Classifying basketball is another argument for another time.

 

When St. Henry beat Lexington Christian Academy in the fall to win the girls state soccer championship, it was the first time since girls soccer began statewide in 1992 that a small school appeared in the state title game. And while that title game doesn't help my argument any, it's time for the KHSAA to classify soccer and volleyball.

 

St. Henry's win over Lexington Christian marked the first time a small school had appeared in the soccer final. It's also the first time a small school has appeared in the Final Four in the past decade.

 

In boys soccer, only once has a small school won the state title. That came in 1975 when Kentucky Country Day took the title. That was in a time when just a handful of schools fielded soccer teams. Since then, only one small school has appeared in a title game (St. Henry 1999). Only three times in the last decade has a small school even appeared in the state Final Four.

 

It's even worse in volleyball where no public school, let alone a small school, has ever appeared in the state finals. Volleyball has been a sanctioned KHSAA sport since 1979 but has only become a true statewide sport in the past decade.

 

The last under-500 enrollment school to play in the baseball finals was Beechwood in 2006, losing to Lexington Catholic in the finals. In 2005, Lexington Christian (422) won the state title. Before that, you have to go back 11 years to Corbin in 1994 to find an under-500 team to advance to the state finals.

 

Softball is the only fly in the ointment where under-500 Owensboro Catholic and right at 500 Reidland have recently won state titles.

 

The KHSAA has taken some heat for expanding football to six classes to give schools a more equitable shot at a state title. And they will never classify basketball because it would go against the tradition-rich and cash cow that is the Sweet Sixteen. However, it's time for them to classify volleyball and soccer as well as softball and baseball to give the smaller schools the same chance at a state title that the football schools are given.

 

I know this was discussed last year at a Board of Control meeting but I havent heard where anything came of it.

 

Thoughts?

 

And if you are against classification, please post the number of students in your graduating class at your high school.

Me personally, I have no problem with three classes, just like currently exists in track and cross country. Make everything three classes except football (6) and basketball (1. For now).

The Holy Cross Girl's were also in the State Finals in 2003. They lost to Sacred Heart 1-0 in a game that should have been postponed due to fog. Sitting in the stands, you couldn't come close to seeing the ball. The girls on the field could only see a few feet in front of them.

^ Correct. They had 433 students in grades 9-12.

Me personally, I have no problem with three classes, just like currently exists in track and cross country. Make everything three classes except football (6) and basketball (1. For now).

 

Wrestling doesn't have NEAR enough teams to go to three classes and doing so would hurt the sport.

 

When you are on the mat it's you against one other person...I see no reason to have more than one class in wrestling. Would be very foolish in my opinion.

 

My graduating class was right around 100.

Me personally, I have no problem with three classes, just like currently exists in track and cross country. Make everything three classes except football (6) and basketball (1. For now).

 

Don't want basketball to be classed. And my graduating class had 23. 180 students grades 1-12. Didn't have kindergarden back in the 50's

What do you classify as a "small" school?

Do you know how many teams in those sports?

What do you classify as a "small" school?

 

I think you could certainly infer from his earlier posts that Scribe has chosen 500 as a cutoff.

 

Do you know how many teams in those sports?

 

In volleyball and soccer, it's probably at 90 percent or more of the state's high schools also playing basketball. Baseball and softball would be considerably higher, 97 or so.

Do you know how many teams in those sports?

 

Looking at girls soccer in NKY. Some "small" schools do not field a team, and it looked like Dayton played a limited schedule and was not part of any district or region. I'm not so sure about classing these sports. Maybe two?

If you classify one classify all. The sacred cow that is basketball should not be exempted if all other sports are classified.

If you classify one classify all. The sacred cow that is basketball should not be exempted if all other sports are classified.

 

 

SACRILEGE!!

If you classify one classify all. The sacred cow that is basketball should not be exempted if all other sports are classified.

I agree but I'm trying to keep that argument separate for now because there are other sports in more dire need of being classed

I agree but I'm trying to keep that argument separate for now because there are other sports in more dire need of being classed

 

Maybe. I don't think I would have led with girls soccer though. Highlands had recently repeated state titles. Highland's while has more than 125 enrollment, is not a large school.

Maybe. I don't think I would have led with girls soccer though. Highlands had recently repeated state titles. Highland's while has more than 125 enrollment, is not a large school.

 

While it is true Highlands is not a large school, it is not tiny either. The KHSAA and their latest classification realignment has the Bluebirds as a 4A school out of six classes for football. Ludlow and Dayton are tiny schools. They are 1A schools.