See which Southwest Ohio basketball teams are ranked in Feb. 5 AP poll

Published

2 years ago

February 5, 2024

See which Southwest Ohio basketball teams are ranked in Feb. 5 AP poll

Here are the top 10 teams in the Associated Press Ohio high school basketball poll released Feb. 5, 2024, with first-place votes in parentheses, won-loss record, and total points:

Boys basketball

Division I

1. Garfield Heights (5) 19-0 135

2. Cleveland St. Ignatius (4) 16-3 133

3. Moeller (1) 18-1 132

4. Lewis Center Olentangy Orange (6) 17-1 127

5. Toledo Whitmer 15-1 109

6. Findlay 14-1 95

7. Delaware Hayes 16-1 69

8. Centerville (2) 12-5 46

9. Elder 15-3 41

10. Louisville 16-2 32

Others receiving 12 or more points: Brecksville-Broadview Heights 22. Sycamore 18.

DIVISION II

1. Rocky River Lutheran West (12) 16-2 167

2. Lexington (2) 18-1 146

3. Wyoming (3) 16-2 109

4. Columbus Hartley 14-2 100

5. Cuyahoga Falls CVCA 17-1 86

6. Shelby 15-2 78

7. Kettering Alter (1) 12-5 74

8. Youngstown Ursuline 13-3 55

9. Creston Norwayne 15-1 52

10. Willard 13-3 32

Others receiving 12 or more points: Marietta 29. Dresden Tri-Valley 15.

Division III

1. Cleveland Heights Lutheran East (6) 14-4 143

2. Ottawa-Glandorf (6) 15-2 142

3. Malvern (3) 16-0 124

4. Ashland Crestview 17-0 97

5. New Madison Tri-Village (2) 16-1 85

6. Toledo Emmanuel Christian 14-2 76

7. Castalia Margaretta 15-2 68

8. Camden Preble Shawnee (1) 16-3 44

9. Gahanna Columbus Academy 16-2 40

10. Minford 12-3 35

Others receiving 12 or more points: Archbold 32. Haviland Wayne Trace 20. Seaman N. Adams 13. Youngstown Mooney 13. Bluffton 12.

Division IV

1. Russia (9) 17-1 162

2. Toledo Christian (3) 15-1 127

3. Richmond Heights (6) 9-8 121

4. Lima Central Catholic 14-2 105

5. Woodsfield Monroe Central 15-0 79

6. Warren JFK 13-4 61

7. Berlin Hiland 13-4 57

8. Troy Christian 15-2 52

9. Leesburg Fairfield 17-2 50

10. Delphos St. John’s 16-2 46

(tie) South Webster 15-2 46

Others receiving 12 or more points: Antwerp 23. Bascom Hopewell-Loudon 17. Pandora-Gilboa 17. Mogadore 13.

Girls basketball

Division I

1. Pickerington Central (10) 18-3 153

2. Lewis Center Olentangy (5) 19-1 143

3. Mason (2) 18-2 139

4. Whitehouse Anthony Wayne 17-2 100

5. Marysville 18-3 93

6. Mt. Notre Dame 17-3 83

7. Princeton (1) 17-3 78

8. Uniontown Lake 17-2 62

9. Akron Hoban 15-2 39

10. Rocky River Magnificat 14-5 20

Others receiving 12 or more points: Strongsville 17. Springboro 17. Olmsted Falls 14. Stow-Munroe Falls 12.

Division II

1. Purcell Marian (16) 21-1 175

2. Thornville Sheridan (2) 20-0 117

3. Proctorville Fairland 18-1 115

4. Circleville 18-0 109

5. Copley 19-2 100

6. Akron SVSM 13-5 80

7. Bryan 17-1 64

8. Chillicothe Unioto 18-2 48

9. Mansfield Sr. 17-2 40

10. Beloit W. Branch 17-2 35

Others receiving 12 or more points: Granville 34. Gates Mills Gilmour 15. Bellevue 12. Shaker Heights Laurel 12.

