What coaches, administrators, others are saying about the OHSAA’s competitive balance referendum

Villa Angela-St. Joseph boys basketball players hoist the Division IV state championship trophy after beating Leipsic in the 2013 title game. After beating Leipsic, a public school, the Vikings moved to Division III last season, where they lost in the state title game to fellow non-public school Lima Central Catholic. (Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer)
By Scott Patsko, Northeast Ohio Media Group
on May 15, 2014 7:05 AM, updated May 15, 2014 7:16 AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Principals statewide have until Thursday at 4 p.m. to return ballots for the Ohio High School Athletic Association's 2014 referendum items.

One again, the most noteworthy referendum deals with competitive balance. The OHSAA's fourth proposal in as many years would add a multiplier formula to how enrollment is counted, likely resulting in division changes for many private schools and public schools with open enrollment.

The intent is to alleviate the argument from public schools that their private counterparts have an unfair advantage due to lack of school district boundaries.

Here is what Ohio coaches and administrators and state and national officials are saying about the latest competitive balance referendum:

"I'm extremely pleased with the plan that the committee has recommended and the Board has approved. While the proposal is similar to last year's, the modified version is the result of a compilation of input from our superintendents, principals, athletic administrators and coaches." -- Dan Ross, OHSAA commissioner.

 "I'd hate to see (public-private separation) happen. That's a lose-lose situation. When it comes down to it, you know who you are competing against and you know who you have to beat each year. We just want to play the best competition. You don't want people saying you've won a second-class state title. You want to beat the best." -- Bob Mihalik, Aurora football coach.

"I don't think we're ever going to find a perfect solution. You're never going to get a proposal that's going to make everybody happy. We need a middle ground." -- Andy Jalwan, St. Vincent- St. Mary athletic director.

"Just like last year's proposal, there are too many questions that need to be answered, and too many facts that need to be presented. Just what is the end result desired? Is it to make the divisions more competitive, is to make the public schools competitive with the private schools? Is it to keep the public v. private vote away?" -- Tom Nerl, Cincinnati Mariemont athletic director. (

"They seem to form these committees and forget about the people who are dealing with these issues first-hand. There's a lot of apathy that's been generated by people who say they're not going to vote because nothing is going to change anyways." -- Jim France, Manchester football coach. 

"I've taken it for 21 years. It isn't right. You look at my kids and they did everything we asked them to all year. I don't know how they can justify ... if (privates) want to play (with out-of district players), put them in Division I where they deserve to be. They can't win it there so they don't want to go there. There's got to be a better way." -- Kevin Grisdale, Poland Seminary boys basketball coach after losing Division II regional final to St. Vincent-St. Mary. (Youngstown Vindicator) 

"This is about high school sports, and high school sports are not about AAU teams coming together and playing together. It's not about grabbing kids from everywhere and putting them on your roster. It's about taking your kids and if your kids and your roster doesn't end up that way, then there'd be a modification on how they'd be put in their division." -- Dan Ross, OHSAA commissioner.

"As much as (public schools) want to make it out to be that the private schools are doing all this recruiting, the one thing I think people fail to realize is that we live in a free country and you should have the right — as long as it's within the confines of where you live and (the) district — you have a right to choose where you want to go." -- Keith Gunther, Youngstown Ursuline boys basketball coach. (Youngstown Vindicator)

"I do feel the proposal is an improvement over the current system because it would enhance the equity of postseason tournaments. I will encourage our athletic director and principal to support this referendum." -- Tallmadge football coach Joe Vassalotti. (

 "I think this one is a pretty fair proposal across the board because it will affect public schools with open enrollment the same as non-public schools. I'm not sure, or confident, totally in how it is going to be managed. That's a whole different issue. It looks good on paper... I kind of support what we're trying to do right now. I believe this is the most fair way, but I'm not sure how it will be implemented." -- Diane Redmond, Cincinnati Ursuline Academy athletic director. (The Catholic Telegraph)

"The OHSAA puts this formula out so that they can say they addressed the problem. It is a façade. Is the solution to put the all-star teams all in Division I? How is that fair for the average to small Division I programs that don't recruit? People that think the system is fair are simply looking at the glass through their lenses without the views from the other side." -- Jeff Brink, Hudson boys basketball coach. (

"The latest plan allows non-public schools to designate one chosen feeder (parish) in which those kids count zero, but the kids right across the street from our school and families who have been committed to the Catholic schools in this city since the very beginning, will be assessed a Level 1, and it will count against our enrollment numbers." -- Dan Garrick, DeSales principal. (Columbus Dispatch)

"I'm against it regardless of what they do with it. We're talking about 13- to 18-year-old kids where most of them aren't making a decision on where to go to school, their parents are. To say that there needs to be a multiplier on any kid because they're a transfer or they want to go to a private school, just doesn't make any sense to me... I've been at public schools and at private schools and I've felt the same way. I'm not just saying this because I'm at a private school now." -- Jon Payne, Fenwick athletic director. (The Catholic Telegraph)

"While the current system obviously works well for us, the OHSAA is committed to addressing competitive balance and our school wanted to send a message that we believe in the OHSAA's mission to fairly regulate and administer interscholastic athletics for all student-athletes in Ohio." -- Andy Jalwan, St. Vincent-St. Mary athletic director, announcing that his school will support the competitive balance referendum.

"Until the OHSAA does something about the discrepancy in enrollment sizes, this competitive balance will do nothing. For example, I have 507 boys at Nordonia High School and we played St. Edward in a (Division I) district semi with almost double my enrollment from numerous counties." -- Matt Cash, Nordonia boys basketball coach. (

"The bottom line is, we need the public and private schools to stay under one umbrella and play in the same tournaments, and if this is the way to make that happen, we are in support of it." -- Shawn Buescher, West Jefferson football coach and athletic director. (Columbus Dispatch)

"In those state associations where membership consists of both public and private schools, (competitive balance) will probably always be an issue. As far as the role of the NFHS is concerned, we sponsor several national meetings a year that brings our entire membership together to discuss key issues, such as this one. States are able to share ideas through this process. ... We are not really in a position to say one plan is better than another." -- Bruce Howard, director of publications and communications for the National Federation of State High School Associations. The NFHS sets rules and standards for member associationssuch as the OHSAA.


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