article Board of Control addresses Football Alignment, bracketing, more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 28, 2016

The Board of Control addressed a lengthy agenda during its regularly scheduled meeting at the KHSAA Offices on Thursday, approving a slight “midcourse” adjustment to the football alignment as required by the competition rules and future football playoff bracket formats, finalizing a baseball pitch count, and settling on the number of regional qualifiers for the state swimming and diving meet for 2016.

Per the football competition rules, a “midcourse” adjustment is to be made in the second year of a four-year alignment. In order to be considered for adjustment, the four-year average enrollment (including 2015-16 data) would have to be within the boundaries of another class, and the school shall have had at least a 10 percent change in four-year average enrollment during the two-year period.

Upon review of the data, only two schools fit the criteria to be placed into a different class, and the Board unanimously approved the movement of Moore HS to Class 4A, District 3 and South Warren HS to Class 5A, District 2 beginning with the 2017 season. In addition, the Board approved the placement of the new Fayette County HS in Class 6A, District 7 and Floyd Central HS in Class 3A, District 6 effective with the 2017 playing season.

The Board also reviewed the current structure of the football playoffs, eventually electing to continue cross bracketing playoff games in the first round (versus playing intra-district beginning in round 1) for classes 2A through 6A through the 2018 season. The Association will survey administrators of the Class 1A schools to determine their preference for cross bracketing in the playoffs due to extreme travel concerns that have been expressed.

Starting next season (2016), the pairings in Class 5A will be alternated, as they have been in Class 6A, with the pairings developed to ensure that when the same teams meet as number 1 seeds in consecutive years in rounds 3 or 4, the home/host team is not the same both years. The pairings in Class 2A, 3A and 4A will continue as historically done, with Region 1 paired with 2, 3 paired with 4, 5 paired with 6 and 7 paired with 8 for 2016. A decision on the pairing format for 2A, 3A and 4A for 2017 and 2018 will be determined prior to the May Board meeting.

During its November meeting, the Board heard a first reading on proposed baseball pitch count restrictions based upon recommendations from sports medicine and research groups. On Thursday, the Board approved a second reading of the pitch count restrictions in the continued interest of student-athlete health and safety, with implementation to begin with the 2016 playing season. These new guidelines are the preferred method of minimizing the incidence of pitching related injuries due to overuse, and will replace the innings limitation contained in the current competition rules.

The expansion of swimming and diving regions from five to nine this season necessitated a reexamination of the regional qualifying process for the state meet. Working in conjunction with the Swimming & Diving Advisory Committee, the KHSAA presented a proposal to the Board to expand the number of qualifiers to 40 in all swimming events while bringing 32 divers to the state competition from regional qualifying meets (two automatic qualifiers from each region and the best 14 at-large competitors) in 2016. The Board approved the measure and directed staff to conduct statewide data collection on diving participation, with results possibly leading to expansion of the diving field to 40 participants beginning in 2017.

In other action Thursday, the Board:

· Authorized the Commissioner to conduct field discussions regarding the future location of the girls’ state golf tournament.

· Continued its review for the adoption and implementation of Dance as a future sport-activity.

· Approved recommendations to increase the base fee paid to umpires in baseball and softball for postseason competition beginning in 2017.

· Heard a first reading of proposals on potential changes to KHSAA Bylaws to be submitted at the Annual Meeting.

· Reviewed the analysis of the required Financial Aid Report presented by staff and directed that a follow-up report on all deficient school reports be presented at the next meeting of the Board.

· Approved a recommendation to increase the licensing fee for officials to a $50 administrative fee effective with the 2016-17 school year, to help offset additional expenses to the Association caused by a pending requisite background check for each official and expansion of services provided by ArbiterSports.com.

01/28/16 ? Board of Control Addresses Football Alignment, Bracketing; Baseball Pitch Count; Swimming and Diving State Qualifiers | Kentucky High School Athletic Association

I know a couple of folks eagerly awaiting SW's move to 5A in 2017.

Continued its review for the adoption and implementation of Dance as a future sport-activity.

And the reason for making 5A like 6A is why

And the reason for making 5A like 6A is why

To continue to mask the only reason it's happening in 6A is to keep the publics quiet while X and T can still get to the title 2 of 3 years and KHSAA gets big cha-ching...good old smoke and mirrors by our friends at the KHSAA. Hahaha

Try like 10 out of 11 years winning titles!!!!! It is a joke!!!!

To continue to mask the only reason it's happening in 6A is to keep the publics quiet while X and T can still get to the title 2 of 3 years and KHSAA gets big cha-ching...good old smoke and mirrors by our friends at the KHSAA. Hahaha

One of the last three years, actually. Male really stepped up their game and kept Trinity from moving on in 2013 and 2015.

Unless you meant two out of three on average, not just the past three years.

Under the current alignment and the new one Trinity and X can't ever meet in the finals so what exactly are the KHSAA doing to ensure that the publics keep quiet with this move?

Upon review of the data, only two schools fit the criteria to be placed into a different class, and the Board unanimously approved the movement of Moore HS to Class 4A, District 3 and South Warren HS to Class 5A, District 2 beginning with the 2017 season. In addition, the Board approved the placement of the new Fayette County HS in Class 6A, District 7 and Floyd Central HS in Class 3A, District 6 effective with the 2017 playing season.

Who makes up the new Fayette County HS? Is this a consolidation or a new school drawing kids from current schools?

EDIT: Nevermind, I see it is a new school on Winchester road, and will eliminate some of the overcrowding issues with surrounding schools in Lexington.

Floyd Central HS is a consolidation of S. Floyd and Allen Central, right?

To continue to mask the only reason it's happening in 6A is to keep the publics quiet while X and T can still get to the title 2 of 3 years and KHSAA gets big cha-ching...good old smoke and mirrors by our friends at the KHSAA. Hahaha

Try like 10 out of 11 years winning titles!!!!! It is a joke!!!!

It's pretty simple...Get Better....Beat the Best...Win Championships...whining is so unbecoming.

So this starts in the upcoming 2016 season?

For schools who added a team to their District and already had contracts in place for non-district games does this mean they have to break their contract with one team to work in the new District Arrival into their schedule?

2017 for the 2 teams that moved. I'm not sure I read closely on the playoff rotations.

So this starts in the upcoming 2016 season?

 

For schools who added a team to their District and already had contracts in place for non-district games does this mean they have to break their contract with one team to work in the new District Arrival into their schedule?

Starts in the 2017 season I believe.

2017 for the 2 teams that moved. I'm not sure I read closely on the playoff rotations.

Starts in the 2017 season I believe.

Gotya...not as bad then except for any teams who may have signed a two year contract already this offseason.

Gotya...not as bad then except for any teams who may have signed a two year contract already this offseason.

They were told not to do that and there is a long time to go. The 2 teams and the contracts that they may or may not have worked out plus the districts they are leaving will be adjusting starting last night. Nobody's schedule will be fully messed up and most will be changing one game.