By Dana Hess, for the S.D. Newspaper Association
PIERRE — After creating a subcommittee to offer plans that decrease football from seven classifications to five or six, the South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors on Wednesday, Nov. 4, approved the first reading of a plan that keeps a seven-classification system.
A topic for more than two hours of discussion was a plan submitted by Sioux Falls Roosevelt Assistant Principal Steve Moore that would offer six classifications, three for 11-man football and three for nine-man. The current system has four 11-man classifications and three for nine-man. Prior to board consideration, Moore’s plan was approved by a football advisory subcommittee on a vote of 13-4.
Moore’s six classification plan offered a nine-team 11AA division that consisted of what he called the teams from South Dakota’s metropolitan areas: Brandon Valley, Harrisburg, Rapid City Central and Stevens and Sioux Falls Lincoln, O’Gorman, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Washington.
In Moore’s plan Class 11A would include Aberdeen Central, Brookings, Mitchell, Pierre, Tea Area, Watertown, Yankton, Douglas, Spearfish, Sturgis, Dakota Valley, Huron, Lennox, Madison, Sioux Falls Christian, Vermillion and West Central. Moore’s Class 11B had the remaining 11-man eligible teams above a 56 average daily membership.
Moore said his plan stressed allowing teams to have competitive games which would keep athletes interested in the sport.
“It centers around trying to keep kids interested in the game,” Moore said.
Moore’s plan differed from the usual ranking system that relies on arranging football classifications based on each school’s average daily membership of male students.
“It has nothing to do with ADM, really,” Moore said of his plan.
Moore said his plan grouped the “metro” schools in the top class and the current Class 11-AA schools as well as the top seven 11-A schools in the second class. The next 17 schools would be in 11-B.
SDHSAA Assistant Executive Director John Krogstrand said ADM was not always an indicator of which schools fielded the best teams. He said football champions O’Gorman, Pierre, Canton and Bridgewater were all among the smallest schools in their classifications.
During a public forum early in the meeting, eight football coaches and activities directors spoke against Moore’s proposal.
“I think we need to revisit this proposal,” said Chad Conaway of Lennox. “I hope some consideration is given to how unbalanced the ADMs are.”
The concerns expressed by member schools worried board member Michael Talley of Rapid City.
“I have some heartburn about all this,” Talley said. “It’s really important for member schools to support this.”
Board member Randy Soma of Brookings had safety concerns about the larger schools in Moore’s proposed Class 11-A playing the smaller schools in that division.
“It’s hard to justify for safety reasons,” Soma said of Moore’s plan. “The safety thing really is my biggest concern.”
Ultimately the board approved on a 7-1 vote a plan for a seven-classification system that included Moore’s metro schools in a nine-team 11AAA. The next classification would have the next largest 11 schools in 11AA and 14 schools in 11A. The rest of the schools would be in 11B. Nine-man football would stay in three classifications.
Talley was the lone dissenting vote. A second reading of the classification system will take place at the SDHSAA board meeting in January.
