SPEEDWAY HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS

The IHSAA has released sectional assignments for six of the eight 'class' sports. The assignments for fall and winter sports teams are now public and the softball and baseball sectional realignments will be released later this year. For the Sparkplugs, there are significant changes to four of the sectional assignments. In football, 3A state champion Cascade actually has moved down to Class 2A for next season. In its place, Western Boone will join Sectional 3A. Guerin Catholic has also moved up to 4A while Heritage Christian joins the Sectional 29 field. FInally, North Montgomery enters the sectional field replacing West Vigo which moves down to Class 2A. Purdue Polytech, Tri-West, and Crawfordsville remain in Sectional 29 to complete the eight team sectional. This is one of four sectionals that are assigned to the South portion of the tournament. In basketball, after two seasons of sharing a sectional field stretching from Edgewood in Monroe County to Cascade in Hendricks County, the Sparkplugs have been placed in an eight team field where all of the teams reside in Marion County. It will be challenging as the Sparkplugs now will compete with basketball powers Brebeuf Jesuit, Bishop Chatard, Cathedral, Crispus Attucks, and Shortridge. Washington, which defeated Speedway's boys in March, will join Herron to complete the tournament field. Both the boys and girls basketball programs as well as the girls volleyball program will now compete in Sectional 26. There are three classes of competition in boys and girls soccer. In boys soccer, the Sparkplugs will remain in Sectional 25 but two new schools will join the tournament field. 1A 2024 state champion Covenant Christian along with Indian Creek will join a tournament field that includes Cardinal Ritter, 2A state runner-up Bishop Chatard, Purdue Polytech, Christel House, and Beech Grove. On the girls side, a rebuilding Speedway side will compete in a slightly different configuration of Sectional 25. The Sparkplugs will be part of a seven school sectional that includes Beech Grove, Christel House, George Washington, Herron, Indian Creek, and Purdue Polytechnic. Roncalli, the defending 2024 and 2025 sectional champ was bumped up to Class 3A for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.