OHSAA Cancels Winter Tournaments

The OHSAA has announced that all winter sports tournaments have been canceled. As a result, Ohio will not be crowning state champions in hockey, wrestling and girls’ and boys’ basketball in 2020. OHSAA Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass stated that the cancellation of state tournaments would cost the OHSAA an estimated $1.4-$1.5 million.

The 16 schools that qualified for the girls basketball state tournament and the four teams that qualified for the ice hockey state tournament will all receive state tournament programs. The 672 student-athletes who qualified for the wrestling state tournament will all receive a program, certificate and their weigh-in card.

These four winter state tournaments and a few events during World War 2 (1941-45) are the only sports cancellations in the history of the OHSAA, which was founded in 1907. However, boys basketball and wrestling were not cancelled during those years. The girls basketball state tournament was first held in 1976 and the ice hockey state tournament was first held in 1978.

The start of the OHSAA’s Spring sports of softball, lacrosse, baseball, track and field & boys tennis is still postponed. This runs hand in hand with schools being closed due to the Coronavirus.