I must confess that I’m not particularly well schooled in all the potential ramifications of the new GHSA re-classification plan that was approved in August. I also don’t understand all of the politics behind the plan, except that somebody, somewhere wants perennial state champion Buford to play in as high a classification as possible.
I know that the plan, which calls for the largest schools in Georgia – the so-called Super 44 – to be grouped into one classification. The smallest classification would be the Public/Private class, and there would be five other classes in between – from A to 5A. The cutoff for the Super 44 is estimated to be somewhere around 2,000 students. According to Todd Holcomb’s blog on ajc.com, about 20 current 6A schools would play in 5A. Schools throughout the remaining classifications would also be affected but exactly which schools would be moving remains to be seen.
This means more playoffs, more state champions, potentially more travel, and fewer region contests. And thanks to the three percent rule, schools that have more than three percent of their enrollment coming from outside of the schools’ home counties would have to play up in a classification. The most notable school this rule would affect is Buford, which has been on a tremendous state championship winning streak in football (going back to 2007, Buford has won every state football title but one over three different classifications, from 2A to 4A).
While many may not agree with the plan and the various directions its planks may lead, the message is clear – the GHSA is attempting to level the playing field, no pun intended, with regard to high school athletics in Georgia. It’s something that needs to be done. Like it or not, numbers make a difference. Though there are exceptions, for the most part, schools with the most students are going to win the most games. And in the largest classification, there is tremendous disparity with regard to enrollment numbers. According to the AJC’s Todd Holcomb, Mill Creek is the largest high school in Georgia with 3,700 students. The smallest 6A school is our own Lee County, with about 1,800 students. While Lee County has competed favorably in its short time in 6A, it – and schools with similar enrollment numbers – are at a competitive disadvantage when playing larger schools.
It wasn’t too terribly long ago that Georgia only had four classifications. I remember those days well. I also remember when the GHSA added 5A and 6A. Now we’re going to seven classifications though there won’t be a specifically titled 7A. These changes have come quickly and could make for some confusing times in the near future.
However, placing schools with similar enrollments in the same classification will be good for the competitive balance and will make for some interesting match-ups. It’s not perfect and no doubt more tweaking will be on the horizon. But it’s a good start and I’m anxiously awaiting the final region alignments.
South Georgia/October 2015
A few thoughts on the upcoming GHSA reclassification
Robert Preston Jr.
