MSHSL releases competitive section assignments for 2023-24 seasons

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

A new era of football is on the horizon for Otter Tail Central.

The Bulldogs will transition from Class A to nine-man football beginning this fall. This will be the first time Battle Lake and Henning will play nine-man football as a coop, which began over 30 years ago. Part of the reason for the change to nine-man football is to due to a declining enrollment at both schools, according to 9-12 enrollment data compiled by the Minnesota State High School League. The change is also due to how the MSHSL figures in free and reduced meals and coop agreements between member schools.

The Bulldogs will join Section 4 for nine-man football and will compete against Brandon-Evansville, Hancock, Hillcrest, Ortonville, Rothsay, Underwood and Border West (Wheaton-Herman-Norcross-Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley). 

Last year OTC competed in Section 6A and finished with a record of 7-4 overall. They finished in second place in the section and fell to the eventual section champion Breckenridge in the section finals at the FargoDome. 

While there will be a big change for the football team, most of the sections will be largely unchanged. Henning and Otter Tail Central will compete in Section 6A for everything except for baseball and softball in which they were assigned to Section 8AA.

A few of the other major changes came in wrestling, where perennial powerhouse Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Browerville will now join Section 6A. In boys basketball Ada-Borup West, West Central Area and Frazee will join Section 6A. West Central Area will also rejoin Section 6A in girls basketball, after being in Class AA over the past several years. 

The MSHSL rearranges competitive sections every other year, on the odd year, for member schools across the state. The member schools are placed by enrollment and geographic location in sports and activities where they compete for postseason play.

Competitive sections involving Henning/OTC sports include:

Baseball: Barnesville High School, Otter Tail Central, Crookston High School, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton High School, East Grand Forks High School, Hawley High School, Menahga High School, Park Rapids Area High School, Pelican Rapids High School, Perham High School, Roseau High School, Thief River Falls/Goodridge, Warroad High School

Boys basketball: Ada-Borup-West High School, Battle Lake High School,Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa High School, Benson High School, Brandon-Evansville High School, Breckenridge High School, Frazee High School, Hancock High School, Henning High School, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, Lake Park Audubon, New York Mills High School, Ortonville High School, Park Christian High School, Parkers Prairie High School, Rothsay High School, NCE/UH Titans, Underwood High School, West Central Area School, Border West Buccaneers

Girls basketball: Ada-Borup-West High School, Ashby High School, Battle Lake High School, Benson High School, Brandon-Evansville High School, Breckenridge High School, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley High School, Hancock High School, Henning High School, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, Lake Park Audubon, New York Mills High School, Ortonville High School, Park Christian High School, Parkers Prairie High School, Rothsay High School, NCE/UH Titans, Underwood High School, West Central Area School, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross

Boys cross country: Benson/KMS, Bertha-Hewitt High School, ABE (Ashby-Brandon-Evansville), Ottert Tail Central, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle H.S., Melrose Area High School, Minnewaska Area H.S., Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta , New Testament Christian School, Ortonville High School, Osakis High School, Parkers Prairie High School, Pillager High School, Sauk Centre High School, Staples-Motley High School, Verndale High School, Wadena-Deer Creek High School, West Central Area School, Border West Buccaneers 

Girls cross country: Benson/KMS, Bertha-Hewitt High School, Brandon-Evansville High School, Ashby High School, Otter Tail Central, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle H.S., Melrose Area High School, Minnewaska Area H.S., Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta, New Testament Christian School, Kleinschmidt Home School, Ortonville High School, Osakis High School, Parkers Prairie High School, Pillager High School, Sauk Centre High School, Staples-Motley High School, Verndale High School, Wadena-Deer Creek High School, West Central Area School, Border West Buccaneers 

Football: Otter Tail Central, Brandon-Evansville High School, Hancock High School, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, Ortonville High School, Rothsay High School, Underwood High School, Border West

Boys golf: Ashby-Brandon-Evansville, Otter Tail Central, Breckenridge High School, Frazee High School, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, Lake Park Audubon, New Testament Christian School, Ortonville High School, Park Christian High School, Rothsay High School, Underwood High School, West Central Area School, Border West Buccaneers

Girls golf: Ashby-Brandon-Evansville, Otter Tail Central, Breckenridge High School, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, Lake Park Audubon, New Testament Christian School, Ortonville High School, Park Christian High School, Rothsay High School, Underwood High School, West Central Area School, Border West Buccaneers

Softball: Barnesville High School, Otter Tail Central, Breckenridge-Wahpeton, Crookston High School, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton High School, East Grand Forks High School, Hawley High School, Menahga High School, Park Rapids Area High School, Perham High School, Roseau High School, Thief River Falls High School, Wadena-Deer Creek High School, Warroad High School

Boys track: Ashby-Brandon-Evansville, Barnesville High School, Breckenridge High School, Browerville High School, Frazee High School, Otter Tail Central, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle H.S., Minnewaska Area H.S., New York Mills High School, Osakis High School, Parkers Prairie High School, Pelican Rapids High School, Pillager High School, Pine River-Backus High School, Rothsay High School, Sauk Centre High School, United North Central Warriors, Staples-Motley High School, Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale, Wadena-Deer Creek High School, West Central Area School, Border West

Girls track: Ashby-Brandon-Evansville, Barnesville High School, Breckenridge High School, Browerville High School, Frazee High School, Otter Tail Central, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle H.S., Minnewaska Area H.S., New York Mills, Osakis High School, Parkers Prairie High School, Pelican Rapids High School, Pillager High School, Pine River-Backus High School, Rothsay High School, Sauk Centre High School, United North Central, Staples-Motley High School, Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale, Wadena-Deer Creek High School, West Central Area School, Border West

Volleyball: Ashby High School, Battle Lake High School, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa High School, Benson High School, Brandon-Evansville High School, Breckenridge High School, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley High School, Hancock High School, Henning High School, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, Lake Park Audubon, New York Mills High School, Ortonville High School, Park Christian School, Parkers Prairie High School, Rothsay High School, NCE/UH, Underwood High School, West Central Area School, Wheaton-Herman-Norcross

Wrestling: Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale/Parkers Prairie, Verndale High School, Otter Tail Central, LPGE-Browerville, New York Mills, Osakis High School, Pelican Rapids High School, Wadena-Deer Creek High School, West Central Area/Ashby/Brandon-Evansville, Border West