Revamping a classification system might be one of the most arduous tasks a state-wide high school association can take-on. There are so many moving parts that it can become a headache, necessitating meeting after meeting, ad hoc committee after ad hoc committee.
That’s exactly what the VHSL is taking on, currently trying to revamp a classification system that is clearly muddled if not broken right now across the state and trying to find a model that will work.
They took another step forward with the six-classification model Monday when they released the minutes from the Ad Hoc Playoff/Postseason study group. It included an adjusted version of the Conference Preliminary draft that was first released in mid-March. Three area schools, Monticello, Buckingham and Powhatan, shifted conferences but not classification with the adjustments. Football ratings committee minutes haven’t yet been released.
Conferences are the first level of an all-in postseason model the VHSL is currently using as the basis for the six-classification. Districts, which include the pumped-up, locally-centered Jefferson District of Albemarle, Orange, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa, Monticello, Powhatan and Western Albemarle would still fill out the regular season schedule and conduct a district tournament. District finishes just won’t impact postseason play.
Here’s a breakdown of where each local team, currently, would play in the first segment of the postseason which would be an All-in, 8-team bracket where the champion and runner-up advance according to specific seeding criteria. It would essentially replace the current district tournament advancement model, with the top two teams from each conference advancing to a four-conference region tournament of eight teams. There are two regions (designated, for example, as 5A-South for the class and region) per each six class, so half the state is in each region.
Conference 16-5A North
Local schools: Albemarle and Orange County
Includes: William Fleming (Roanoke) and Halifax County
5A Notes:16-5A Smallest 5A Conference (one other has five, two have eight). Other schools in 5A include several Beach District and Norfolk Schools, Hampton, Warwick, Menchville, Stone Bridge, Briar Woods, Potomac Falls
Conference 19-4A South
Local school: Powhatan
Includes: Grafton, Jamestown, Smithfield, Tabb, Warhill
Conference 23-4A North
Local schools: Charlottesville, Fluvanna County, Louisa County
Includes Harrisonburg, Amherst
4A Notes: 23-4A is the smallest 4A conference with five, one has nine. All 4A South Conferences have at least six teams. Other 4A schools include Phoebus, Lake Taylor, Deep Creek, Midlothian, Sherando, Loudoun County, Park View-Sterling, Liberty-Bealeton, Eastern View, Jefferson Forest, E.C. Glass
Conference 28-3A East
Local school: William Monroe
Includes: Broadway, Loudoun Valley, Skyline, Warren County, Central Woodstock
Conference 29-3A West
Local school: Western Albemarle
Includes: Spotswood, Stuarts Draft, Waynesboro, Fort Defiance, Turner Ashby
Conference 30-3A West
Local school:Monticello
Includes: Brookville, Rustburg, Liberty-Bedford, Heritage (Lynchburg), Staunton River
3A Notes: All 3A schools have at least six schools Other 3A squads include Petersburg, Kettle Run, Liberty Bedford, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Hidden Valley, Magna Vista, Manassas Park
Conference 34-2A East
Goochland
Includes: Nottoway, Amelia, Brunswick, Greensville
Conference 35-2A East
Madison County
Includes: Page, Clarke, Luray, Strasburg, George Mason
Conference 37-2A West
Buckingham and Nelson County
Includes: Dan River, Gretna, Chatham, Appomattox, Randolph-Henry
2A Notes: Other 2A schools include King William, R.E. Lee, Riverheads, Wilson Memorial, James River, Glenvar, Richlands, Grundy, Gate City
Key points from the minutes, included:
– District tournament games will not count toward regular season contest limitations, pending final approval
– Districts will continue to handle eligibility issues, conferences handle playoff governance and finances
– Ad Hoc interim conference committee is slated for a May 7 meeting
– Schools will be required to schedule everyone in their district that’s within a three-classification differential, but can elect not to play schools outside that.
– In the Region Reports section of the minutes, there seems to be some concerns with a variety of issues like conference governance, finances, timing of implementation and balance as it relates to playoff advancement, but most of the regions seem pleased with the six-classification system.
August and September will be key months for this plan as the Redistricting and Reclassification committee meets August 8 to align the districts for 2013-14 & 2014-15 (the next cycle). The R&R committee then hears appeals on that plan on September 11 before presenting a final recommended plan to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee then meets September 19, with a vote on whether to move to six classes on the table. If the Committee approves, “a majority vote of any group board can request that the membership (schools) review any legislative amendment; it would take 2/3 of the schools in attendance voting to overturn the Executive Committee’s decision at the membership meeting.
