Detroit CHSL expanding into Ohio; adding 5 Toledo schools – Press and Guide

The Detroit Catholic High School League will soon feature schools in two different states.

Five Catholic high schools located in Toledo, OH have been accepted into the 96-year-old league and will begin competing in the fall season of the 2023-24 school year, according to a news release sent out Monday night by the CHSL.

Joining the CHSL will be St. John’s Jesuit High School and Academy, Notre Dame Academy, St. Francis de Sales, St. Ursula Academy and Central Catholic. Four of the five schools were founded more than 100 years ago.

A formal announcement regarding the expansion will be made at a press conference on Tuesday at 10 a.m.

The CHSL currently features 27 private schools from the Metro Detroit area and is already the largest Catholic sports league in the nation. Among its members are Allen Park Cabrini, Riverview Gabriel Richard and Dearborn Divine Child.

As for the five newcomers, St. John’s Jesuit (440 enrollment) and St. Francis de Sales (418) are both all-boys schools while St. Urusla (346) and Notre Dame Academy (372) are both all-girls and Central Catholic has both genders (219 boys, 234 girls).

All five of the schools have been successful in athletics on a statewide level in Ohio.

Central Catholic has earned four state championships in football (1962, 2005, 2012, 2014), two in track and field (1997, 2019), one in volleyball (2007) and one in golf (1930).

St. Francis de Sales has won three hockey state titles (2011, 2015, 2021) and two football championships (1984 and 2001).

St. John’s has claimed three state crowns in golf (1931, 1987, 1994) and two in tennis (1987, 2011).

St. Ursula won two volleyball state championships (2004, 2010) and has captured state titles in field hockey (2010), softball (2004) and swimming (1983).

MediaNews Group sports reporter Matt Mowery contributed to this report.