Reclassification

[eaglesinsider]

News starting to trickle in.

CONFIRMED:
- Oakdale 3A to 2A
- Urbana 3A to 4A
- Catoctin 2A to 1A

RUMORED:
- Damascus 3A to 2A
- Seneca Valley 3A to 2A
- Poolesville 3A to 2A

1A will have several more football schools next year due to this new method of figuring out classifications (per the Frederick News-Post):

Under restructured criteria for classifying Maryland public schools, if a school does not offer 50 percent of sports in which a state champion is determined, school enrollment is not taken into consideration, according to FCPS supervisor of athletics Kevin Kendro.

“The school is inserted into a classification, where appropriate,” Kendro said.

The change in figuring school classifications came about because some of the smaller, specialized public high schools that have opened in recent years do not offer all the available varsity sports, Kendro said. Several of these schools are in Baltimore City.

- Notable schools that my drop to 1A: Dunbar, Patterson, Douglass-PG, Friendly, Overlea

 

[TDHelmick]

Mountain Ridge has been informed they will drop back into 1A as has Francis Scott Key.

That is big news for Mountain Ridge. Should allow them to be more competitive in the post season in most sports.

 

[PWA Docket 7323]

It will be status quo for Mtn Ridge in football. Walkersville better win it all this year, because that window is slammed closed for all of 2a with Damascus coming down.

 

[TDHelmick]

Moving to 1A helps Mountain Ridge in all sports big time. Not sure about football necessarily. Their current 2.67 point average would still put them way back in the football pack behind Southern and Smithsburg. But no doubt in soccer, basketball, softball, baseball, etc. they are much better off.

 

[beall02]

100% agree that the move will help Mountain Ridge become more competitive in most other sports come post season time. They have yet to win a State Championship since the move to 2A if I can remember correctly. As far as football goes, it all depends on where the program heads from here, I believe they have the right people in place to make us competitive again. Time can only tell us the answer to that.

One thing that is worth mentioning, with Catoctin's move to 1A, it will be very interesting to see how they break up the regions next year. Imagine Catoctin and Mountain Ridge moving into the West Region. It would become more difficult to get a playoff spot each year.

One thing I do like from what I read in the article is that if a school doesn't offer 50% or more sports in what the State offers Championships in then the enrollment number doesn't come into play. They will be placed where the committee sees fit. That helps because a lot of schools may offer football but not nearly close to 50% of the other State sports but yet them being figured in the classification piece by enrollment affects other schools by putting them in a classification they might not be in otherwise.

 

[TDHelmick]

I suspect 1A regions will have more teams next year. If it gets as large as 12-14 teams in a region such as what currently exists in many other higher classes, we are really going to see some dumbing down of schedules. I'm talking JV type schedules. The quest to make the playoffs by playing weak schedules will be at an all time high. I really have never been able to figure out Western Maryland. There is no other region in the state where teams only play 1 or 2 teams in their own region. Many over-sensitive coaches up this way I think. But the cupcake schedules are going to get even more soft, trust me on this.

 

[wvuguy43]

Rumor has it little sister boonsboro might add allegany. Why dont they tighten the big boy pants alittle more and try to add FH. Im very surprised they are even adding Allegany and willing to make the trip to Cumberland, because according to there coach, "They never get a fair shake from the referees" . I think someone is calling the kettle black! "Washington County Officiating" need I say more.