The potential for Columbus East-Columbus North postseason football showdown became a little closer to reality this week when the IHSAA released enrollment numbers for its member schools.
East is moving up from 5A to to 6A in football for at least the next two years because of the IHSAA’s Tournament Success Factor. The Olympians, after being in 4A for several years, have been in 5A the past four years and won the 5A state title in 2017.
The Bull Dogs have been one of the 32 Class 6A programs since the IHSAA split the top 64 schools into 5A and 6A. But when the previous enrollment figures were released two years ago, North was No. 31.
That led to speculation that if East moved up to 6A, and another school or two passed North in enrollment, the Bull Dogs might drop down to 5A. However, North, with 2,063 students, moved up into a three-way tie for No. 27 with Lafayette Jeff and Chesterton.
The official classifications won’t be released until late February, but East, which is ranked No. 62 with 1,475 students will remain in 4A, along with North, for all other classed sports, except soccer, which has only three classes. Jennings County is ranked No. 82 with 1,203 students and also will stay in 4A.
Hauser is ranked No. 307 with 292 students and likely will remain in Class A for basketball and other sports. Edinburgh, which is ranked No. 345 with 241 students, and Trinity Lutheran, which is ranked No. 380 with 149 students, also will remain in Class A.
Brown County is ranked No. 167 with 619 students and likely will remain in 3A for most sports and 2A for boys and girls soccer. South Decatur, which is ranked No. 291 with 328 students, likely will stay in Class A for football and 2A for other classed sports.
Carmel, with 5,286 students, overtook Ben Davis (4,499) as the state’s largest school. Warren Central (3,821), North Central (3,727) and Fishers (3,509) rounded out the top five.
Columbus bowlers advance
Matt Watson won the boys singles championship to lead the Columbus bowlers to a second-place team finish in the Southeastern Indiana Conference meet at Columbus Bowling Center.
Watson finished first in the preliminary round, then beat Seymour’s Colton Hayes 178-169 at the end of the stepladder finals to advance to Saturday’s New Castle Regional. Columbus’ Thomas McCarrick and TJ Branigan took sixth and seventh, respectively, in the preliminary round.
Seymour won the team title with a 420-307 win over Columbus in the final.
Eagle named Player of Week
Allison Stogsdill, who led Brown County to a pair of wins last week, has been selected as an Indiana Basketball Coaches Association/Subway co-Player of the Week for District 3 girls.
Stogsdill, a 5-foot-5 junior, recorded 33 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals in a 73-36 victory against Crothersville. She followed with 26 points, two rebounds, five assists and six steals in a 50-45 win against Trinity Lutheran 50-45.
In two games, Stogsdill went 22 of 41 from the field, including 8 of 16 from 3-point range and 7 of 11 from the free-throw line. She has scored at least 20 points in five consecutive games.
Contests rescheduled
The Columbus East at New Albany girls basketball game, which was snowed out on Saturday, has been rescheduled for Monday. East’s wrestling match scheduled for tonight at Brownsburg has been canceled
Also, the Western Indiana Conference wrestling meet at Edgewood, which includes Brown County, was moved back a week after Saturday’s postponement. That meet now has been moved to 4 p.m. Friday because of impending weather concerns for Saturday.
Brown County also has added a home wrestling match at 6 p.m. today against Paoli.
