Taking a look at the IHSAA’s latest Executive Committee meeting
By RICHIE HALL
The IHSAA calendar rolled over to Week 1 this week, which means we are officially in a new year of high school sports for Indiana.
For me, this will be my 27th year of covering IHSAA sports. No, I do not have one of those signs that parents give their kids at the beginning of the school year, take pictures of, and then post all over social media. When you get to be my age, they aren’t nearly as charming. (GRADE: Way past 12th. AGE: Figure it out.)
One of the things I’ve learned over the years is how to stay on top of IHSAA changes. The easiest way is to go to the IHSAA website and find the meeting minutes. I’ve always appreciated the transparency from the IHSAA regarding how its Executive Committee and Executive Staff come up with its policies and decisions.
The summer goes fast when it comes to the IHSAA calendar. Girls golf is now less than four weeks away. One of the action items on the agenda of the IHSAA’s June 27 meeting was approving the sectional sites and post-season alignments for many of the fall sports.
There’s not much news when it comes to the sites involving Hamilton County teams. The girls golf post-season path remains the same as last year. Guerin Catholic hosts Sectional 13 at Pebble Brook, with Carmel, Sheridan, University and Westfield all slated to play there. Noblesville continues to host Sectional 15 at Harbour Trees, also welcoming Fishers, Hamilton Heights and Hamilton Southeastern.
The boys tennis sectionals are the same as well. Fishers welcomes Anderson, HSE and Pendleton Heights. Carmel will host Guerin Catholic, University and Zionsville. Noblesville welcomes Hamilton Heights, Lapel and Westfield. The soccer, cross country and volleyball sectional groups are also the same, although with different locations this coming school year.
But the big action item was the approval of by-laws changes to add girls lacrosse and girls flag football. Both have recently been named as emerging sports by the IHSAA. Girls flag football will be able to play eight games plus one tournament.
The Indianapolis Colts have started a push to develop girls flag football teams across Indiana. According to a map on the Colts’ football development website, 77 schools across the state have signed up for a team. So far, there are no teams in Hamilton County, at least none that I’ve heard about. (If any county teams have started a program, please contact me.)
As for girls lacrosse, that’s been a pretty big thing in Hamilton County for a while. The Carmel and Guerin Catholic girls teams have battled it out for the Class 2A state championship the past four years in a row.
The new by-law rules cap a team’s season at 17 games with no tournament, or 15 games with one tournament. That’s about what our teams were playing each season anyway, so that shouldn’t be a big deal.
When the time comes for girls lacrosse to become a full IHSAA sport, I hope there will be some thought as to how the tournament is aligned. Yes, Carmel and Guerin Catholic are within three miles of each other, but that doesn’t mean they have to be in the same sectional. Look at soccer and how the 3A schools have been divided over the past several years. Those have led to a few all-Hamilton County state championship games – but why not? We have some of the best soccer teams in the state here.
Girls lacrosse is an emerging sport, so hopefully there’s time to work out those details. It is good to see the IHSAA recognize that sport and girls flag football as well. It gives more girls opportunities to play sports – and that could open many doors to other opportunities.
Richie Hall has covered high school sports for more than 25 years, 18 of those years in Hamilton County. You can email him at sports@readthereporter.com.