THOMASTON -- The GHSA reclassification subcommittee breezed through the approval of six classification proposals Monday, setting the stage for the routinely contentious region realignment process in two weeks.
The association decided in May to go to a six-classification system, so Monday’s subcommittee meeting resembled a math class. The group placed 440 member schools into six classes based on percentages: Class AAAAAA (14.75 percent), Class AAAAA (16.25 percent), Class AAAA (16 percent), Class AAA (16 percent), Class AA (15 percent) and Class A (22 percent). Class A has a greater percentage because a number of them don’t play football.
While no Middle Georgia schools landed in AAAAAA, Houston County, Northside, Warner Robins and Jones County all moved to the second largest classification.
The athletics directors at both Northside and Warner Robins anticipated they would land in AAAAA when asked about reclassification recently. Houston County has the largest enrollment from grades 9-11 -- the numbers used for reclassification -- of any Middle Georgia school. Jones County’s enrollment number was in the bottom half of AAAAA schools.
Many of the Middle Georgia Class AAA schools jumped up to AAAA.
Baldwin, Crisp County, Howard, Mary Persons, Perry, Rutland, Veterans and Rutland all jumped up to join Upson-Lee.
“I think we knew where we were headed,” Veterans athletics director David Bruce said. “I’m excited that other local schools are with us, and I hope we can all stay in the same region. There’s a familiarity, and it is a good, competitive region.”
Central, Peach County and Washington County remain in Class AAA, and they are joined by Dodge County and Southwest moving up from Class AA.
Northeast is the lone Bibb County school in Class AA, but the Raiders will be joined by 13 other Middle Georgia schools, including current region mates Crawford County, Lamar County, Monticello and Putnam County and other nearby schools like Bleckley County, Dublin and East Laurens.
“We talked a little about (playing up),” Northeast athletics director Bruce Mullen said. “But we don’t want to compete against schools much larger than us. We played up for years, but I think we’ve been better off staying where they put us in the last few years.”
FPD will stay put in Class A alongside Dooly County, Hawkinsville, Johnson County, Telfair County, Treutlen, Twiggs County, Wilcox County and Wilkinson County.
The classification alignment votes came after the GHSA’s full executive committee unanimously voted to rescind a proposal that would have allowed member schools to petition the GHSA for changes in their enrollment counts based on the number of level three and level four special needs students. Some members of the reclassification subcommittee believed the GHSA would be inundated with appeals, which would put a strain on the office to consider all of them during the 14-day appeal window. They also became concerned that some schools could use this mechanism to facilitate downward movement in classification.
A large number of executive committee members stayed for the subcommittee meeting, and many of them were scribbling notes or texting results as the subcommittee announced their proposals.
The only real surprise during reclassification came when Wesleyan was elevated to Class AA. The Gwinnett County private school has become a lightning rod in the debate of public vs. private schools due to the Wolves’ unprecedented level of success in multiple sports.
The new classes
Middle Georgia schools in the GHSA’s proposed reclassification. Classification changes from the current cycle are in parentheses.
Class AAAAAA: None.
Class AAAAA: Houston County (moved up from AAAA), Jones County (AAAA), Northside (AAAA), Warner Robins (AAAA).
Class AAAA: Baldwin (AAA), Crisp County (AAA), Howard (AAA), Mary Persons (AAA), Perry (AAA), Rutland (AAA), Upson-Lee, Veterans (AAA), West Laurens (AAA).
Class AAA: Central, Dodge County (AA), Peach County, Southwest, Washington County.
Class AA: Bleckley County, Crawford County, Dublin, East Laurens, Jeff Davis, Fitzgerald, Lamar County, Macon County (A), Monticello, Northeast, Putnam County, Taylor County (A), Toombs County, Vidalia.
Class A: Dooly County, FPD, Hancock Central, Hawkinsville, Johnson County, Montgomery County, Telfair County, Treutlen, Twiggs County, Wilcox County, Wilkinson County.
