What 5 Classifications would look like....

[LHSlancerFAN]

I know it has been mentioned several times about making a 5th class, so just for fun, here is what the current alignment would look like with 5 classes. There are currently 50 teams in each class, adding another class would drop it to 40 teams per class. The parenthesis next to the first and last school in each class is their current enrollment number. The parenthesis next to classes 1-4 is their current top and bottom enrollment number. Class 1A does include non-football playing schools.

Class 1A (25-626):

Croom Vo Tech (25)
Tall Oaks
Hancock
Chesapeake Science
Bluford Drew Jamison
KASA
St. Michaels
Crisfield
Chesapeake Math &
Snow Hill
Maritime Academy
Pocomoke
DuBois
Reginald Lewis
Mardela
New Era
FAET
Washington
Northern-Garrett
Forest Park
Colonel Richardson
North Dorchester
Ben Franklin
National Academy
Clear Spring
Kent County
Havre de Grace
Northwestern-Balt
Bohemia Manor
ACCE
Southern Garrett
Brunswick
Joppatowne
Allegany
North Carroll
Lake Clifton
Fairmont Heights
Surrattsville
Edmondson
Smithsburg (596)

Class 2A (664-898):

Cambridge-SD (596)
Manchester Valley
Pikesville
Perryville
Fort Hill
McDonough
Southwestern
Patterson Mill
Forestville
Boonsboro
Carver A&T
Loch Raven
Sparrows Point
Catoctin
Dunbar
Patterson
Western STES
Owings Mills
Friendly
Overlea
Frederick Douglass
Mountain Ridge
Central
Williamsport
Randallstown
Carver Vo-Tech
New Town
FSK
Lackey
Chesapeake
Harford Tech
Largo
North East- Cecil
Wicomico
Patuxent
North Caroline
Gwynn Park
South Carroll
Westlake
Liberty (825)

Class 3A (906-1229):

Queen Anne's (826)
Walkersville
Fallston
Elkton
Century
Southern-AA
Winters Mill
Parkside
Crossland
Oakland Mills
Eastern Tech
Easton
Middletown
Calvert
Marriotts Ridge
Kent Island
Hereford
Rising Sun
LaPlata
Thomas Stone
Oakdale
Damascus
Poolesville
Potomac
Wilde Lake
Lansdowne
North Harford
Douglass-Balt
Hammond
Glenelg
River Hill
Stephen Decatur
St. Charles
Seneca Valley
North Hagerstown
South Hagerstown
City
Rockville
Edgewood
Centennial (1072)

Class 4A (1230-2267):

Huntingtown (1074)
TJ
Frederick
J.M. Bennett
Atholton
Woodlawn
CM Wright
Northeast-AA
Linganore
Reservoir
Towson
Long Reach
Mount Hebron
Aberdeen
Patapsco
Tuscarora
Northern Calvert
Chesapeake-AA
Oxon Hill
Watkins Mill
Dundalk
Franklin
Poly
Magruder
Great Mills
Milford Mill
Westminster
Wheaton
Urbana
Blake
Digital Harbor
Kenwood
Chopticon
Bel Air
Parkville
Kennedy
Einstein
Northwood
Howard
DuVal (1338)

Class 5A:

Catonsville (1340)
Mervo
Dulaney
Leonardtown
Suitland
Springbrook
North Point
Severna Park
Sherwood
Laurel
Whitman
Bladensburg
QO
Arundel
Annapolis
BCC
Glen Burnie
Churchill
Clarksburg
Paint Branch
Flowers
North County
Perry Hall
Broadneck
Old Mill
Wootton
Northwest
Meade
South River
Western
Walter Johnson
Richard Montgomery
Parkdale
Wise
Gaithersburg
Northwestern-PG
Bowie
ER
High Point
Blair (2267)

 

[BrianH1974]

Too watered down. They need to address this stupid regional playoff setup before they even begin to think about something like this.

