I have spent a lot of time poking through Ohio High School Athletic Association archives recently to acquaint myself with Delaware County as the Source news team expands.
It turns out the home of the Little Brown Jug is also the current heavyweight champion of high school sports in the Buckeye State.
The OHSAA sanctions 28 sports — 14 boys and 14 girls. A Delaware County school is the reigning team champ in four of those sports. The county also produced several individual state champs in the past year.
I may not be telling the county’s high school sports fans anything they don’t already know, but for my purposes I’ve compiled a list of notable achievements by the seven schools in Delaware Source’s coverage area.
Here’s what I came up with:
Berlin
The newest of the Olentangy district’s four high schools, Berlin opened in 2018 and has established itself athletically in less than a decade.
Junior Soleil Cordell capped a perfect 27-0 season in the fall by winning the Division I girls singles tennis title. Cordell was the singles runner-up as a sophomore and reached the quarterfinals as a freshman.
Miles King was the state runner-up in the 300-meter hurdles at last year’s state track meet.
The baseball team qualified for the state semifinals in the spring of 2024 and the volleyball team won a regional championship the following fall.
The boys cross country team finished 11th at the state meet last fall. The girls program sent three individuals to Fortress Obetz.
The girls gymnastics team was state runner-up in 2023, pushing powerhouse Brecksville-Broadview Heights in what was at the time the closest team competition in state history. Tayten Swain was a two-time individual state champ in the floor exercise (2023, 2024).
Big Walnut
Big Walnut’s football pedigree is well known. The Golden Eagles reached the Division II state semifinals each of the past two years and won a state title in 2007.
The girls basketball team reached the Final Four last year and the girls volleyball team has reached the state semifinals seven times with three runner-up finishes (2017, 2010, 1991).
Not to be outdone, the girls soccer program advanced to the state semifinals in 2017 and 2018.
The baseball team was a state semifinalist in 2015.
Buckeye Valley
The school that produced 2003 British Open champion Ben Curtis is at it again. Buckeye Valley was the Division II state runner-up in boys golf in the fall thanks in no small part to individual medalist Sam Reynolds.
Buckeye Valley’s volleyball team was the Division IV state runner-up last fall. The softball program reached the state semifinals in 2005.
Hayes
The Pacers navigated the brutal central district to reach the boys basketball Final Four in 2024.
The school has a proud tradition in boys lacrosse, winning Division III club state tournament championships in 2012 and 2013 when the tournament was still administered by the Ohio High School Lacrosse Association.
Liberty
After reaching the state semifinals in football in 2016, 2017 and 2018, the Patriots broke down the door in 2024 with a big-school championship. Liberty won a baseball state title in 2018 and reached the boys basketball Final Four in 2019.
The boys soccer program won a state title in 2012 and was runner-up in 2019, 2014 and 2011. The girls soccer team was state runner-up in 2023 and reached the state semifinals in 2015 and 2017.
The girls cross country team placed fourth at last year’s state meet. Elena Aldrink was the individual state champion.
Olentangy
The Braves are the reigning big-school baseball state champs. Olentangy was baseball state runner-up in 2006 and reached the football state semifinals in 2014.
Meadow Tian won the individual state title in girls golf last fall, helping Olentangy to a third-place finish in the team standings.
The boys soccer team reached the state semifinals in 2024 and the girls soccer program was state runner-up in 2020.
Orange
Orange won its first boys basketball state championship last winter and followed it up with the big-school football title in the fall. It was the first time the Pioneers reached the state tournament in either sport.
Orange’s powerhouse girls wrestling program is the reigning two-time state team titlist and finished runner-up in 2023, the first year the OHSAA sponsored a state tournament. Junior Mackenzie Carder was the runner-up at 120 pounds last winter and is the top-ranked wrestler in the state at that weight this year.
The girls volleyball team reached the state semifinals in the fall and was the state runner-up in 2023.
Brooke Chapman was the individual runner-up in cross country to Liberty’s Aldrink.
I’m sure I’ve omitted teams and individuals despite my best efforts. That’s where you come in. Feel free to email me with corrections and additions at curt@richlandsource.com.
I’d love to open a line of communication with the county’s passionate high school sports fans as we continue to expand into a new territory.
