KHSAA approves new alignment plan for football for 2023 and 2024 seasons. What that means
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Board of Control approved a new alignment plan for football Wednesday but chose to use it only for the next two seasons instead of the next four.
The alignment approved Wednesday will be in effect for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and the KHSAA will realign again for 2025.
The KHSAA uses enrollment numbers from the Kentucky Department of Education to divide teams into its six football classes.
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“Our (enrollment) numbers are out of whack,” KHSAA commissioner Julian Tackett told the board. “Blame it on COVID, whatever the reasoning. … Let’s come back next year with this year’s (enrollment) numbers and next year’s and see what that looks like.”
Tackett said future scheduling could be affected with the two-year cycle but “every other thing right now probably favors two years.”
Approximately 25% of Kentucky’s 222 football-playing schools will be changing classes as part of the realignment plan.
Here are some of the most notable moves:
Eight-time state champion Covington Catholic will drop from Class 5A to Class 4A.
Six-time state champion Central will drop from Class 4A to Class 3A and enter a district with 2022 Class 3A champion Christian Academy.
Frederick Douglass, which won its first Class 5A state title last month, will move to Class 6A.
Bardstown, the Class 3A runner-up last season, will jump to Class 4A.
Franklin-Simpson, the Class 4A champion in 2017 and 2018, will drop to Class 3A.
Ashland Blazer, the Class 3A champion in 2020, will jump to Class 4A.
Central is one of seven schools in Louisville that will be changing classes. Moore moves up from Class 4A to Class 5A while Doss (5A to 4A), Jeffersontown (5A to 4A), Western (5A to 4A) and Butler (6A to 5A) all will drop in class.
DeSales chose to move up from 3A to 4A. Athletic director Don Bowers said that decision was made after a discussion with Central and Christian Academy officials.
“None of us wanted to be in the same district,” Bowers said. “We all got together, and we decided it was our turn to make a move.”
Central and CAL will play in Class 3A, District Three with Elizabethtown and LaRue County. CAL and Central last played each other in 2016, with the Centurions winning 44-14.
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In Class A, Louisville powers Holy Cross and Kentucky Country Day will become District Two partners with Bethlehem and Campbellsville. KCD was the Class A state runner-up in 2020, and Holy Cross reached the Class A state semifinals last season.
The Louisville-area Class 6A districts saw little change. With Butler dropping to Class 5A, Meade County will join Manual, Pleasure Ridge Park and St. Xavier in District Three. Oldham County rejoined Ballard, Eastern and Trinity in District Five. There was no change in District Four (Bullitt East, Fern Creek, Male and Southern).
The board also voted on several last-minute requests for district/class changes:
Harlan’s request to move from Class A, District Eight to Class A, District Seven was approved.
Rockcastle County’s request to move from Class 3A, District Four to Class 3A, District Seven was approved.
Grayson County’s request to move from Class 5A, District Two to Class 5A, District Four was approved.
The following schools were denied in their requests to switch classes or districts — Fort Knox, Madisonville-North Hopkins, West Carter, Leslie County and South Oldham.
South Oldham requested to move from Class 5A, District Five (Anderson County, Collins, Scott County, Woodford County) to Class 5A, District Three (Atherton, Butler, Fairdale, Iroquois).
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.
KHSAA football alignment
Here is the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s football alignment for the 2023 and 2024 seasons:
Class 6A
District One – Christian County, Daviess County, Henderson County, McCracken County
District Two – Barren County, Central Hardin, North Hardin, Warren Central
District Three – Manual, Meade County, Pleasure Ridge Park, St. Xavier
District Four – Bullitt East, Fern Creek, Male, Southern
District Five – Ballard, Eastern, Oldham County, Trinity
District Six – Campbell County, Great Crossing, Ryle, Simon Kenton
District Seven – Henry Clay, Lafayette, Paul Dunbar, Tates Creek
District Eight – Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass, George Rogers Clark, Madison Central
Class 5A
District One – Apollo, Graves County, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Marshall County, Muhlenberg County, Owensboro
District Two – Bowling Green, Greenwood, Ohio County, South Warren
District Three – Atherton, Butler, Fairdale, Iroquois
District Four – Bullitt Central, Grayson County, Moore, North Bullitt, Seneca
District Five – Anderson County, Collins, Scott County, South Oldham, Woodford County
District Six – Boone County, Conner, Cooper, Dixie Heights, Highlands, Scott
District Seven – East Jessamine, Madison Southern, Montgomery County, West Jessamine
District Eight – Harlan County, North Laurel, Pulaski County, South Laurel, Southwestern
Class 4A
District One – Allen County-Scottsville, Calloway County, Hopkinsville, Logan County, Paducah Tilghman, Warren East
District Two – Bardstown, Breckinridge County, John Hardin, Nelson County, Thomas Nelson
District Three – DeSales, Doss, Jeffersontown, Valley, Waggener, Western
District Four – Franklin County, Henry County, North Oldham, Shelby County, Spencer County, Western Hills
District Five – Covington Catholic, Grant County, Harrison County, Holmes, Mason County
District Six – Ashland Blazer, Boyd County, Greenup County, Johnson Central, Rowan County
District Seven – Boyle County, Lincoln County, Russell County, Taylor County, Wayne County
District Eight – Corbin, Letcher County Central, Perry County Central, Whitley County
Class 3A
District One – Hancock County, Hopkins County Central, McLean County, Trigg County, Union County, Webster County
District Two – Adair County, Butler County, Franklin-Simpson, Glasgow, Hart County
District Three – Central, Christian Academy, Elizabethtown, LaRue County
District Four – Casey County, Garrard County, Marion County, Mercer County
District Five – Bourbon County, Lexington Catholic, Lloyd Memorial, Pendleton County
District Six – Bath County, East Carter, Fleming County, Lewis County, Russell, West Carter
District Seven – Bell County, Clay County, Knox Central, McCreary Central, Rockcastle County
District Eight – Belfry, Estill County, Lawrence County, Magoffin County, Morgan County, Powell County
Class 2A
District One – Caldwell County, Crittenden County, Mayfield, Murray
District Two – Edmonson County, Fort Campbell, Owensboro Catholic, Todd County Central
District Three – Clinton County, Green County, Metcalfe County, Monroe County
District Four – Fort Knox, Lexington Christian, Shawnee, Washington County, W.E.B. DuBois (eligible in 2024)
District Five – Beechwood, Bracken County, Carroll County, Gallatin County, Owen County, Walton-Verona
District Six – Breathitt County, Danville, Leslie County, Somerset
District Seven – Floyd Central, Knott County Central, Martin County, Prestonsburg
District Eight – Betsy Layne, East Ridge, Pike County Central, Shelby Valley
Class A
District One – Ballard Memorial, Caverna, Fulton County, Russellville
District Two – Bethlehem, Campbellsville, Kentucky Country Day, Louisville Holy Cross
District Three – Bellevue, Dayton, Newport, Newport Central Catholic
District Four – Bishop Brossart, Covington Holy Cross, Ludlow, Trimble County
District Five – Berea, Eminence, Frankfort, Sayre
District Six – Fairview, Nicholas County, Paris, Raceland
District Seven – Harlan, Lynn Camp, Middlesboro, Pineville, Williamsburg
District Eight – Hazard, Paintsville, Pikeville
Not competing in district play – Jackson County (Class 2A), Phelps (Class A)
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA approves football district alignments for 2023 and 2024 seasons
