VHSL Committee Proposes Dropping From 6 Classes to 4 Classes

[Virginia HS Football Fan]

Look at these cutoff numbers. 1,200 and above from Grade 9-11 in Class 4?

A bit more balance from the VHSL would be nice.

https://www.timesnews.net/Sports/2020/06/23/VHSL-committee-recommends-going-to-4-classes-from-6.html

 

[mmqp]

Dang it. I've been saying for years now..

400 and below --- 1A

401-750 --- 2A

751-1450 --- 3A

1451 and above --- 4A

 

[Lafayette]

looks like class 3&4 and class 5&6 are merging. Will be tough the schools at the low point of each new class unless they opt to move down. I would expect many requests to move down in each class.

 

[otnorot]

I'd be fine with keeping six classes for football, since it's more of a "numbers" sport and teams can't play as many games, but for other sports four classes will be better than six.

 

[tommythecpa]

Will not pass

 

[Virginia HS Football Fan]

How hard is it to do equal fourths? By the time 2023 rolls around, this would be about 80 schools in each Class.

 

[MaroonDude]

How would this affect JV?

 

[aw19752]

How would this affect JV?

JV would play same schedule as Varsity typically.

 

[EPJr]

2020 ADM numbers
https://docs.google.com/file/d/1vCCDhnqwxxKXxhrSexObLApeU4SIWKlx/view

 

[aw19752]

Current classifications for football.

• 1A
• 2A
• 3A
• 4A
• 5A
• 6A

Old classifications for football

• A (Division 1 and Division 2)
• AA (Division 3 and Division 4)
• AAA (Division 5 and Division 6)

For decades you always have 6 champions in football. So why 4 is the magic number now? Under the numbers listed you could have schools competing against schools with 1200 or more students enrolled. In football that could mean one school having the bulk of their kids going both ways while the other school could almost have completely different players on offense and defense. I'm hoping it doesn't pass.

 

[mike salem]

My personal opinion would be to have either 6 classes for football and have 4 classes for all other sports OR move to a 5 class system for all sports. I don't think football is watered down like other sports. I really think football is about right.

 

[1MoreHokie]

My personal opinion would be to have either 6 classes for football and have 4 classes for all other sports OR move to a 5 class system for all sports. I don't think football is watered down like other sports. I really think football is about right.

Yup, 6 classes is perfect. You never feel like anyone at the bottom of enrollment in a class is at so much of a disadvantage compared to those at the top of a class but you shrink the classes and you will definitely see disparity.

 

[EPJr]

My personal opinion would be to have either 6 classes for football and have 4 classes for all other sports OR move to a 5 class system for all sports. I don't think football is watered down like other sports. I really think football is about right.

agreed; if there needs to be a change 5 is not as drastic as 4.

 

[aw19752]

My personal opinion would be to have either 6 classes for football and have 4 classes for all other sports OR move to a 5 class system for all sports. I don't think football is watered down like other sports. I really think football is about right.

I do think basketball, volleyball, wrestling is watered down.

 

[Virginia HS Football Fan]

Yup, 6 classes is perfect. You never feel like anyone at the bottom of enrollment in a class is at so much of a disadvantage compared to those at the top of a class but you shrink the classes and you will definitely see disparity.

Four classes with equal fourths would be ideal. With six classes, you have a one out of 50 or 55 or so chance of winning a state title. With four, you will have about a one in 80 chance of winning it. It makes the road much tougher, but much more exciting.

If the VHSL had any guts, they would streamline the playoff situation across all classes. 32 teams from each class make it. If we did this, then a little over 40% of the teams would make the playoffs by the time 2023 comes around.

The VHSL needs to step up though and show some leadership. None of this, "let the regions decide what they want to do" or, "this class is cross bracketed, but this one isn't."

 

[EPJr]

Four classes with equal fourths would be ideal. With six classes, you have a one out of 50 or 55 or so chance of winning a state title. With four, you will have about a one in 80 chance of winning it. It makes the road much tougher, but much more exciting.

If the VHSL had any guts, they would streamline the playoff situation across all classes. 32 teams from each class make it. If we did this, then a little over 40% of the teams would make the playoffs by the time 2023 comes around.

The VHSL needs to step up though and show some leadership. None of this, "let the regions decide what they want to do" or, "this class is cross bracketed, but this one isn't."

VHSL isn't letting the regions do anything.

 

[Virginia HS Football Fan]

VHSL isn't letting the regions do anything.

Of course not. Heaven forbid that show the slightest bit of leadership and allow for a streamlined regional and state playoff structure.

 

[EPJr]

Of course not. Heaven forbid that show the slightest bit of leadership and allow for a streamlined regional and state playoff structure.

I was kidding you but in all seriousness the schools retain most of the authority for themselves. If you look at the committees and subcommittees that make the decisions there are representatives from all regions present. When it gets to the executive committee for approval it is usually a rubber stamp at that point and sent to the leadership for implementation. All along the process there are opportunities for appeals. All of this is in the public domain and is available for reading on the VHSL website (some of it is rather dry stuff).

