By Brad Morris
SportingPumpkin.com
The departure of eight schools to reform the Central Buckeye League on July 1 will have an effect on the remaining members of the Mid-State League, beginning this fall.
Following the departure of Bexley, Bishop Ready, Buckeye Valley, Columbus Academy, Columbus School for Girls, Grandview Heights, Whitehall and Worthington Christian to reform the CBL, the MSL’s Ohio Division was eliminated, leaving the league with 17 schools in two divisions, the Buckeye and Cardinal.
The Cardinal Division doesn’t have enough schools fielding a team to crown a champion in some sports, with those schools coming over in the past to the Buckeye Division to compete. Fisher Catholic, for example, has competed in the Buckeye Division for several years in both girls tennis and girls soccer.
With the elimination of the Ohio Division, the MSL will crown one overall champion this fall in girls golf, girls tennis and girls soccer.
Wellington, which is moving from the Ohio Division to the Cardinal, will join Fairfield Christian and Miller in competing for the MSL girls golf championship with Buckeye Division stalwarts Bloom-Carroll, Circleville, Fairfield Union, Logan Elm, Liberty Union and Teays Valley.
Bishop Rosecrans and Wellington join Fisher Catholic in vying for the MSL girls soccer championship with the eight Buckeye Division schools.
Wellington and Fisher Catholic are slated to do the same in girls tennis with Buckeye Division schools Bloom-Carroll, Circleville, Hamilton Township, Logan Elm and Teays Valley that field teams in the sport.
Harvest Prep remains a member of the Mid-State League, but will compete as an independent in football, beginning this fall, and play one round robin in both boys and girls basketball in the Cardinal Division, also beginning this school year.
The Warriors competed in preceding school years in the Ohio Division for football and the Cardinal Division in all other sports.
Teays Valley will depart the MSL following this school year to join the Ohio Capital Conference, leaving the Buckeye Division with seven members.
When Logan and Teays Valley join the OCC, the conference will have 34 members, including five that formerly competed in the MSL — Canal Winchester (1957-1964, 1966-2012), Marysville (1945-50), Pickerington Central (the original Pickerington High School, 1966-1981), New Albany (1990-2006) and Teays Valley (1984-2024).
Mid-State League membership for the 2023-24 school year
Buckeye Division: Amanda-Clearcreek, Bloom-Carroll, Circleville, Fairfield Union, Hamilton Township, Liberty Union, Logan Elm, Teays Valley
Cardinal Division: Berne Union, Bishop Rosecrans, Fairfield Christian, Fisher Catholic, Grove City Christian, Harvest Prep (independent in football), Miller, Millersport, Wellington
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