 

[LHSlancerFAN]

I agree that they need to address the regional system. As for being watered down, 1A certainly would be, especially if you look purely at football. 4A would be the next on the watered down list but I think the other 3 classes have the potential for some great matchups, again looking purely at football and assuming they go to a 1-16 format. And it does lessen the enrollment gap just a little bit.

As a Linganore fan I would love this, no Oakdale, Damascus or Seneca Valley

 

[PWA Docket 7323]

Nice work Lancer, a fun read.

 

[beall02]

I agree that the current system needs looked at and more likely than not changed. But I don't think that it is moving to "5" classes is the biggest thing that needs changed. I think that the entire system needs changed. From the way they divide up the schools, to the way they award points, to the way the State decides the playoff teams. One thing that I love from WV system is the fact they very STRONGLY encourage you to schedule either within your class or higher and not lower. They don't require that you only schedule your class or higher but the way the points are awarded it is very much encouraged to schedule that way. We have plenty of smart people in this State that could sit down and come up with a better way to do this.

I think that there are two main reasons why the State won't change anything... 1.) They like the system for almost every other sport. The regional/sectional format seems to work in almost every other sport. Why change a system for one sport? Even though they already change it for football, why not go full circle and come up with a better way? 2.) I don't know that many have talked about it but I don't believe that their is anything that would prevent schools from breaking off from the MPSSAA and coming up with their own playoff system. I know that would involve a ton of planning of cooperation among several different schools within the State and would also cost a ton of money. But if they can fund it for a couple of years to get it running it would probably turn a profit very very quickly depending on what system they come up with. If that were to happen the MPSSAA would be dead without the football playoffs as far as money goes. Could they risk that if they were to start demanding schools to do certain things like requiring them to schedule certain schools and such?

And while I do like the "5" class idea LHSlancerFAN, I am not sure if it is right for Maryland. 1A was absolutely horrible this year. I am sorry and I will probably get some flack for this but it was just god awful this year. Allegany would rake in a lot of Championships if they went to that format. They would have the occasional year in which maybe a Joppatowne, Smithsburg, Northern Garrett, or one of the eastern shore teams sneak in and get one but the Campers would own 1A and that is even with Preaskorn at HC. One thing I think that format would do is help a school like a "Hancock" when they have a really, really good team, you know that 1 great team in the last 20 years actually be able to bring home a Championship when that happens. The thing that I don't like about it is the fact it would split up the Western Maryland teams between 1A and 2A. As a Mountain Ridge fan, I hate the fact that we are the only 2A team west of Hagerstown.

 

[LHSlancerFAN]

And while I do like the "5" class idea LHSlancerFAN, I am not sure if it is right for Maryland. 1A was absolutely horrible this year. I am sorry and I will probably get some flack for this but it was just god awful this year. Allegany would rake in a lot of Championships if they went to that format. They would have the occasional year in which maybe a Joppatowne, Smithsburg, Northern Garrett, or one of the eastern shore teams sneak in and get one but the Campers would own 1A and that is even with Preaskorn at HC. One thing I think that format would do is help a school like a "Hancock" when they have a really, really good team, you know that 1 great team in the last 20 years actually be able to bring home a Championship when that happens. The thing that I don't like about it is the fact it would split up the Western Maryland teams between 1A and 2A. As a Mountain Ridge fan, I hate the fact that we are the only 2A team west of Hagerstown.

I don't know if I like the 5 class idea or not. The only upside I can see to it is that it closes the enrollment gap, and even that is only a slight bit. When I wrote it all out and looked at 1A, my first thought was the same as yours....Allegany will dominate most years. Unfortunately what you are seeing with 1A football is that there are 2 or 3 of the same schools every year that are incredibly dominate (which are mostly all in the same region) and then there is everyone else. You have the occasional Perryville or Brunswick to mix it up but I don't think its going to change no matter how you classify. Unfortunately, that is the state of 1A football because the enrollment numbers dictate that.

At least in the 5 class proposal, Mountain Ridge would also have Fort Hill join them in 2A.