Caston cross-country moved to Logansport sectional

Rochester, Valley, Argos, Culver stay at Manchester sectional; Pioneer stays at Logansport

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Cross-country

The IHSAA has moved the Caston cross-country team from the Manchester sectional to the Logansport sectional as part of the restructuring of its state tournament format.

Caston will be part of a 16-team sectional at Logansport on Oct. 14. The top five teams and top 15 individuals on non-advancing teams will advance to the regional at Brownsburg on Oct. 21.

The top five teams and top 15 individuals on non-advancing teams at the regional will advance to the state finals in Terre Haute on Oct. 28.

Caston is the only RTC area school that will be switching sectionals. Rochester, Tippecanoe Valley, Argos and Culver will stay in the Manchester sectional, and Pioneer will stay in the Logansport sectional.

The IHSAA announced on Jan. 12 that the Executive Committee voted 11-6 to reduce the state tournament format from four weeks to three weeks, eliminating the semistate.

That meant reducing the number of sectionals statewide from 32 to 25 and reducing the number of regionals from 16 to five.

The Executive Committee then revealed the sectional and regional sites Friday. It voted by a 16-1 margin at its March 24 meeting to approve the realignment.

Here is more on the new format:

• The Manchester sectional grows from 11 teams last year to 15. The Logansport sectional also had 11 teams last year.

• Newcomers to the Manchester sectional include Columbia City, Huntington North, Northfield, Wabash and Whitko. Caston is the only school leaving the Manchester sectional.

• The Manchester sectional will feed into the New Haven regional, which will be held at The Plex on Oct. 21.

• In addition to Caston, other newcomers to the Logansport sectional include Clinton Central, Clinton Prairie, Frankfort, Rossville and Taylor. Winamac is leaving the Logansport sectional and moving to the Rensselaer sectional.

• In addition to New Haven and Brownsburg, other regional sites include New Prairie, Shelbyville and Evansville Mater Dei.

• Manchester sectional: ARGOS, Columbia City, Culver Academy, CULVER, Huntington North, Manchester, North Miami, Northfield, Plymouth, ROCHESTER, TIPPECANOE VALLEY, Triton, Wabash, Warsaw, Whitko

• Logansport sectional: Carroll (Flora), CASTON, Clinton Central, Clinton Prairie, Eastern (Greentown), Frankfort, Kokomo, Lewis Cass, Logansport, Maconaquah, Northwestern, Peru, PIONEER, Rossville, Taylor, Western