The new sectionals

Let me preface my words by saying how difficult slotting sectionals together is. It's a very long process -- not just throwing darts on a map and drawing lines.

However, a few things should be somewhat sacrosanct and a major part of the process. One is that counties shouldn't be split up unless totally necessary. With the IHSAA showing an obvious desire to keep all sectionals at 6 or 7 teams, that became easier said than done.

Hancock County has four teams going four different directions come sectional time. While we've had county teams shunted different ways in the class era -- for two successive realignments, Mt. Vernon was shifted opposite of New Palestine and Greenfield-Central in 3A, once into the Indianapolis sectional, once to Muncie -- we've never had four teams going four different ways.

Makes you pine for the old days of the Greenfield-Central sectional.

According to the IHSAA, New Palestine has apparently been grafted into Johnson County -- the Dragons put in the same sectional as Center Grove, Greenwood, Franklin and Whiteland (and Franklin Central). Meanwhile, they'll drive past three 4A schools that would be a better geographic fit on the way there, including fellow new 4A member Roncalli (which is in a sectional with east and northeast side Indianapolis teams). And North Central has apparently been grafted into the Carmel sectional and the Marion regional.

?

Greenfield-Central remained in its sectional -- which saw no change other than the closer of Anderson Highland and the dropping of Muncie Central into 3A leaves the field involving the three easternmost NCC schools, Connersville and Pendleton Heights at six teams. It will feed the Indianapolis regional instead of the Marion one as in years past.

So, New Palestine and Greenfield-Central, rivals, neighbors, can't see each other until the semistate, despite being in the same class. North Central can't see its neighbors to the east or west -- Pike or Lawrence North -- until the State Finals, despite Hinkle Fieldhouse actually being located within the boundaries ofWashington Township.

To say this makes little-to-no sense -- other than some really strange gerrymandering -- would be an understatement.

Here's the sensible way to align things -- and what probably should have happened.

Currently, New Palestine is in sectional 13 with the Johnson County schools and Franklin Central. Shunt the Dragons over into Sectional 9 with Greenfield-Central and half of the North Central Conference, making that a seven-team sectional.

Then, move Roncalli into sectional 13, with schools it actually has a bit of a tie with -- next-door neighbor Franklin Central and half of the Mid-State Conference, a league Roncalli has asked to be a part of.

Then, move North Central out of the Hamilton County/Zionsville sectional and into its old northside sectional with the Lawrence schools, Warren Central and the like.

Makes perfect sense, keeps rivalries intact and has as minimal crossing of county lines as necessary.

Mt. Vernon's sectional is a bit of a puzzler, too, but geographically makes some sense. Putting the Marauders in with the northside parochial/private schools (Brebeuf, Guerin and Chatard) and two IPS schools (Arlington and Howe) will put them in a very competitive sectional, but one that will be winnable in most sports. Historically, the IHSAA would have put Hamilton Heights in that sectional and sent MV to Muncie. That would avoid splitting county lines (HH and Guerin are practically next door to each other) and keep MV together with HHC schools Yorktown and Delta, but would mean more travel for the Marauders.

Eastern Hancock -- no surprise that there weren't any changes there, other than Shenandoah surprisingly dropping out despite being very heavily in the sectional footprint and farther east than EH (again, splitting schools from the same county, as neighboring Knightstown stays with EH). Someone had to drop out, and it was easier to move Shenandoah north than to split up two schools on US 40 with easier access to Hagerstown/Richmond where most of the sectional's schools reside.

Football-wise, everyone is going to be breathing a sigh of relief that Cathedral and Roncalli are farther west, but warm up the buses. All three county schools are in with the Muncie schools and Frankfort. It's winnable for the local schools -- the top five teams from the HHC last season are in the league -- but it's also balanced. Frankfort being in the sectional is a bit puzzling, but the likely "other" team to be moved into the sectional would have been one of the two Indy parochial powers, so the local schools will be happy to drive past all of them if need be.

What does this mean for us broadcast-wise? Some difficult choices come sectional time. In the past, we have primarily focused on the sectional featuring the most Hancock County teams -- in hoops, that meant the Mt. Vernon/New Palestine sectional had priority. Now, being split four ways, we'll have to pick the best game of the night each night and go there. This approach might actually lead to more coverage come sectional time, but it also means we won't be able to do two games in a night like we did this year on semifinal night without being really creative. It means sponsorship will be key -- the schools with the most sponsorship attached will be the ones that likely take priority in the future.