Valley staying in Class 3A for football

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

The Tippecanoe Valley football team will stay in Class 3A for the next two-year cycle, per the IHSAA sport classifications released Monday.

Valley was the smallest football school in Class 3A for the last classifications three years ago, but Valley’s enrollment is up and there are now 18 smaller football schools in Class 3A.

Schools that will be moving up to Class 3A for football include Boone Grove, Fairfield and Woodlan. Griffith, Delta and South Bend Clay will be moving down from Class 4A.

Brebeuf Jesuit, who was last year’s Class 3A state runner-up, will move up to Class 4A based on enrollment.

Valley is also staying in Class 3A for volleyball, girls basketball and football and staying in Class 2A for girls soccer and boys soccer.

Girls basketball

Valley and Rochester have not played a postseason game against each other since Valley’s semistate win over Rochester in the 2015 semistate at Warsaw. Their next matchup could be imminent as Rochester will be moving up to Class 3A based on enrollment.

Other schools that will be new to Class 3A include both Fairfield and Frankton, who played each other in a Class 2A semistate game back on Feb. 19; Bremen and Northwestern, both of whom are on Valley’s regular season schedule; Boone Grove; and Rensselaer.

Boys basketball

Like the Valley girls, the boys were also in a five-team sectional. Unlike the Valley girls, there is no chance of a postseason meeting with Rochester as the Zebras will stay in Class 2A.

Schools that will be moving up to Class 3A include Bremen, Fairfield, Frankton, Boone Grove and Rensselaer. Rensselaer won their Class 2A sectional last year, and their top two scorers, Colby Chapman and Tristen Wuethrich, are juniors who are expected to return next year.

Volleyball

Fairfield, who has won three consecutive sectional titles and 15 sectionals in the last 18 years, is headed for Class 3A. Bremen, Boone Grove and Rensselaer are also among those moving up to 3A.

Girls soccer

East Noble and South Bend Riley are among those moving down from Class 3A to Class 2A. Boone Grove, Rensselaer and Woodlan are among those moving up.

Valley’s second season as a varsity program begins this fall.

Boys soccer

Argos, who knocked Valley out of last fall’s sectional, will move down to Class 1A, but Fort Wayne Canterbury, who accumulated a point by winning a sectional title, will stay in Class 2A.

Wabash and Illiana Christian are among those moving up to Class 2A based on enrollment.