SDHSAA board: 10 teams to play in Class 11AA

Talk about it

Mitchell will join nine other teams in Class 11AA for high school football this fall, according to a discussion by the South Dakota High School Activities Association Board of Directors Wednesday in Pierre.

The board met and considered football classifications based on average daily membership, or enrollment of students in grades 9-11. According to the SDHSAA, the 10 schools that will play in Class 11AA are Watertown; Yankton; Brookings; Pierre; Mitchell; Douglas; Huron; Sturgis; Harrisburg; and Spearfish.

This fall will be the first of a two-year experimental period in which there will be four classes of 11-man high school football. There will be a new 11AAA class that will have eight teams. Brandon Valley, based on its enrollment, chose to stay up in the highest class and Sioux Falls O’Gorman, classified as an 11AA school, sent its proposal to play in 11AAA.

SDHSAA Executive Director Wayne Carney said Watertown — which, based on its enrollment, is classified as an 11AAA team — is hoping to petition down to Class 11AA because of O’Gorman’s decision to move up. Carney said Watertown’s school board will discuss the measure Monday.

“There was no motion taken,” Carney said, referring to finalizing football classifications. “Once we get a letter from Watertown requesting specifically moving to 11 double-A football, then all the schools will be set for 11-man football.”

The SDHSAA collects its information on ADMs from the state’s department of education. Carney said the activities association will send the collected data will be sent to each school for verification this week. After that, the activities association will break each class down by district and region and send that information to each school by early February.

According to Wednesday’s SDHSAA discussion on football, Carney also said there will be 26 teams in Class 11B and 16 teams in Class 11A. All teams with an enrollment below 112.5 will play 9-man football, which Carney said will have three classes again this year.

At a Feb. 27 board meeting, all football classifications and alignments for the next two years will be finalized.

In other local items from Wednesday’s meeting:

- The board approved a cooperative between Marion and Menno high schools in the sport of football effective this fall.

- The board approved the dissolution of a cooperative in high school wrestling between Wolsey-Wessington High School, Wessington Springs High School and Woonsocket High School. Wessington Springs and Woonsocket will continue to have a cooperative in the sport, while Wolsey-Wessington High School will sponsor its own program.

Tags: sports, football, updates, kernels