MANSFIELD — The Division I sectional tournament will be contested at a new venue and the cast of characters has changed significantly.
The Northwest District adopted a super sectional format for the first time this season. Instead of seeding each sectional tournament independently, coaches seeded every team in the district. When they gathered for Sunday’s tournament draw, they had the option of choosing to play at either of the sectional sites.
The net result was a major facelift in Division I.
Mansfield Senior and Ashland are the only holdovers from last year’s Galion sectional field. They will be joined at the new Lexington sectional by suburban Toledo school Perrysburg and Anthony Wayne of the Northern Lakes League and Three Rivers Athletic Conference member Oregon Clay.
Madison and Fremont Ross, teams that have traditionally been grouped with Senior High and Ashland, will be in the Otsego sectional in Tontogany with Bowling Green, Lima Senior and Findlay. Tontogany is located northwest of Bowling Green.
“We’re going to a place that not many of us have ever heard of,” Madison coach Tim Mergel said. “It’s a long drive, but I think it brings a little bit more excitement for the kids. In the past we would run into Mansfield Senior or Ashland, teams from our conference. This way we are playing against schools we are unfamiliar with.”
The Rams earned the No. 6 seed and will play No. 5 Findlay at 8 p.m. March 6 in a sectional championship game.
Top-seeded Ashland chose to play at the Lexington sectional, which meant No. 2 seed Lima Senior had to go to Otsego. No. 3 seed Perrysburg could choose either sectional site and opted for Lexington. No. 4 seed Mansfield Senior decided to stay close to home and will play Perrysburg in a sectional championship game at 8 p.m. March 6.
No. 7 Anthony Wayne will play No. 10 Clay in the Lexington sectional semifinals at 7 p.m. March 4. The winner plays Ashland in the early game March 6.
Division II: Northern Ohio League champ Ontario was the No. 1 seed in the Division II draw and will play No. 12 Oak Harbor at 6:15 p.m. March 3 at Madison.
“In the past you would have a sectional with three or four very good teams and the other sectional would have only one,” Ontario coach Joe Balogh said earlier in the season. “With the new format, they are trying to give the higher seeds the best chance to win a sectional championship and get to the district tournament.”
No. 8 seed Clear Fork will play No. 5 Norwalk in the late game at Madison on March 3.
No. 7 seed Galion will meet No. 9 seed Port Clinton in the Willard sectional semifinals at 6:15 p.m. March 3. No. 4 Lexington takes on No. 10 Bellevue in the nightcap. No. 3 seed Shelby placed itself in the Madison sectional bracket and will play the winner of the Clear Fork vs. Norwalk game at 8 p.m. March 6.
Division III: Crestview is the area’s lone remaining Division III program and will open tournament play March 3 at Shelby. The Cougars were the No. 12 seed and will play No. 8 Margaretta at 6:15 p.m. March 3. A win would send the Cougars into a sectional championship game against top-seed and state-ranked Colonel Crawford at 6:15 p.m. March 6.
Division IV: State-ranked Plymouth earned the No. 1 seed and will play No. 13 Monroeville at 6:15 p.m. March 3 at Ashland High School. No. 5 seed St. Peter’s will play No. 10 Norwalk St. Paul in the nightcap at Ashland.
“I feel like there are a lot of quality teams in our district,” St. Peter’s coach Joe Jakubick said after the Spartans knocked off Temple Christian last week. “I feel that we have a chance to compete against whoever we may play in our district.”
No. 11 seed Crestline will play No. 2 Sandusky St. Mary at 7 p.m. March 3 at Norwalk. The winner will play No. 6 Mansfield Christian at 6:15 p.m. March 6. No. 9 Lucas will play third-seeded South Central at 6:15 p.m. March 4 at Norwalk.
“I feel like there are a lot of quality teams in our district,” St. Peter’s coach Joe Jakubick said.