Division III

1. Casstown Miami East (11) 21-0 160

2. Kettering Alter (3) 18-2 149

3. Ottawa-Glandorf (1) 17-2 123

4. Waynesville (1) 21-0 101

5. Portsmouth 17-2 82

6. Castalia Margaretta 17-2 78

7. Columbus Africentric (2) 18-2 68

8. Mechanicsburg 18-1 46

9. Liberty Center 16-2 32

10. Cincinnati Country Day 15-4 31

Others receiving 12 or more points: Beverly Ft. Frye 27. Warrensville Heights 21. LaGrange Keystone 20. Columbiana Crestview 17.

Division IV

1. Ft. Loramie (13) 18-2 174

2. Berlin Hiland (1) 17-2 136

3. Newark Catholic (2) 17-0 135

4. Convoy Crestview 17-2 114

5. Loudonville 16-1 97

6. Gibsonburg 18-1 83

7. New Madison Tri-Village (1) 16-3 54

8. Waterford 15-3 47

9. Defiance Ayersville 16-1 45

10. Xenia Legacy Christian Academy (1) 17-2 30

Others receiving 12 or more points: Minster 29. Richmond Heights 13.

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Thousands head to Columbus for 23rd annual Home Improvement Show at Ohio Expo Center

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9 hours ago

March 27, 2026

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Thousands head to Columbus for 23rd annual Home Improvement Show at Ohio Expo Center

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Thousands of people are expected to head to downtown Columbus for the 23rd annual Home Improvement Show this weekend.

Organizers say visitors can find ideas for everything from small interior design projects to major renovations.

The event is being held at the Ohio Expo Center and includes seminars, exhibits and demonstrations from local and national companies.

The show begins at noon Friday and runs until 6 p.m.

It continues Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Adult tickets cost $5 at the door.

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Matt Patricia sought stability in return as Ohio State football defensive coordinator

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21 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Matt Patricia sought stability in return as Ohio State football defensive coordinator

Matt Patricia’s contract extension earlier this offseason included a pay raise that figures to make him the highest-paid assistant coach in college football this year.

But Patricia, who will make $3.75 million in guaranteed compensation as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator in 2026, also held an appreciation for his situation.

“Ohio State is such a special place, not only just the history, the tradition, the football program, the school, but the people here,” Patricia said. “Having a chance to have a little stability with my family, it’s hard when you have to move your family around, your kids and the new school and all that.”

Before he joined Ryan Day’s staff last year, the 51-year-old Patricia had bounced around as an assistant in the NFL for much of the decade.

He spent 2021 and 2022 in a variety of roles with the New England Patriots, then a year as a defensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles. He took off from coaching in 2024. The frequent relocation gave him perspective.

“We had an unbelievable experience settling into Columbus,” Patricia said. “Everybody’s been so nice and welcoming. It feels like home. It’s a big deal for us to be in a place where everybody’s happy. That’s really important.”

Patricia had a significant impact on the Buckeyes in his first year replacing Jim Knowles. Despite heavy roster attrition following their national championship season, he kept the defense atop the Football Bowl Subdivision. For the second straight season, no one allowed fewer points than Ohio State.

The 9.3 points per game allowed by the Buckeyes were the fewest by any defense since Alabama in 2011.

The success made Patricia a hot commodity on the coaching market, rebuilding his reputation as a sharp and creative football mind only a decade removed from his tenure as a Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator for the Patriots. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant.

Patricia said he heard about opportunities in the NFL and elsewhere across the college football landscape, though none of them would pry him away from Ohio State.

“It wasn’t necessarily something where you’re looking to leave,” Patricia said, “but you do have to listen when those things come up. I’m just glad everything worked out.”

His challenge in his second season mirrors his previous one, as the Buckeyes are again managing the loss of eight starters on defense.

But unlike 2025, they have fewer returning pieces, relying on a larger class of transfers to help fill the holes on the depth chart.

“With as much coming into the program for the first time, not only are you trying to catch them up on the football scheme, but you’re also trying to catch them up on everything else,” Patricia said. “This is how we work, this is how we do things, this is the standard we’re looking for, this is how we practice, this is how we prepare, this is how we go to school. That has to be also taught. It becomes a lot, but that’s why you bring in the right guys that have the mental makeup to do all that.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.

