Fitch moves down to D-II in football

Staff report

COLUMBUS

The Mahoning Valley will be without a Division I high school football team during the 2019 season.

Austintown Fitch, which has been the area’s only Division I program for the last several years, has dropped to Division II in the 2019 division assign released Tuesday by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

Fitch was one of seven area teams to change divisions for the upcoming season based on enrollment numbers.

Other teams dropping a division included East Palestine and LaBrae, which went from Division V to VI, McDonald (Division VI to VII) and Jefferson (Division IV to V).

East moved up a division, from IV in 2018 to III this fall. In addition, Chaney will compete in Division III in 2019 when it fields its first varsity team since 2010. Some Chaney varsity sports were resurrected during the 2018-19 school year, but the Cowboys’ football team played a JV schedule last fall.

Chaney and East join Division III holdovers Canfield, Howland, Niles and West Branch.

Austintown Fitch, Boardman and Warren Harding — all now Division II in football — are the area’s biggest programs.

Cardinal Mooney, Girard, Poland, Struthers, Hubbard, Lakeview, Salem and Ursuline are among 11 Valley teams staying put in Division IV.

Champion, Crestview and South Range remain in Division V.

Division VI contains the most Valley programs with 13, including Campbell, Liberty, Springfield, Columbiana and Western Reserve.

Eleven more area teams are in Division VII, including Jackson-Milton, Lowellville, McDonald, Warren JFK and Valley Christian.