Schools Try Out District Rivalries: Principals Are Hoping for Friendly Matchups

By Charlie Boss, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio

Feb. 3–It’s Darby versus Davidson, take two.

The Hilliard high schools — like many others in central Ohio suburbs — typically haven’t faced off in sports. For years, in part because of schools’ fears that competition might divide communities, the Ohio Capital Conference has discouraged intradistrict play by putting sister schools in different divisions.

But today, two weeks after the firstever regular season meeting of the Darby and Davidson basketball teams, about 2,300 fans are expected to cheer on the rematch.

“We’re all excited,” said Davidson freshman Carly Catlett. “We’ll get to see which one in Hilliard is the best.”

Hilliard has started scheduling intradistrict matchups by choice, but many sister schools throughout central Ohio soon will be competing in all sports, whether they want to or not.

Last March, the Ohio Capital Conference eliminated a long-standing bylaw that prevented sister high schools from playing in the same division. The realignment, effective in the 2008-09 school year, has some schools staging games now to see how the rivalries play out.

“Since we’re going to be playing each other in the conference season, (we thought) let’s go ahead and get it started,” said Darby Principal Dave Stewart.And let the two schools play each other and do it on our schedule.”

Darby and Davidson baseball, softball, tennis and lacrosse teams also will meet for the first time later in the year, and the football season opener will have both schools looking to make history.

“It will be the biggest game of our lives,” said Darby junior B.J. Machen, a varsity football player.

Thomas Worthington’s and Worthington Kilbourne’s boys basketball teams competed for the first time in a regular-season game last month. The same happened with Olentangy and Olentangy Liberty high schools.

In many suburban districts, students have attended school together or crossed paths through jobs, churches, local hangouts and youth athletic teams. But some administrators worry that the new alignment could create overly contentious crosstown rivalries.

“In a league situation, I’m not so sure it’s good,” said Chuck Kemper, principal at Pickerington Central High School.

Some school officials created their own polices against such competition. Others have been cautious when planning nonleague intradistrict matchups.

“One time in the district, things were pretty heated amongst the schools,” said Ed Palmer, principal at Central Crossing High School in the South-Western district. “We thought it was causing some divisiveness.”

Palmer recalls unsportsmanlike incidents during Westland and Grove City football games several years ago. As a result, administrators used caution when scheduling games between Central Crossing, Franklin Heights, Grove City and Westland.

But the four schools have competed in all-district wresting meets and track competitions, and have faced off in soccer, volleyball and swimming.

“It’s not that we don’t play one another,” Palmer said. “We do. But again, we like to have the option of making that decision ourselves, not from a league mandate.”

Central Crossing, which opened five years ago, will face Westland under the realignment. Last year, the basketball teams played for the first time.

With the two South-Western schools pitted against each other, Palmer said, it’s inevitable that a rivalry will grow. As with last year’s game, a sold-out crowd is expected when they meet this month, he said.

Administrators at Pickerington Central and Pickerington North high schools have mixed reactions about the change.

“I’m sure our community has been ready; I think the students are ready,” said North Principal Mike Smith. “It’s just that when you play each other over a period of time, there’s always that possibility that bad blood will develop in the two schools.”

Central’s girls basketball team beat North in a sold-out arena at Otterbein College in a regional championship game in March.

And when boys soccer teams from both high schools played in a tournament for the first time last year, about 3,900 fans — about 20 times as many as during a regular season game — turned out to watch.

The Ohio Capital Conference decided to realign divisions to nearby schools as a way to shave travel time for athletes and transportation costs, said Olentangy High School Principal Mindy Farry, who led the realignment committee.

A majority of high-school principals supported the move, which passed by a 24-6 vote, Farry said.

The new divisions will take effect as Hilliard and Olentangy open new high schools. The OCC reviews division lineups every two years.

cboss@dispatch.com

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio

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