Lacrosse will be a fully sanctioned sport for boys and girls while girls wrestling and boys volleyball become “emerging sports,” which means the OHSAA will administer tournaments for them but they will have to meet additional requirements to be fully sanctioned in the future.
Lacrosse had been an emerging sport since 2016.
“The OHSAA has been talking with the boys volleyball and girls wrestling leaders for several years and we are now in the position to bring these two sports into the OHSAA,” OHSAA executive director Doug Ute said in a statement. “This move will help those sports continue to grow and allow those student-athletes to compete for an OHSAA state championship. It gives more kids opportunities and that is the mission of the OHSAA.”
State tournaments already existed for both girls wrestling and boys volleyball, but they were sponsored by other organizations.
Ute indicated the girls wrestling tournament will take place in mid-February next season while the boys volleyball tournament will be in the spring, as it is now under the sponsorship of the Ohio High School Boys Volleyball Association. The Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association puts on the girls wrestling tournament.
The OHSAA will recognize 28 sports in 2022-23, including 14 for each gender.
The organization will also look into partnering with an outside group to put on an e-sports tournament, as it has done in the past for cheerleading.
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