MSSportsGuy

We probably all agree that even 5 classes are adequate for a state our size, particularly in light of the consolidations that are coming down the line. I still maintain district consolidations are more needed than individual schools in most cases but also know school consolidations will happen as populations drop and facilities decline which will mean even fewer schools spread out over more classes.

No doubt, could cut those and the legislature almost in half and not see much of a difference in services. Like I said I'm a native of NE Miss and the districts probably need to be consolidated as much as schools but it would start a domino effect. Tippah, Union, Alcorn, Prentiss, Pontotoc all have two different districts. Why? "It's the way it's always been". I won't name names about who I think should be closed but if each of those counties just had one district, you'd have at least a couple of candidates since the "city" and "county" would disappear in some of them. Ingomar and Pine Grove are schools with excellent basketball traditions and (as safely as I can put it) demographics that favor what the parents want. I didn't say who I think should be for sure but I have my thoughts. As far as BM and Ripley, I was told by a Tippah relative that the board fears pushback from the justice department if they close a minority serving school (BM) while keeping a larger yet still small school with no minority students (PG) open. I won't swear that's legit but given what Tate County went through trying to get Coldwater closed, I wouldn't be surprised.

I've posted earlier in this thread and before the association has often been too inflexible on region and classifications where it would make sense from a travel perspective to let schools play up or down if the enrollment difference is miniscule while also letting a region have maybe one more school. Based on the numbers we just saw, what would be the harm in letting Murrah play 6A or if not, keeping HC down on the coast rather than drive to Jackson or Hattiesburg for game? Football may only make one trip a year but there are sports beyond that. They should go ahead and let 3A have 41schools with OLA and 2A as well with New Site who don't play football. At least that makes every region have 5 teams and it's not as though the 1 school will greatly impact the level of competition in other sports. Of course we usually don't do things that make sense in Mississippi.

Continuing school consolidations are another reason why I've been so insistent on not needing 7 classes. More will happen and more would likely have already happened if there were fewer school districts in our state. Districts need to be consolidated more than schools to save on administrative costs and may pop up again in the near future. The county where I grew up in Northeast MS has two districts for no reaon beyond "that's the way it's always been". People are quick to say school and district consolidations should happen but when it's their school system being impacted they tend to fight it. I never predict who will consolidate and I've repeatedly said bigger doesn't mean better but there are many communities where it would make sense on paper but that doesn't mean it will happen.

I'm glad Leflore County is moving forward with consolidation and has the bond backing to help them get it built. Too many schools are in terrible condition physically and new spaces are needed. I don't think bigger is necessarily better but our state just has too many small schools in aging and poor condition that are very close to one another. It makes sense from a financial and logistical standpoint to combine some of them. This is yet another reason why 7 classes isn't necessary in a state with a shrinking public school count and total student population.

To me this just illustrates why the larger regions of 8 teams are preferrable. It makes filling a schedule easier. Of course that would mean fewer classes overall and we know that's not going back in the bottle.

Several of the blowouts demonstrate why winless teams don't need to be in the "playoffs" by default just because of a 4 team region. 1A should go back to 4 regions between 7 and 10 schools the next cycle and be on the same playoff schedule at 7A - 5A. It would also help with scheduling for the schools.

I've always perceived and believed the association has been way too rigid about schools on the lines playing up or down to possibly create more equity in travel. If there is a situation where a school just at or below the cutoff would find themselves making too many long trips for all sports just to keep things even when the enrollment difference is miniscule, then they should be willing to let them appeal their placement. I gather that doesn't happen and maybe never has but it should. Fuel isn't cheap and we are talking about kids making lengthy trips, sometimes during school days and nights, just to play a regular season game and also parents and fans who are often unable to travel due to the circumstances. This impacts both the traveling and hosting schools.

