Some of the Hamilton County soccer teams that win sectional championships this season will see a change when the regional comes around in October.
The IHSAA released its Fall Bulletin on Thursday, which details the rules and protocols for each of the organization’s sponsored sports, including soccer. While the sectional format is unchanged, the regional round will be different.
Sectional games are scheduled to take place the week of Oct. 4. Class 3A Sectional 8 includes Anderson, Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, Muncie Central, Noblesville and Pendleton Heights. The girls sectional takes place at Southeastern, while the boys sectional will be contested at Noblesville.
In Sectional 10, the girls list features Arsenal Tech, Carmel, Guerin Catholic, North Central, Pike, Westfield and Zionsville, with the Greyhounds hosting. The boys’ list is slightly different: Carmel, North Central, Pike, Shortridge, Westfield and Zionsville. The Shamrocks will be the host.
The Hamilton Heights girls will hosts Class 2A Sectional 25, a five-team group that includes Delta, Jay County, New Castle and Yorktown. As for the Class 1A schools, Sheridan and University will travel to Tipton for Sectional 37. Other schools competing are Eastern, Taylor and Tri-Central.
Guerin Catholic’s boys team will host 2A Sectional 26, with Hamilton Heights also playing there. Other schools in that group are Brebeuf Jesuit, Cardinal Ritter, Covenant Christian, Lebanon and Western Boone. In 1A play, Sheridan will play in Sectional 39 at Taylor, joined by Anderson Prep Academy, Liberty Christian and Tri-Central. University heads to Park Tudor for Sectional 40, along with Heritage Christian, International, Park Tudor and Scecina.
Keep a note of the sectional number for your favorite school, because that is a direct factor as to where the winner plays in the regional semi-final. This year, the semi-finals will be played on a different date than the championship game. The girls will play their semi-finals on Wednesday, Oct. 13, while the boys play on Thursday, Oct. 14.
As usual, there will be four regional championships crowned in each class, for both boys and girls. This year, however, a team will likely have to play at two different sites in order to win the regional.
In the semi-finals, the winner of an even-numbered sectional will play at a school that wins an odd-numbered sectional. Each semi-final has its own number as well. Here is how that would work for sectionals involving county teams:
Class 3A
Regional semi-final 4: Sectional 8 winner at Sectional 7 winner
Regional semi-final 5: Sectional 10 winner at Sectional 9 winner
Class 2A
Regional semi-final 13: Sectional 26 winner at Sectional 25 winner
Class 1A
Regional semi-final 19: Sectional 38 winner at Sectional 37 winner
Regional semi-final 20: Sectional 40 winner at Sectional 39 winner
Once the regional semi-final games are finished, the winners will go to a pre-determined site on Saturday, Oct. 16 to play for the championship, with both girls and boys playing at the same place. Games are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Here’s a list of who goes to which site, as well as its semi-state alignment:
Class 3A
Regional semi-final 4 winner plays Regional semi-final 3 winner at Kokomo (north semi-state)
Regional semi-final 5 winner plays Regional semi-final 6 winner at Carmel (south semi-state)
Class 2A
Regional semi-final 13 winner plays Regional semi-final 14 winner at Bishop Chatard (south semi-state)
Class 1A
Regional semi-final 19 winner plays Regional semi-final 20 winner at Taylor (north semi-state)
The semi-state is set for Saturday, Oct. 23. There will be four semi-state sites, with three games at each location. North teams will play at Kokomo or South Bend St. Joseph, while south teams play at Evansville North or Seymour.
The state finals will take place on Friday, Oct. 29, with games at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 30 at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.) All games will be played at IUPUI.
GIRLS GOLF
As for the other fall sports, the first to have its state tournament will be girls golf.
Hamilton County schools will be split among two courses. Noblesville will host Sectional 13 at Harbour Trees Golf Club, also welcoming Alexandria, Anderson, Elwood, Fishers, Frankton, Hamilton Heights, Hamilton Southeastern, Lapel, Pendleton Heights and Shenandoah.
Guerin Catholic will host Sectional 19, which will be played at Pebble Brook Golf Club. Other schools competing there will be Ben Davis, Brebeuf Jesuit, Cardinal Ritter, Carmel, Covenant Christian, Pike, Speedway and University.
Both sectionals are scheduled to be played this year on Monday, Sept. 20. The top three teams and top three individuals not on an advancing team will qualify for the regional, which is set for Saturday, Sept. 25.
Qualifiers from Harbour Trees will play at Edgewood Golf Club for the Lapel regional championship. Pebble Brook qualifiers travel to Smock Golf Club on the south side of Indianapolis for the Roncalli regional. The top three teams and top five individuals not on an advancing team at each regional qualify for the state tournament.
The state finals will once again take place at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel. The 36-hole, two-day tournament is set for Friday, Oct. 1 and Saturday, Oct. 2.
