Before the 2022 KHSAA football season even ended three days ago, many teams wondered what their future held.
Are they moving up in class? Moving down?
Well, on Monday things started to get laid out.
The KHSAA released enrollment data based on their calculation of the 2019-20 and 2022-23 school years, eliminating the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years because of COVID. So the 19-20 and 22-23 years were doubled in factoring each member school’s enrollment.
This is currently a proposal but will be recommended at the Jan. 18 Board of Control meeting with realignment for the 2023-26 football teams finalized by Feb. 22. Member schools have until Dec. 21 to respond if they wish to withdraw from district play, request to play in a higher class or make other reclassification project comments to be considered.
The way things are proposed right now, 32 schools will play in Class 1A and 6A, 39 schools playing in each of Class 2A-5A.
A handful of Northern Kentucky teams are impacted, whether they move up or down.
Here’s a breakdown of NKY teams and what the enrollment data shows:
Class 1A — Newport Central Catholic, Bellevue, Ludlow, Dayton, Bishop Brossart, Holy Cross, Newport
Class 2A — St. Henry (not playing varsity until 2025), Beechwood, Walton-Verona
Class 3A — Lloyd Memorial
Class 4A — Holmes, Covington Catholic
Class 5A — Highlands, Scott, Boone County, Cooper, Conner, Dixie Heights
Class 6A — Campbell County, Ryle, Simon Kenton
In the enrollment data, Newport drops from 2A to 1A, Holy Cross does as well.
Lloyd Memorial moves up from 2A to 3A.
Scott moves up from 4A to 5A.
Dixie Heights drops down to 5A from 6A.
The realignment data can be found at khsaa.org
So here is where the fun begins. Will Covington Catholic request to play up to join in on a district with Highlands and Scott? What district would Bishop Brossart join since Bracken County is proposed to move up to 2A? Who would be the fourth team in the Campbell County, Ryle and Simon Kenton district, replacing Dixie Heights? Great Crossing? Oldham County? Where does Lloyd Memorial fit in for 3A? Regionally, there are very few teams even within an hour of the Juggernauts in 3A.
It has been made clear 1A and 6A will remain at 32 teams. If some 1A proposed schools decide to play up to 2A, it could drop some teams right on the edge of the 1A/2A line back down to 1A. Same goes for 6A; if some 5A schools request to play up, who would drop down from 6A?
Seven schools played up in 2019-22, Trimble County (A to 2A), Central (3A to 4A), Boyle County (3A to 4A), East Jessamine (4A to 5A), Highlands (4A to 5A), Western (4A to 5A) and Barren County (5A to 6A).
There will be a lot of speculation over the next month, things will become a lot more clear come Jan. 18.