If this is in fact "the" list, I would put Murrah as 6A and allow for the Jackson schools to be grouped together as much as possible and if there are in fact 25 7A, let West Harrison play with the coast teams for a 7 team region. The association has always been more rigid than necessary when it comes to making teams play up or down slightly if it helps with travel or being placed in a particular division and also obsessed with keeping an equal number of teams as much as possible. . If the school is on the line or no more than 2 or 3 difference, it has no bearing over if they have an advantage. Given OLA and New Site don't play football, I'd also have 41 schools each in 3A and 2A. (of course if I were in charge we would only have 5 classes but oh well lol).

These lists seem pretty plausible and it doesn't look like too many major shifts, just some here and there along the normal lines of division. I still hope the association will make 1A football just be 4 regions so we don't have winless teams in the "playoffs". Ingomar and Baldwyn swap places in 1A and 2A with a football and non football member.

Posted before and sound like an old man but: When I was a sophomore or junior in HS (early 90s) we were 7-3 or 8-2 but lost two division games and finished third, left out of the playoffs of a 8 team division. It hurt but we knew we had to play each week. Taking the top 4 if there are 7 or 8 teams in a region/district is fine. However, as we added 6A and now 7A, plus the consolidation of many small schools, there just aren't as many member schools playing so many districts have 5 or 6 teams with 1A football having 4 team divisions by default with the non football schools taking part in basketball. If this remains the case the association should either only take the top 2 or at most 3 with division champs getting a first round bye. However, it would cut into "playoff" revenue. Of course 7A was to "increase excitement" which basically means to extract as much money as possible from the public and that includes school systems.

Ingomar and West Union are both in Union County along with Myrtle and East Union. New Site fielded a football team for a few years but dropped it, likely due to lack of interest. Basketball has long been the sport of choice for the northeast corner of the state in those small schools. I would be surprised if Ingomar or West Union ever attempted to play football. Agreed 1A football needs 4 regions.

Myrtle plays football in Union County now as well. Hickory Flat tried to play away from Ashland for a year I think but utimately dropped football with my suspicions being any boy from that area is allowed to attend Myrtle or Potts Camp outside of their district with no pushback rather than be forced to attend Ashland. The state seems to stay out of school consolidation but forced district consolidation in some places, which is still badly needed as some small counties have two or sometimes three school districts with superintendents and staff to support them when their total enrollment is less than a large high school. It makes no sense but it's how we operate. I guess it frustrates me when I know schools in many areas struggle for adequate funding yet wind up forced to spend money to support athletic teams and "playoffs" when in reality they are only there due to a lack of competition in their district. Strayhorn, Potts Camp, and Coffeville were the only 3 teams in their region after Coldwater closed and the association chose not to move another school in to even give them 4 members. That's crazy to me but again, it's how we operate.

Six classes or even five is plenty for a state our size with no more depth of talent among the public schools, particularly in the smaller classes.

From what I can find online, Mt Olive, Ashland, and Thrasher all made the "playoffs" without winning a single game. In these 1A districts with only 4 teams due to the non football members this will happen, as I predicted would when we foolishly went to 7 classes and reduced the number of teams in a region. I can recall when 1A went from 8 regions to 4, it was due to coaches complaining they couldn't find enough opponents for home games from larger schools to make a schedule. Apparently that wasn't a concern with the move back to 8 regions happening with the decision to move to 7 classes despite the fact some of those 1A schools around during that time have closed/consolidated and some of the parochial schools left the association for MAIS. If we want to keep 7 classes, then only the top 2 from a region should be in the playoffs, or 1A should move back to 4 regions of 7 to 10 schools. It's a shame that a winless team has to practice, get ready, and travel to a playoff game. I feel this way for many sports where there just isn't a lot of depth or competition among members due to lack of students, resources, personnel, facilities, or general support from the community.

I think this alignment would work well for now. It would give some additional competitive balance to the lower classes while ensuring the "gap" at the top isn't too large. I confess the gap between the top and bottom of 6A was a legit concern but it should have been addressed by making 6A 24 teams and the same with 5A. The small schools will keep consolidating and while that isn't a large number, I suspect on average there will be one per year due to enrollment declines and financial difficulties in districts.

