Ohio High School Athletic Association


The Ohio High School Athletic Association is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the U.S. state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of competition by divisional separation of schools according to attendance population, and conducts state championship competitions in all the OHSAA-sanctioned sports.

Membership

There are approximately 820 member high schools and 850 more schools in the 7th-8th grade division of the OHSAA. Most public and private high schools in Ohio belong to the OHSAA.

Structure

Districts

The Association is divided into six districts, each with its own District Athletic Board, including the Central District, East District, Northeast District, Northwest District, Southeast District, and Southwest District.
The District boards conduct Sectional and District tournaments. The main OHSAA board conducts Regional and State tournaments.

Classifications and divisions

Member high schools are divided into three classifications. Prior to 1989 many sports held tournaments based on these classifications. Since then, each sport individually divides into numbered divisions based on enrollment, taking into account the total number of schools offering that varsity sport and placing an equal number of schools in each division.
The classifications are still used to fill spots on the six District Athletic Boards.
The number of divisions varies based on how many schools offer that sport. Football has the most, with seven divisions. Three sports have a single division: Boys' Ice Hockey, Girls' Field Hockey, and Gymnastics. Beginning with the 2024-25 School year Baseball, boys and girls basketball, softball and girls volleyball will grow from four to seven postseason divisions and boys and girls soccer will go from three to five.

History

The OHSAA is an unincorporated, non-profit organization founded in 1907. Members of the Western Ohio Superintendents' Round Table had frequently discussed the need of a central organization for high school athletics. In 1906 they passed a resolution to appoint a committee, headed by George R. Eastman, the first President of the Board of Control.
The first OHSAA-sponsored state tournament, Track and Field, was held on May 23, 1908, at Denison University. Columbus North became the first state champions, finishing ahead of Dayton Steele.
The OHSAA is currently headed by a commissioner. Prior to 1925, the Board of Control officers handled duties now associated with the Commissioner.
In 1979, OHSAA adopted a bylaw prohibiting out-of-state students from competing in OHSAA-sponsored activities. This rule was affirmed by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in the 1985 case Alerding v. Ohio High School Athletic Association, regarding St. Xavier High School students from Northern Kentucky.

Commissioners since 1925

  • H.R. Townsend
  • Harold Emswiler
  • W.J. McConnell
  • Paul E. Landis
  • Harold A. Meyer
  • George D. Bates
  • Richard L. Armstrong
  • Clair Muscaro
  • Daniel B. Ross, Ph.D.
  • Jerry Snodgrass
  • Doug Ute

    OHSAA–sponsored sports tournaments

Boys

Girls

Past team state champions

Schools with most team titles

Rank# of
Titles		SchoolCity# of
Boys
Titles		# of
Girls
Titles		Year of
First
Title		Year of
Last
Title
168St. EdwardLakewood68X*19782025
265St. XavierCincinnati65X*19572025
356Upper ArlingtonUpper Arlington282819372025
449St. IgnatiusCleveland49X*19882025
543MinsterMinster93419762025
642HawkenGates Mills73519772022
740Walsh JesuitCuyahoga Falls221819822023
836Columbus AcademyGahanna201619772025
935GrahamSt. Paris35019302025
10t34St.Vincent-St.MaryAkron231119722022
10t34St. Francis DeSalesColumbus25919712025
10t34Thomas WorthingtonWorthington122219382025
1332Brecksville-Broadview HeightsBroadview Heights52719812025
14t31Archbishop AlterKettering201119782025
14t31ColdwaterColdwater191219832025
1628Newark CatholicNewark171119782025
1727Canton McKinleyCanton23419372010
18t26Archbishop MoellerCincinnati26X*19722023
18t26Marion LocalMaria Stein20619752024
20t24East TechnicalCleveland23119202002
20t24Beaumont SchoolCleveland HeightsX2419862012
20t24Archbishop HobanAkron121219802024
20t24Bishop WattersonColumbus16819722025
24t22ElderCincinnati22X*19432005
24t22Dublin JeromeDublin13920042025
26t21Mount Notre DameCincinnatiX*2119952021
26t21GlenvilleCleveland21019592025
26t21St. HenrySt. Henry14719792025
2920St. Ursula AcademyCincinnatiX*2019912024
30t18VersaillesVersailles81019652021
30t18CentervilleCenterville61219282022
30t18MagnificatRocky RiverX*1819902024
30t18Gilmour AcademyGates Mills71119712024
30t18BeavercreekBeavercreek9919412025
30t18Summit Country DayCincinnati12619952025
36t17Pickerington CentralPickerington8919852025
36t17MasonMason71020002024
36t17University SchoolHunting Valley17X*19902025
36t17Bishop HartleyColumbus8919762016
40t16Villa-Angela/St. JosephCleveland13319652017
40t16DunbarDayton15119482017
40t16Cincinnati Ursuline AcademyCincinnatiX*1619752022
40t16WoodridgeCuyahoga Falls12419952025
44t15Cleveland HeightsCleveland Heights11419322008
44t15Jefferson TownshipDayton12319572010
44t15Kettering Fairmont / WestKettering41119612021
44t15Dublin CoffmanDublin7819772021
44t15Fort LoramieFort Loramie8719772024
44t15HilandBerlin9619922025

Schools with most team titles in one sport

Rank# of
Titles		SchoolCitySportFirstLast
144St. XavierCincinnatiBoys' Swimming19702024
238St. EdwardLakewoodWrestling19782025
332HawkenGates MillsGirls' Swimming19842022
426GrahamSt. ParisWrestling19822025
525Brecksville-Broadview HeightsBroadview HeightsGirls' Gymnastics19942025
618GlenvilleClevelandBoys' Track19592023
7t17Upper ArlingtonUpper ArlingtonBoys' Golf19412006
7t17MinsterMinsterGirls' Cross Country19822025
916Beaumont SchoolCleveland HeightsGirls' Track19862008
1015Marion LocalMaria SteinFootball20002024
11t14St. IgnatiusClevelandSoccer20042024
11t14Upper ArlingtonUpper ArlingtonGirls' Swimming20032025
13t13Canton McKinleyCantonBoys' Swimming19371961
13t13East TechnicalClevelandBoys' Track19201955
13t13MinsterMinsterGirls' Track19762018
16t12Columbus AcademyGahannaField Hockey19942019
16t12Columbus AcademyGahannaBoys' Golf19832021
16t12ElderCincinnatiBaseball19432005
19t11St. EdwardLakewoodIce Hockey19852008
19t11St. IgnatiusClevelandFootball19882011
19t11Walsh JesuitCuyahoga FallsGirls' Soccer20002023
19t11WoodridgePeninsulaBoys' Cross Country20062025
23t10Strasburg-FranklinStrasburgGirls Softball19872024
23t10Maple HeightsMaple HeightsWrestling19561974
23t10MagnificatRocky RiverGirls' Gymnastics19902003
23t10DunbarDaytonBoys' Track19482017
23t10Mount Notre DameCincinnatiGirls' Volleyball19952020
23t10St. Vincent–St. MaryAkronBoys' Basketball19842022
23t10Dublin JeromeDublinBoys' Golf20042025
23t10Thomas WorthingtonWorthingtonGirls' Field Hockey19882025
23t10University SchoolHunting ValleyBoys' Swimming20092025