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The OHSAA on Friday released the 2020 football season regional assignments, the second season under the rules of competitive balance. (See list, Page B2)

The process includes taking a school’s number of male students and adjusting that figure upward according to the football roster, specifically the number of players on the roster who reside outside the school’s geographic boundaries. In the case of nonpublic schools, the figure is adjusted upward for students who come from outside the school’s feeder system.

In the end, 16 schools moved up at least one division — Canal Winchester Harvest Prep went from Division VII to Division V — and 45 schools will be playing one division lower than in 2019.

Area changes include Hubbard, moving up from Division IV to III; West Branch, dropping from III to IV; Cardinal Mooney, dropping from IV to V; Liberty, moving up from VI to V; and Southern Local dropping from VI to VII.

Statewide in Division I there are 17 or 18 schools in each of the four regions. Numbers for the other Divisions are: II, 26-27; III, 25-27; IV, 25-28; V, 26-27; VI, 25-27; and VII, 26-30.

Throughout all seven divisions, the top eight teams in each region qualify for the regional playoffs. After three rounds of regional competition, the four regional champions survive for the state final four.