My thing was the gap wasn't new. Tupelo always had about 2,000 students even when I was in high school in the late 80s/early 90s so it's not as though they just exploded in growth and made it wider. The point about the size difference is not a bad one but could have easily been solved by making 6A the top 24 rather than 32. It would have pushed some schools further down the line of course but the enrollment differences are miniscule based on where the line is drawn. I've fussed about the silliness of it for over two years now and think it's done more damage to other sports besides just football with respect to competitive balance. Plus there will just be more school consolidation and also fewer enrolled overall as private schools and home school will only siphon more students out of the system.

I think most people recognize it's a money grab on part of the association but the coaches and administrators could have said no but didn't for whatever reason. Tennessee has 6 classes for football, 4 for baseball, softball and basketball, and 3 for other sports. Even that I could live with as it would create more competitive balance across some sports where there is currently none. For the record, the largest 6A in TN is Collierville with almost 3,000 students while the smallest has just over 1,500. I wonder if the Tennessee schools think this decreases excitement?

With many, many more schools plus much larger schools in terms of enrollment, this should be an example of why 6 classes is more than enough for a state our size, if not 5. Fewer classes with larger regions would help with scheduling and travel for all sports, not just football.

The bottom ten or so schools for each class could shift with little to no changes with people moving in and out, drop outs, or people opting out of the system. I've been stunned the past few years at how many families in Rankin and Madison are opting for private schools. Athletics plays a big role as always but it seems to be more common now. My kids, both grown with one married and living close to my wife and I, of course knew people from our neighborhoods and church who attended private schools but it seems so many families now are putting their kids there at young ages from day one and they aren't leaving. My daughter has said some of her friends who started famillies early are starting to talk about private and she will think about it when the time comes. I will be curious as to the total enrollment among all classes and comparisons between two years ago and today for most of the master list.

Given private schools of any sort couldn't exist without tuition paying students, I'm always confused when I hear about a student being scholarshiped. I know some of the more established schools have foundations for students who are good academically or from lower SES situations but it seems like a lot of MHSAA athletes are finding themselves at MAIS schools the last few years for reasons I can't fathom, let alone how the family is paying for it or getting them transportation.

I'm a native of NE MS and grew up near a few of those schools who don't play football. It's both a numbers game and also culture. Basketball has long been the most popular sport in many of those schools and while some of them would seemingly have the numbers for football they just don't have enough interest. As an adult I've seen East Union, Myrtle, Potts Camp, Ashland, and HW Byers add football. Hickory Flat, Jumpertown, New Site, Wheeler and Houlka had teams for brief periods but my guess is didn't have the interest or money to continue. Union and Benton Counties tried cooperative teams but they didn't last eithe due to the MHSAA saying they would have to play in a class where the total school enrollments would be added together rather which makes sense to an extent. School and district consolidations are needed in that area of the state more than almost any other because you have small schools in aging facilities within short drives of one another. Last spring the North Tippah school board announced they were merging Walnut and Falkner together in a move that was likely overdue and it's more related to limited finances. South Tippah remains Ripley, Blue Mountain and Pine Grove for now and would face an uphill battle to change anything due to tradition and to some extent demographics. One district for the would be more than okay and the same for Union, Prentiss, Alcorn, Pontotoc yet all would be "city" vs "county" for control. (one of those is my home county and it's nothing but ego and politics that keep things separate but it won't change in my lifetime)l.

In the instance of Bolivar County it's a pretty decent haul from Rosedale to Cleveland to Shaw to Shelby so I'd say they are down to about as many schools as they could have without some lengthy bus rides. Leflore County should have some degree of consolidation since Greenwood and the county schools are one district. Elzy and Greenwood High are very close to each other yet Elzy students come from the county so their bus and car rides would increase. O'Bannon is in the Greenville city limits (or close) but is in a different district and I'm not quire sure where their students pull from since Leland and Hollandale both have districts of their own. District consolidation is a more pressing issue as there are just too many for a state our size.

My heart goes out to many communities in the Delta because they are struggling with resources, population loss, dedicated leadership, and an all around atmosphere that breeds academic and athletic success. The schools usually have athletic talent but don't always have the support from administration, coaches or the community just because so many people are struggling to get by especially in that part of the world.

That's impressive!