Shelbyville's 2022 football season ended with a sectional quarterfinal loss to Bedford North Lawrence.
Recent announced changes by the IHSAA have placed Connersville into Sectional 23 with the Golden Bears and removed the Stars from that postseason field.
With one fell swoop, sizeable changes are coming to Indiana high school football sectionals this season despite the fact the season has already begun.
The move is fallout to a 2022 decision that the eight schools who earned at least a point during the 2021-22 school year would continue playing in a higher classification due to the Tournament Success Factor while being re-evaluated after the 2022-23 school year.
Schools that failed to earn a point while playing in a higher class would return to the next lower class for the next two years.
And now there is fallout from that decision, as the executive committee has moved Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger from Class 5A to its enrollment class of Class 4A as Dwenger's football team did not earn a point.
The move means a shakeup to both Class 5A and 4A beginning this season as Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger is leaving Class 5A, Sectional 12 for Class 4A, Sectional 19. Furthermore, the ripple effect has extended to Columbia City, Muncie Central, Connersville and Bedford North Lawrence, all of whom have been reassigned to new sectionals.
As a result of Dwenger leaving Class 5A, Sectional 12 now becomes a three-team sectional amongst Fort Wayne Snider, Anderson and Fort Wayne North Side. Dwenger's new sectional will include Angola, DeKalb, East Noble, Fort Wayne South Side, Fort Wayne Wayne, Leo and New Haven.
In Class 4A, Bedford North Lawrence is leaving Sectional 23, which included Martinsville, Edgewood, Jennings County, East Central, Greenwood, Shelbyville and Silver Creek. The Stars will now be in Sectional 24 with Boonville, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Central, Evansville Reitz, Evansville Harrison, Evansville Memorial and Jasper.
Connersville leaves Sectional 22 which included Pendleton Heights, Greenfield-Central, New Castle, Beech Grove, Mt. Vernon, New Palestine and Richmond for Sectional 23. The new sectional will feature the Spartans, East Central, Edgewood, Greenwood, Jennings County, Martinsville, Shelbyville and Silver Creek.
Columbia City leaves Sectional 19, which included DeKalb, Fort Wayne Wayne, East Noble, New Haven, Fort Wayne South, Leo and Angola for Sectional 20. The new sectional includes Columbia City, Frankfort, Huntington North, Jay County, Kokomo, Marion, Mississinewa and Western.
Muncie Central had been in Sectional 20 with Kokomo, Marion, Frankfort, Jay County, Mississinewa, Huntington North and Western and will move to Sectional 22. The new sectional will include Beech Grove, Greenfield-Central, Pendleton Heights, Mt. Vernon, New Palestine, New Castle and Richmond.
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