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Ohio

Which central Ohio schools get the best results for their money?

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

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Which central Ohio schools get the best results for their money?

Which central Ohio school districts get the most bang for their buck?

On average, school districts in Ohio spend $16,069 per-pupil for education, according to the education think tank Fordham Institute.

However, different district types spend different amounts of money. For example, large urban districts with very high poverty spend around $21,000 per-pupil, but small towns with low poverty spend around $14,900. The district type closest to the state average are those considered rural and high poverty and suburban districts with low poverty.

Aaron Churchill, lead Ohio researcher for the Fordham Institute, said that urban districts – like Columbus City Schools, the state’s largest district – often have higher spending because they can pull more in tax revenue and the state supports them at a higher rate because they are serving a higher proportion of disadvantaged students. Small, high-poverty towns on the other hand, generate less tax revenue from property values and district employee wages, the highest expense for schools, may be lowered by less market competition.

Churchill said schools should be focused on directing their funding toward initiatives that improve student outcomes and achievement.

“It’s making sure we’re focused on quality, we’re focused on performance, and that we’re rewarding performance,” Churchill said. “And we don’t do enough of that in the education system now.”

Churchill said there is a long-running debate among education researchers about whether increasing spending translates to meaningful results for students. Overall, school funding has increased on average over $2,000 per-pupil since 2015 and reached a record-high in 2025, according to the Fordham Institute.

“You can see in the numbers that we’re spending more than we ever have,” Churchill said. “The real million-dollar question is ‘Can our schools spend the money well?’”

Which central Ohio districts have the best results compared to funding?

The Dispatch compared overall spending per-pupil for central Ohio school districts to the ODEW’s performance index, using 2025 state data.

The Performance Index uses the performance level results for students in third grade through high school on Ohio’s state testing. The Performance Index (PI) score accounts for the level of achievement of every student, not just whether they are “proficient.” Higher performance levels receive larger weights in the calculation, but all achievement levels are included. Overall, the state average of performance scores was 91.8, according to 2025 state data.

The central Ohio school district with the highest spending was Columbus City Schools, which spent $24,505 per pupil and received a PI score of 60.7. The district with the highest PI was Grandview Heights Schools, which received a 106 PI score and spent $21,567 per pupil. New Albany-Plain Local Schools was a close second in PI at 105.1 while spending more than $4,000 less than Grandview Heights at $16,923 per-pupil.

Here’s how central Ohio schools stack up by spending versus achievements on tests, according to the Ohio Department of Education (sorted by highest spending per-pupil):

Columbus City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $24,505; PI score: 60.7
Grandview Heights Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,567; PI score: 106
Bexley City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,025; PI score: 102.7
Dublin City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18,702; PI score: 97.6
Worthington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18.573 ; PI score: 94.3
Madison-Plains Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $17,646; PI score: 88
New Albany-Plain Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,923; PI score: 105.1
Westerville City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,815; PI score: 89.7
Olentangy Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,780; PI score: 103.9
Groveport Madison Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,236; PI score: 72.6
Upper Arlington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,282; PI score: 103.6
Canal Winchester Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16.154; PI score: 89.1
Average Ohio school district – Spending per-pupil: $16,069; PI score: 91.8
Reynoldsburg City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,956; PI score: 72.2
Gahanna-Jefferson City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,742; PI score: 89.7
Hilliard City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,694; PI score: 90
South Western City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,600; PI score: 78.5
Whitehall City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,593; PI score: 66.95
Johnstown-Monroe Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,163; PI score: 94.5
Jonathan Alder Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,803; PI score: 95.9
Pickerington Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,470 ; PI score: 90.9
Big Walnut Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,239; PI score: 95.1
London City – Spending per-pupil: $13,750; PI score: 81.3
Marysville Exempted Village Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,608; PI score: 95.5
Licking Heights Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,585; PI score: 85.4
Hamilton Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,971; PI score: 82.2
Bloom-Carrol Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,720; PI score: 90.89
Licking Valley Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,587; PI score: 85

Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report

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