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Reclassification has schools moving up, down
Published November 4, 2009
Bill Smith was hired last spring to turn around Crossville High School’s struggling football program. On Wednesday, the head coach’s job got much tougher.
The Lions will make the jump from Class 3A to 4A as part of the AHSAA’s reclassification for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 academic years. The AHSAA adjusts its alignments — which are based on average daily attendance in grades 10-12, plus ninth-grade holdbacks — every two years.
Crossville wasn’t the only school that will be making a move. Plainview will drop from 4A to 3A, and Geraldine will move up from 2A to 3A. Both the Bears and Bulldogs will be part of a nine-team football region that includes Sylvania. Teams in that region will play two non-region games each season instead of the traditional three.
Ider and Fyffe remained in 2A but will also compete in a nine-team region for football.
The football landscape remained the same for 5A Fort Payne, 1A Collinsville and 1A Valley Head, so those schools will face the same teams as they have the last two years in their respective regions.
Collinsville and Valley Head will be moved into the same area for basketball after being in separate leagues the last two years. Fort Payne’s basketball area remained unchanged.
Fort Payne football coach Paul Ellis was pleased to be staying with the same region lineup.
“Every year this comes about, everybody is anxious to see what the changes are,” he said. “Nothing for us really changed. I think that’s a good thing because our region has been competitive year in and year out. Everybody will know everybody, and there won’t be any surprises.”
Fort Payne boys’ basketball coach Anthony Reid was also happy to see things stay status quo.
“It’s a good area,” he said. “I’m glad it stayed the same. Last year, that area was very competitive, and I expect the same this year.”
On the other end of the spectrum was Smith, whose team must now tangle with the likes of Cherokee County, Guntersville, North Jackson, Butler and Fairview in region play.
“Obviously, it’s going to be tough,” he said. “You’re talking about a top-heavy group with North Jackson, Guntersville and Cherokee County, and then you’re talking about an athletic Butler team and a Fairview team that’s had success.
“It’s going to be a tough situation for a Crossville team where close to 50 percent of our high school population has never played football … their parents have never played football. Over 50 percent of our high school is Hispanic. I’ve worked hard on trying to get students across all the spectrums involved in football. We’ll work hard in the offseason. Our region is going to have three perennial top-10 teams.”
The Crossville basketball teams will compete with DAR, Guntersville and North Jackson in area play. Boys’ coach Tracy Hulgan wasn’t surprised by the jump to 4A.
“The numbers had kind of indicated this when we had to turn them in earlier in the fall school session, so there was anticipation of this development,” he said. “We’ve been placed in difficult and challenging positions before in area and region alignments, and this is just a higher step for us. We just have to accept our fate and continue to work hard.
“What we need to do as a school and community is understand it takes hard work and togetherness. We haven’t backed down from challenges before, and we’ll have to do the best we can do.”
Plainview has made the football playoffs 21 straight times, mostly as a 3A school before jumping to 4A two years ago.
Bears coach Dale Pruitt was pleased with the return to 3A.
“As far as being 4A for the last two years, we were there by less than one student,” he said. “That’s been kind of an uphill battle, but I feel like our kids have really competed well.
“As far as the nine-team region, I guess if you’ve been in it as long as I’ve been, it’s just one less [game] that you’ve got to find. The only thing I worry about is matching up with our non-region games. As far as being back in 3A … that’s where we belong, so I guess we’re pleased.”
Pruitt said he wasn’t sure how non-region scheduling will work for the nine-team league.
Geraldine coach Tim Arnold was concerned about the financial implications of playing in the large region.
“I’ve got to get some non-region games to make some money,” he said. “My money games are Fyffe and Crossville, and neither one of them are in my region.”
Fyffe coach Paul Benefield wasn’t overly concerned about being placed in a league with nine teams. In fact, he sees an advantage in it.
“Nothing shocks me any more,” he said. “I’d be happy if they’d just send me a schedule where I wouldn’t have to schedule any games. That would suit me just fine. I’d prefer an 11-team region. With the kind of travel we’ve done the last two years in the playoffs, I don’t believe they can make me go any farther, and I like to go to new places.”
—Shannon J. Allen of Southern Newspapers contributed to this story.
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