IHSAA Sectional Realignment Reshapes Postseason Paths for Johnson County Schools

The IHSAA's Executive Committee made it official with a unanimous vote, accepting realignment committee recommendations that will redraw postseason brackets for Johnson County schools across six sports beginning with the 2026-27 school year. For boys basketball, the headline number is six: Greenwood, Decatur Central, Franklin Central, Perry Meridian, Roncalli, and Southport are all now assigned to Class 3A Sectional 12, a concentration of Indianapolis-area programs that turns every late-February postseason run into a gauntlet.

That density matters because those six programs each represent credible postseason threats in their own right. Familiar non-conference opponents are now potential postseason opponents, which forces coaches to rethink both offseason scheduling strategy and scouting priorities before tip-off in November.

The restructuring extends well beyond the basketball court. In football, Center Grove held its position in the 6A Class 8 grouping, keeping the Trojans in familiar heavyweight company. On the volleyball side, Center Grove, Columbus North, and Whiteland were placed together in the 3A grouping, a pairing that will shape tournament seeding and bracket positioning across both covered school years. Girls basketball programs across the county also saw placement adjustments, with several programs retaining comparable groupings from the previous alignment cycle while others shifted into new postseason company.

One variable remains unresolved regardless of sport: actual game locations for postseason play have not yet been determined. The IHSAA confirmed that sectional host sites will be set by sectional athletic administrators, meaning those decisions could arrive in the months ahead. That uncertainty complicates travel budgeting and academic release planning for student-athletes, and the ultimate host assignments could either ease or extend road trips depending on where responsibilities land.

The realignment process drew on 32-member committees operating across districts, and the Executive Committee accepted their work without dissent. Not every spring sport was addressed in this cycle; baseball and softball were excluded and will go through a separate realignment process later this summer, giving those programs additional time to prepare.

Coaches who fail to account for the new sectional landscape early will carry that disadvantage into two full postseason cycles. Athletic departments and booster groups should expect host-site and ticketing announcements from school athletic offices as the calendar moves toward fall.