While KHSAA football teams across the Bluegrass had a layout of where their future was going to be in terms of their class and opponents in district play, they learned in Wednesday’s KHSAA Board of Control meeting that it would only be for two years. The original plan was to have the new alignment run from 2023-26.
The Board agreed on the new proposed realignment for the 2023 and ’24 seasons based off enrollment data provided by the Kentucky Department of Education of the 2019-20 and 2022-23 school years, eliminating 2020-21 and 2021-22 because of COVID. The 19-20 and 22-23 years were doubled in factoring the four-year average of each member school’s enrollment.
KHSAA has six football classes determined by enrollment size, 220 schools were factored in the alignment plan.
The new alignment affects 25% of KHSAA member football schools in the state that are changing in class, either up or down. That includes five NKY schools, which has also created a lot of new district opponents for nearly every football team in Kenton, Boone and Campbell County.
Member schools had until Dec. 21 to respond if they wished to withdraw from district play, request to play in a higher class or make other reclassification project comments to be considered. The only school in NKY that made any request of that matter was Boone County, questioning the KHSAA’s current stance of classing by school enrollment size with some programs facing more challenges than others.
Rebels football coach Bryson Warner stated in the request to KHSAA commissioner Julian Tackett that they be moved to the Class 5A, Seventh District with East Jessamine, West Jessamine, Madison Southern and Montgomery County that “would be a lot better economically, equal and competitive playing opportunities for our program and players?”
The Rebels are aligned to be in the Class 5A, Sixth District with Cooper, Conner, Dixie Heights, Highlands and Scott. Boone County went 3-7 in 2022 and haven’t won a district game since 2016. Dixie Heights dropped from 6A to 5A to join the new six-team district.
Covington Catholic dropped from 5A to 4A in a district with Holmes, Grant County, Harrison County and Mason County. Scott jumped from 4A to 5A, joining with the 5A, Sixth District.
Beechwood stayed put in 2A, they’ll be facing a district with Bracken County, Carroll County, Gallatin County, Owen County and Walton-Verona. Beechwood’s former district mate Lloyd Memorial made a jump to 3A and virtually no-man’s land for the Juggernauts with no other NKY teams in the class, paired with Bourbon County, Lexington Catholic and Pendleton County.
Newport dropped down to 1A to join with Newport Central Catholic, Bellevue and Dayton. Holy Cross also dropped down to 1A in a district with Bishop Brossart, Ludlow and Trimble County.
The new 6A, Sixth District features Campbell County, Great Crossing, Ryle and Simon Kenton.
The alignment has 32 schools in Class 1A and 6A, 39 in 5A, 42 in 4A, 40 in 3A and 35 in 2A.
St. Henry, who will not be playing varsity until 2025 will see where they’ll be in the next realignment.
KHSAA football alignment
CLASS 6A
District 1 – Christian County, Daviess County, Henderson County, McCracken County
District 2 – Barren County, Central Hardin, North Hardin, Warren Central
District 3 – Manual, Meade County, Pleasure Ridge Park, St. Xavier
District 4 – Bullitt East, Fern Creek, Male, Southern
District 5 – Ballard, Eastern, Oldham County, Trinity
District 6 – Campbell County, Great Crossing, Ryle, Simon Kenton
District 7 – Henry Clay, Lafayette, Paul Dunbar, Tates Creek
District 8 – Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass, George Rogers Clark, Madison Central
CLASS 5A
District 1 – Apollo, Graves County, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Marshall County, Muhlenberg County, Owensboro
District 2 – Bowling Green, Greenwood, Ohio County, South Warren
District 3 – Atherton, Butler, Fairdale, Iroquois
District 4 – Bullitt Central, Grayson County, Moore, North Bullitt, Seneca
District 5 – Anderson County, Collins, Scott County, South Oldham, Woodford County
District 6 – Boone County, Conner, Cooper, Dixie Heights, Highlands, Scott
District 7 – East Jessamine, Madison Southern, Montgomery County, West Jessamine
District 8 – Harlan County, North Laurel, Pulaski County, South Laurel, Southwestern
CLASS 4A
District 1 – Allen County-Scottsville, Calloway County, Hopkinsville, Logan County, Paducah Tilghman, Warren East
District 2 – Bardstown, Breckinridge County, John Hardin, Nelson County, Thomas Nelson
District 3 – DeSales, Doss, Jeffersontown, Valley, Waggener, Western
District 4 – Franklin County, Henry County, North Oldham, Shelby County, Spencer County, Western Hills
District 5 – Covington Catholic, Grant County, Harrison County, Holmes, Mason County
District 6 – Ashland Blazer, Boyd County, Greenup County, Johnson Central, Rowan County
District 7 – Boyle County, Lincoln County, Russell County, Taylor County, Wayne County
District 8 – Corbin, Letcher County Central, Perry County Central, Whitley County
CLASS 3A
District 1 – Hancock County, Hopkins County Central, McLean County, Trigg County, Union County, Webster County
District 2 – Adair County, Butler County, Franklin-Simpson, Glasgow, Hart County
District 3 – Central, Christian Academy, Elizabethtown, LaRue County
District 4 – Casey County, Garrard County, Marion County, Mercer County
District 5 – Bourbon County, Lexington Catholic, Lloyd Memorial, Pendleton County
District 6 – Bath County, East Carter, Fleming County, Lewis County, Russell, West Carter
District 7 – Bell County, Clay County, Knox Central, McCreary Central, Rockcastle County
District 8 – Belfry, Estill County, Lawrence County, Magoffin County, Morgan County, Powell County
CLASS 2A
District 1 – Caldwell County, Crittenden County, Mayfield, Murray
District 2 – Edmonson County, Fort Campbell, Owensboro Catholic, Todd County Central
District 3 – Clinton County, Green County, Metcalfe County, Monroe County
District 4 – Fort Knox, Lexington Christian, Shawnee, Washington County, W.E.B. DuBois (eligible in 2024)
District 5 – Beechwood, Bracken County, Carroll County, Gallatin County, Owen County, Walton-Verona
District 6 – Breathitt County, Danville, Leslie County, Somerset
District 7 – Floyd Central, Knott County Central, Martin County, Prestonsburg
District 8 – Betsy Layne, East Ridge, Pike County Central, Shelby Valley
CLASS A
District 1 – Ballard Memorial, Caverna, Fulton County, Russellville
District 2 – Bethlehem, Campbellsville, Kentucky Country Day, Louisville Holy Cross
District 3 – Bellevue, Dayton, Newport, Newport Central Catholic
District 4 – Bishop Brossart, Covington Holy Cross, Ludlow, Trimble County
District 5 – Berea, Eminence, Frankfort, Sayre
District 6 – Fairview, Nicholas County, Paris, Raceland
District 7 – Harlan, Lynn Camp, Middlesboro, Pineville, Williamsburg
District 8 – Hazard, Paintsville, Pikeville
(Not competing in district play – Jackson County – 2A, Phelps – A)