by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Sumner County athletic officials are currently sitting tight and studying a new classification proposal by the Kansas State High School Activities Association that will dramatically alter the sports landscape across the state.

Last week, a 14-person committee released a new proposal at the monthly KSHSAA meeting that would restructure the football classifications. It would divide the classification into 32 teams for 6A, 5A and 4A; 48 teams for 3A and 2A and the remaining schools into 1A 11-man schools. In Kansas, 11-man football in Class 1A hasn’t been played since 1984.

In the all sports other than football classification, teams would be divided into 36 teams for 6A, 5A and 4A; 64 schools will be in 3A and 2A, and 117 in Class 1A. The divisions of Class 4A and 1A would be eliminated.

The classifications would not go into effect until the 2018-19 school year. The new classification proposal won’t be voted on until April.

For all the talk, it won’t affect us directly, said Luke Smith, Wellington School Activities Director. We are right in the middle of Class 4A Division 1 right now. So we would still be in Class 4A with the new proposals.

While the football landscape will not change for Wellington since the state isn’t altering Class 6A to 4A, the new all other sports could dramatically affect who the Crusaders will play in the post season.

Wellington’s basketball, baseball, tennis and other teams may no longer have to contend with McPherson, Bishop Miege, Winfield, and other big 4A schools. The top eight schools in Class 4A would be playing in 5A in all other sports.” (See classification list from last year here.)

That would be great for us, said Brian Aufdengarten, Wellington head girls tennis coach. This new proposal would get us away from schools like Bishop Miege, McPherson on one end, and Collegiate on the other.

As for Conway Springs and Belle Plaine it could be a different story – especially in football. The new system would have 48 teams in the new 4A which would include all 32 Class 4A Div. II schools and the top 16 in the current Class 3A. Using last year’s enrollment numbers, Conway Springs and Belle Plaine are not in the top 16, and would fall into the new Class 2A. Schools like Wichita Collegiate, Beloit and Scott City would remain in 3A. Silver Lake would be one of those schools that would waver between the new 3A or 2A.

We have not had a chance to look at the specifics to the proposal, said Matt Biehler, Conway Springs head football coach. If it is an option we heard that takes less teams to the playoffs than we did prior to 2002 then we would not support it. However, if they make it a way that gets the best teams to the late round playoffs it would be a good deal.

The all other classification proposed list, may not be kind to either Conway Springs and Belle Plaine. Both schools would be teetering between the new 3A and the new 2A. The new 64 Class 3A classification would get 20 new Class 4A Div. II schools and 44 of the top 64 Class 3A teams. If that count was taken this year, Conway Springs would be in 3A while Belle Plaine would drop to 2A.

That leaves the other Sumner County schools: Oxford, Argonia, Caldwell and South Haven. The new classification wouldn’t affect these schools at all except that it would eliminate the Divisions of Class 1A in basketball. Oxford may be an exception and go to 2A on the all other sports list, but it would have to incur some growth and leapfrog several schools to get to 2A.

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