 

[bulldog1150]

My personal opinion would be to have either 6 classes for football and have 4 classes for all other sports OR move to a 5 class system for all sports. I don't think football is watered down like other sports. I really think football is about right.

I believe the VHSL is letting the classifications determine their own number of champions which would give Class four the option of awarding two football champions(lets say 4A and 4AA) which would give us 5 football champions. They have the option of having multiple champs in other sports but football and possibly basketball were the only ones mentioned so I was told.

 

[EPJr]

it (for now) is just a recommendation from the Ad Hoc Subcommittee. It has a long way to go to see the light of day.
Right now they are dealing with Mid Session Appeals from schools that want changes
for the rest of this session.

https://www.vhsl.org/wp-admin/admin...xG&listtoken=8174769fe526143c28c337a4a58f99ad

 

[schoolboard]

Sherando is going to have to jettison 250 kids somehow.

 

[Panther80ram]

Hope Virginia goes to only 4 classes or maybe 5. I think the current classification system is too many and it waters things down. Everybody is a champ or makes playoffs. In some cases with only a few wins. BS!! This should help clear that out. I also think that this will help clear scheduling conflicts, points, etc. Never liked districts with multiple classifications in them.

Another thing that I wanted to point out on this board is wrestling. I know wrestling is in the winter and this is a fall sports thread but nobody on the winter thread gives a sh.. about wrestling. It's all basketball over there so I thought I would put this on here since football and wrestling often overlap. There are TOO MANY classifications for wrestling. 6 champions per weight class?? Come on people!! That is so watered down that its just laughable. No wonder the other states don't respect VA wrestling. We have state place winners that would never make it out of a district in Pennsylvania. Yes, that is no sh.. let alone regions and states. We only need 2 classifications for wrestling. No more!! A big school and small school classification. For you wrestling fans and I know your out there, just think how more exciting this would be for the fans and the competition of wrestling itself. I believe it would excel the sport in this state.

Lastly, I see the same parallels with wrestling as I do football. Narrow the classification in football to at least 5. I would like to see 4 but 5 might work.

 

[LCFootball1]

Sherando is going to have to jettison 250 kids somehow.

Looked at the numbers - they would have to "jettison" 271 students to get down to 2A. I doubt they will try to do that though - I see them staying in 3A if the 4 classification system passes to continue competing in their current district against the local schools who will also be 3A. I'm not sure though - I am not too familiar with Western VA.

 

[Rev_Real]

Sherando is going to have to jettison 250 kids somehow.

Not like they haven’t done it before

 

[Scalvinscaliwag]

There is a new high school being built on 522 South between Winchester and Double tollgate. Not sure , but I would assume that will take a chunk of kids from several schools

 

[EPJr]

There is a new high school being built on 522 South between Winchester and Double tollgate. Not sure , but I would assume that will take a chunk of kids from several schools

Construction of Frederick County's fourth high school is the top priority on the school division's 2021-2025 Capital Improvements Plan (CIP).
According to the CIP, the school will open in the fall of 2024 and have a 1,250 student capacity.

 

[Virginia HS Football Fan]

I believe the VHSL is letting the classifications determine their own number of champions which would give Class four the option of awarding two football champions(lets say 4A and 4AA) which would give us 5 football champions. They have the option of having multiple champs in other sports but football and possibly basketball were the only ones mentioned so I was told.

Now this would be interesting. I think of the Texas setup from some of the conferences (their version of our classes).

For example, let's use their one of their conferences...4A (or there may be others that use this format).

You have your district play (which matters) and the top two teams from each district to go the playoffs. The higher enrollment school of the two goes to the 4A Division 1 Playoffs. The lower enrollment school of the two goes to the 4A Division 2 Playoffs. Sixteen teams in each regional bracket, so with Virginia being smaller, we could do eight teams in a regional bracket.

So in a sense, you don't know what state title you would be competing for at the start of the season (Division 1 or Division 2). And yes, you don't know the enrollment of some of the potential schools in your tournament bracket (some schools with higher enrollments may play for lower division titles based on how the numbers play out...but nobody complains about that) until the seeds are set (and I'm not talking about 92 year old Edna with an abacus at the VHSL offices in Charlottesville on the Sunday after the regular season to determine points). This makes things a bit exciting and fresh.

Texas has a unique shape geographically just like Virginia. However, Virginia has the benefit of being much smaller so the travel from a regional perspective is much easier (for those of you who hate the travel part) from this perspective.

Also, there's nothing like UIL realignment day where the districts are set by the UIL every two years. So there is some intrigue as to who you are grouped with and what your district schedule is going to be. Also, you find out WHO will be in your district. All of the football coaches gather in one massive room. And after the district lineups are released, schedules are made that day for the next two years. Coaches then break into subgroups to line up out of district games as well.

Check out some Dallas Morning News articles about realignment days from the past. As a lifelong Virginia resident who watches their state title games on FOX Sports Southwest, I even get excited to find out which schools are placed together.

I miss the days when District Championships mattered here in Virginia. Ken Tilley really screwed up the VHSL and the league is so dysfunctional and has zero leadership, that it has no idea what to do.