BOYS TENNIS
Just like girls golf, Hamilton County’s boys tennis teams will be divided among two sectional sites for the post-season. Sectionals are set for Wednesday, Sept. 29 and Thursday, Sept. 30.
Fishers will host Sectional 45, welcoming Hamilton Heights, Hamilton Southeastern and Noblesville. Carmel’s Todd Witsken Tennis Center will be the location of Sectional 53, with Guerin Catholic, University and Westfield also playing there.
The winner at Fishers will advance to the North Central regional, with the regional champion advancing to the Homestead semi-state. The Carmel sectional champion will play at the Kokomo regional; the winner at Kokomo qualifies for the La Porte semi-state. Regionals will be played on Tuesday, Oct. 5 and Wednesday, Oct. 6, with the semi-state scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 9.
The state finals will begin Friday, Oct. 15 with quarter-finals at Carmel and Center Grove. The semi-finals and state championship match are Saturday, Oct. 16 at North Central.
FLAG FOOTBALL
Four Hamilton County schools are set to filed teams in the Unified flag football state tournament. Carmel, Fishers, Hamilton Heights and Noblesville will compete in Sectional 5, along with Lawrence Central and Zionsville. A host school from among that group was not listed at press time.
There will be eight sectionals, all taking place on Saturday, Oct. 2. The winners will advance to two four-team regionals on Saturday, Oct. 9, with the site to be determined. Regional winners will travel to Grand Park on Oct. 16 to play in the state championship game.
CROSS COUNTRY
All Hamilton County teams will converge on Noblesville’s Chinquapin Ridge course at White River Elementary School on Saturday, Oct. 9 for the sectional. Noblesville will also host the regional on Saturday, Oct. 16. In both events, the top five teams and top 10 individuals not on an advancing team will qualify for the next level of the state tournament.
The semi-state will take place Saturday, Oct. 23 at Shelbyville. The top six teams and top 10 individuals not on an advancing team qualify for the state finals, which will be run on Saturday, Oct. 30 at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute.
VOLLEYBALL
The Class 4A volleyball teams will compete for the Sectional 8 championship at Westfield this year. The six-team event features Carmel, Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, Noblesville, Westfield and Zionsville. Matches will begin on Thursday, Oct. 14.
In Class 3A, Guerin Catholic and Hamilton Heights will play at Bishop Chatard for the Sectional 27 title, joining Brebeuf Jesuit, Christel House Academy, Heritage Christian and Shortridge in a seven-team sectional that starts on Tuesday, Oct 12.
In Class 2A, Sheridan and University travel to Western Boone for Sectional 43, with Park Tudor rounding out this four-team group. All matches will be played on Saturday, Oct. 16.
Regionals will be played on Saturday, Oct. 23. The Westfield champion will compete at the Noblesville regional, which is in the north semi-state. The winner at Bishop Chatard plays at Danville, and the Western Boone champion will play at Sheridan; both are in the south semi-state.
The semi-states are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 30, with north matches at Huntington North and Frankfort, and south matches at Columbus East and Jasper. Winners advance to the Saturday, Nov. 6 state finals, to be played at Ball State University.
FOOTBALL
Sectionals in football begin with first-round games on Friday, Oct. 22 for schools in Classes 1A through 5A, although the majority of 5A teams will get byes. All 6A teams will be off that week, as the 6A sectionals will be either three- or four-team events.
The sectional semi-finals are set for Friday, Oct. 29, and the championship games for Friday, Nov. 5. 6A sectionals with county teams start with the all-local Sectional 4, which features Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, Noblesville and Westfield. Carmel will compete in Sectional 5 with Avon, Brownsburg and Pike.
In Class 3A, Guerin Catholic and Hamilton Heights will play in Sectional 28, with Brebeuf Jesuit, Crawfordsville, North Montgomery, West Lafayette, Western Boone and Yorktown. Sheridan will compete in 1A Sectional 46 with Covenant Christian, Edinburgh, Indiana School for the Deaf, Indianapolis Lutheran, Park Tudor and Tindley.
The regional games are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 12. Regionals involving local sectionals are as follows:
Regional 2: Sectional 3 winner vs. Sectional 4 winner (north semi-state)
Regional 3: Sectional 5 winner vs. Sectional 6 winner (south semi-state)
Regional 14: Sectional 27 winner vs. Sectional 28 winner (north semi-state)
Regional 23: Sectional 45 winner vs. Sectional 46 winner (south semi-state)
Semi-state games will take place on Friday, Nov. 19. Keep in mind that if there is considerable distance between the two opponents, regional and semi-state games may be moved to the next day.
The state finals are set for Friday, Nov. 26 and Saturday, Nov. 27 at Lucas Oil Stadium.