News: VHSL Looks Into New State Alignments

The Virginia High School League is exploring the possibility of changing the way it aligns teams in state, looking at a proposal to divide the state into five divisions. Currently the VHSL has three classifications for most sports (A, AA and AAA) with football split into two divisions in each classification and basketball also split among some classifications.

The new alignment would divide the state into five divisions based on enrollment and then each of those five divisions would be divided twice, into “super sections (East and West)” and sections (A-B, C-D) to create compressed geographical playing areas of teams with like enrollment.

In the proposed alignment, Prince William County schools will fall in the following divisions.
Division 2 — Eastern (C)
Manassas Park
Division 4 — Western (B)
Brentsville, Freedom, Potomac,
Division 5 — Western (B)
Battlefield, C.D. Hylton, Forest Park, Gar-Field, Osbourn, Osbourn Park, Stonewall Jackson, Woodbridge

Four open Q&A sessions are scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to noon on:

Nov. 4 @ Western Albemarle High School
Nov. 6 @ Lafayette High School
Nov. 17 @ Osbourn Park High School
Nov. 17 @ Salem High School

Pre-registration required so that space needs can be determined. Contact Linda Taylor to register for any of these dates.

—Below is the VHSL’s proposal to change from the current three classifications to five divisions—

VHSL School Division Proposal

Current R & R alignment for the 2009-10 Cycle

Enrollments within each classification range from:

Group A — Mt. Rogers (28) to Nandua (736) — 104 Schools
Group AA — Cenral (743) to E.C. Glass (1543) — 104 Schools
Group AAA — J.E.B. Stuart (1545) to Westfield (3171) — 103 Schools

Within the three classifications, football and selected basketball participate in Division Play.

D-1 — Mt. Rogers (28) to Cumberland (460)
D-2 — Patrick Henry-GS (466) to Nandua (736)
D-3 — Central (743) to King George (1190)
D-4 — Caroline (1200) to E.C. Glass (1543)
D-5 — J.E.B. Stuart (1545) to Massaponax (1893)
D-6 — Prince George (1895) to Westfield (3171)

Within each of these classifications/divisions a number of schools have received special permission to play up or down based upon specific issues related to geography or other unusually compelling reasons as determined by the R & R Committee. Due to district alignment and configuration, school teams are committed to a required number of district contests for possible post season consideration or dependence upon a rating system (football) and/or district tournaments in other sports. Depending upon the number of schools within a district, non-district contests with schools in other districts, regions or classifications may be limited or not possible.

Would it not be more desirable for schools to have greater flexibility in scheduling and still have increased opportunities to enter the post season?

Every two years the R & R committee attempts to balance the current system considering:

School Enrollment
Geographic Location
Potential Team Travel
Preservation of critical class time for students

The VHSL and the R & R committee have no control of:

School Locations
New School Construction
The Closing or consolidation of schools

Given the unique shape of the Commonwealth, schools within a specific classification may be separated by significant distances. For example:

From Thomas Walker High School to Chincoteague — 603 miles
From James Wood High School to Bluestone High School — 227 miles
From Loudoun Valley High School to G.W. Danville High School — 257 miles

Trying to maintain equity given the considerations of school size, geography and travel is a formidable task at best.

VHSL Staff offers that:
League Staff, R & R and member schools have been for many years thinking…about the box…inside the box…but need to begin thinking outside the box.

Consider the following “out of the box” proposal:

Each of 5 Divisions (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are divided into two Super Sections (Eastern & Western).
Each Super Section is divided into two Sections (A & B) or (C & D).
Each Section is composed of schools of similar enrollment and geographic proximity (as reasonably possible).

Classification, student enrollment and the number of schools in each division would be:

Division 1 — 1 to 450 students (48 schools)
Division 2 — 451 to 800 students (63 schools)
Division 3 — 801 to 1,300 students (68 schools)
Division 4 — 1,301 to 1,800 students (66 schools)
Division 5 — 1,801+ students (67 schools)

What would happen with current Districts?
Member schools would have the flexibility to maintain current district membership/alignment, reorganize districts, or be independent of a district. Postseason participation would be determined by League criteria or by criteria developed by the member schools in each Section.

ANY member school would be able to schedule ANY school they desired based upon:

Gate receipts
Long standing rivalries
Geographic considerations
Travel limitation
Local school preference
Current district alignment

How then would teams advance to the post season?
VHSL Staff recommends:

Advancement and seeding within each Section based upon and in the following order:

Overall regular season record
Winning percentage within the Division
Winning percentage within the Section / Super Section

Ties would be broken in the following order:

Head to head competition
Winning percentage vs. common opponents
Winning percentage vs. opponents in higher Divisions
Coin flip

The five division format would be used in all sports in which the vast majority of schools in each Division participate.In those sports where participation is more limited, it would be possible to combine the schools in two or more Divisions to provide as much equity as possible.

Finances
All net income derived from championships and Super Section playoffs would be retained for the operation of the League. Net income derived from Section athletic playoffs would be combined by season (fall, winter, spring).