The Indiana High School Athletic Association announced new classifications for the sports of boys and girls basketball, football, boys and girls soccer, and girls volleyball on Tuesday.
These sports are categorized by the 20-25-25-30 ratio approved by the IHSAA Executive Committee last June. The plan would place the largest 20% of schools in 4A, the next 25% in 3A, the next 25% in 2A, and the smallest 30% in Class A.
Section groups for each sport (excluding softball and baseball) are expected to be announced later this spring, subject to approval by the IHSAA Executive Committee. Divisional groupings for softball and baseball will be announced in August.
All registration information can be found here.
Here are some key points about what's changing.
>>Cathedral, Crispus Attucks, Greenwood, Shelbyville, Roncalli, Marion and East Chicago Central are among the notable basketball programs moving down from Class 4A to 3A under the new system. Only 81 schools make up Class 4A, including Class 3A state champion Scottsburg, which advances based on tournament success factors.
>>The smallest Class 4A boys basketball program by enrollment is East Central (1,241 students). The largest 3A boys basketball program is Logansport (1,226 students).
>>Brownstown Central and Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian will move up to Class 3A due to success factors in the boys basketball tournament. Cascade (546 students) will be promoted from 2A to 3A. Western Boone and Monrovia are among the local boys basketball programs to be demoted from 3A to 2A.
>>For girls basketball, South Bend Washington will remain in 4A due to tournament success factors, while Gibson Southern will move up from 3A to 4A. The same school listed above for boys basketball, he has been demoted from 4A to 3A for girls basketball.
>>Lanesville girls basketball program moves up from Class A to 2A due to tournament success factors.
>>Harrison (West Lafayette) will be promoted from 5A to 6A in football upon enrollment. Cathedral's success factor in the tournament kept him in 6A, while Fort Wayne Snyder moved up from 5A to 6A. Warsaw and Lafayette Jeff will be demoted from 6A to 5A.
>>East Central is moving up from 4A to 5A in soccer due to tournament success factors. The same goes for Bishop Chatard (3A to 4A) and the Lutheran Church (A to 2A).
>>Danville will move up from 3A to 4A football with enrollment. Heritage Christian (2A to 3A) and Cascade (2A to 3A) also moved up in the standings. Western Boone and Monrovia (3A to 2A) are moving in the opposite direction. Park Tudor is jumping from Class A to 2A.
>>Providence, Yorktown and Belmont will play in Class 4A volleyball due to tournament success factors. Greenwood, New Palestine, Cathedral, Shelbyville and Roncalli are among the volleyball programs that will be demoted to 3A under the new arrangement.
Colestar reporter Kyle Neddenlieb (317) 444-6649.
