MSSportsGuy

lol. Looks like we were typing at the same time. I was out of pocket all weekend and watched the SB last night so just now responding.

My thought is reduce 6A to 24 teams. The gap won't disappear but is reduced by the same amount as the 7A proposal. 5A could also have 24 teams or keep it at 32. If kept at 32, it just pushes 8 teams down through the remaining 4 classes, so 2 more teams per class. When the cut off points are examined the difference between the bottom and top of classes is small once you are beyond the current 6A proposal. The addition of 2 more schools per class from 4A to 1A won't substantially increase their competition. I am honestly curious why this is an issue now and not years ago. I remember when 5A was first put at 32 teams. I assume there was a comparable gap back then. When 6A was added it was to reduce the spread between the top and bottom of 4A which had some merits, but the problem could have been solved in the same way I am proposing now. I've posted in a couple of threads that yes, I have a strong opinion about it but my thoughts are no more valid than anyone else's, plus my kids are out of high school. I just think it's beyond silly to keep spreading out classifications, shrink regions to 5 teams with 4 playoff teams when I recall the days of 7 or 8 teams (at least in 3A when I was in school) with only the top 2 making the playoffs. That's what decreases the excitement the director was quoted as saying was lacking and was trying to regain with 7 classes. No one can get excited when a 2-8 or 3-7 #4 seed goes on the road to the #1 seed that could be 8-2 or 9-1 for a playoff game that is highly likely to be one sided. In an era of high gas and diesel prices, tickets, concessions, and just getting people to the game, crowds won't be the same unless there is genuine interest from the community. More teams in a class increases competition, more spread out waters it down.

I will use this as an opportunity to point out that in that 7A class, Auburn is the largest high school at an enrollment of 2131.70 while the smallest 7A is Florence with a listed enrollment of 1,085.25. I honestly don't know how the state counts or gives weight to have decimals but it appears there is about a 1,000 student difference even within that 7th class. But let's create another class in Mississippi because of the gap between Tupelo and Grenada, which is about the same as the one present in Alabama right now. The MHSAA could reduce the gap problem without having a 7th class but from all indications this is inevitable.

From the sound of this it is likely just a formality and that we will be in 7 classifications by 2023 at the latest. I will again say I think it's silly to have 7 in a state this small with a shrinking number of public schools and public school students overall. I referenced other states have a pretty big gap across their divisions and if this was truly about closing that, the association could just adjust the number of schools who are classified as 6A and 5A. The gap isn't new and has always been there to some degree and the same goes for travel. I am old and remember when 5A initially went to 8 team divisions/regions because those large schools could't find enough out of district games against schools that wanted to play them. The 8 team districts helped with scheduling but also created some of the travel issues that are unfortunate. Seven classes doesn't really solve travel problems for everyone, there will always be geographic outliers. I feel a bigger problem is how rigid the association has been about teams not playing up or down at all to possibly help reduce travel even if there is a minuscule difference in enrollment figures. That's something that does happen in some other states on occasion but doesn't appear to have really happened here. I also shook my head at Neaves talking about "increasing excitement" with another class. I wasn't aware excitement had been muted other than the fact it costs lots of money to travel to these games between fuel, tickets, concessions, and now people are able to receive scores and watch via digital media. This won't change by adding another class but adding another class will give more playoff games and championships. Program success is less about enrollment and more about culture. South Panola, during its winning streak, didn't have the same numbers as most 6A schools but they won and dominated because they had talent, coaching, and also a winning culture. Looking at the soon to be 7A list I see several schools who have large enrollments but probably couldn't consistently defeat schools in lower classes with winning cultures. Desoto Central is number 2 on the last enrollment list and their football program hasn't been overly successful throughout their history but this is being used as justification to add another class. These are just my own opinions and certainly no more valid than anyone else's. My kids are out of high school sports and I doubt I will ever attend many high school sporting events again unless it is a special occasion. The coaches and member schools will vote however they wish and that's their right.

I posted earlier there is a rather large difference between the largest and smallest 7A schools in Georgia, almost 1,500 difference between the two. Also in Tennessee there is about a 1,400 student difference between the largest and smallest 6A schools. Tennessee appears to have placed an equal number of schools in all 6 classes so that's probably why. I just think 7 classes is silly for a state this small and the overall number of schools and students will keep dropping. I can understand the desire to have a smaller gap in 6A so just limit them to 24 total schools rather than 32, have 5A be 24 schools, and divide the rest evenly. There will always be an outlier geographically somewhere in the state no matter how many classes the MHSAA has. Travel has certainly been inconvenient for a lot of teams over the years when there are schools that just get stuck somewhere in an effort to keep numbers even. On the surface 7A may solve some of that but what would be even more helpful would be if the association would accept maybe a 9 team region in one area or even let a school play up a class if requested.

Just out of curiosity I checked Tennessee, which currently has 6 classifications. The largest on the last count I found online in 6A is Collierville which has 2,865 students. The smallest 6A is Shelbyville Central which has 1,512. That's a pretty significant gap. Tennessee does seem to divide their classifications evenly and there are 49 in each class per their site. Again, I just think 7 classes doesn't make a lot of sense in a state this size. Capping the number of 6A and 5A schools at 24 would reduce the gap obviously but I there will always be outliers that skew things, just like the examples I gave in TN and GA.

Well I said I was in the minority and it really doesn't have any bearing on me since my kids are out of the school competition days but I think the gap between big and small 6A is less of a problem than others. There are always going to be big outliers. In Georgia, which has 7 classes, the largest 7A has 3,651 students with the smallest having 7A having 2196. That's a pretty significant gap. Again, different state and maybe that small 7A feels slighted. Having 7 classes won't automatically solve having a disparity in enrollment even if it does shrink. I understand the desire to have a smaller gap but rather than add a new class, just cap 6A at 24 and 5A at 24 then divide evenly. I know MHSAA won't go back to 5 classes, just think it's silly for a state as small as ours to spread them out so much .Having more teams in a classification or district can help travel. Look at some of the lower classes and there are certainly outliers but there are frequently a razor thin difference between who is a 1A or 2A but these squads have to play separately due to having so many divisions. I maintain consolidation will continue to play a role in reducing the number of schools and the number of students in public school will keep decreasing.

It appears I am in the minority but I don't like the idea at all and actually think we only need 5 classifications. Hear me out: there have been many consolidations over the past twenty or so years. Those will not stop. The public school enrollment in the state is decreasing while the overall population is stagnant. There likely won't be many new high schools built due to growth in a geographic reason or overcrowding in one. I too recall the days where only two teams from a seven or eight team division made the playoffs and once my 8-2 high school team was left out due to two division losses. I think four playoff spots isn't a bad thing if the divisions are larger than five or six schools to avoid the obvious blowouts that occur in round 1 when a 2-8 team plays a 10-0 team on the road. Five classifications are enough. We can keep the top 32 in 5A, next 32 in 4A, and divide the remainder of the schools evenly. That does not create a large gap from top to bottom in any class beyond what is already there. The number of schools in the state will continue to shrink due to consolidation. There is no reason to spread out competition even more.