KHSAA football realignment for 2023-26: Is your school switching classes?

Four years ago when the Kentucky High School Athletic Association was going through the realignment process for football, Central High School athletic director Ryan Bringhurst faced a tough decision.

One option was staying in Class 3A, where the Yellow Jackets had won six state championships from 2007-18. But Bringhurst also knew Central would likely be in a district with Christian Academy and DeSales, who were moving up from Class 2A and had both recently won state titles in that class.

So Bringhurst made the tough decision to play up to Class 4A for the 2019-22 seasons.

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“Only one of us and CAL and DeSales was going to make it to the third round of the playoffs, no matter which way you cut it,” Bringhurst said, noting the since-changed playoff system in which teams from the same district played each other in the first two rounds. “There was a strategic consideration around, ‘What gives you the best opportunity to advance in the playoffs?’”

Bringhurst and his fellow athletic directors are going through the same process this week after the KHSAA released alignment projections for the 2023-26 seasons Monday.

It’s only the first step in a process that may not be completed until February, but speculation is rampant, as approximately 25% of the state’s schools could be changing classes.

Athletic directors must consider several factors when deciding to stay in their current class or request to play up: Which class offers the best chance at winning? Will switching classes mean more or less travel for district games? Will changing districts help financially when it comes to ticket sales?

During the last realignment, Central was one of just seven schools that requested to play up, joining Trimble County, Boyle County, East Jessamine, Highlands, Western and Barren County.

Bringhurst already has made his decision for the 2023-26 seasons – Central will compete in Class 3A.

“Whether it’s in 3A … or 4A, at the end of the day every single class is going to have four, five or six schools that are consistently going to be in it for a championship,” Bringhurst said. “There’s a reason the same schools are making it to Thanksgiving weekend consistently. You’re going to have those in every class.”

Schools have until Dec. 21 to request to play up in class. The KHSAA does not require schools to offer “reason or justification” for moving up.

Once that deadline passes, commissioner Julian Tackett will create a district alignment plan for all six classes. That will be presented to the KHSAA Board of Control for its next meeting Jan. 18. The board could approve the alignment then or wait until its Feb. 22 meeting.

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Class 6A and Class A are limited to 32 teams, with 2A, 3A, 4A and 5A projected to each have 39 teams.

While teams requesting to play up likely will alter the final plan, here’s how realignment looks based on the enrollment figures released Monday:

What schools are moving up?

Twenty-seven schools are projected to move up in class.

From 5A to 6A: Great Crossing, Frederick Douglass, South Warren, Christian County (5A enrollment, requested to play up)

From 4A to 5A: Moore, Anderson County, Scott, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Warren Central, Harlan County

From 3A to 4A: Ashland Blazer, Paducah Tilghman, Mason County, Taylor County, Greenup County, Western Hills, Nelson County, Elizabethtown

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From 2A to 3A: Lloyd Memorial, Butler County, Bath County, Morgan County, Edmonson County

From A to 2A: Crittenden County, Fort Knox, Betsy Layne, Bracken County

What schools are moving down?

Twenty-eight schools are projected to move down in class.

From 6A to 5A: Dixie Heights, Butler, Barren County, Marshall County

From 5A to 4A: Whitley County, Grant County, Doss, Jeffersontown, Covington Catholic, Breckinridge County, Western

From 4A to 3A: Franklin-Simpson, Hopkins County Central, Bourbon County, Central, Clay County, Lexington Catholic, Knox Central, Marion County

From 3A to 2A: Floyd Central, Glasgow, Pike County Central, Belfry

From 2A to A: Newport, Middlesboro, Trimble County, Covington Holy Cross, Ballard Memorial

Any other moves?

Knott County Central (2A), Bellevue (A), Caverna (A) and Fulton County (A) have requested to return to district competition.

Jackson County, Jenkins and Phelps have requested to not be placed in a district.

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Louisville’s new DuBois Academy is set to join Class 2A in 2024, and St. Henry is scheduled to start a football program and join Class 2A in 2025.

What’s the impact in the Louisville area?

Moore is the only Louisville-area school projected to move up, from 4A to 5A.

Butler (6A to 5A), Doss (5A to 4A), Jeffersontown (5A to 4A), Western (5A to 4A) and Central (4A to 3A) are all projected to move down in class.

Butler athletic director Larry Just said he doesn’t mind the Bears dropping in class and won’t request to play up in 6A.

Butler reached the Class 6A semifinals in 2013 but has struggled in recent years, posting an 8-30 record over the past four seasons while competing in a district with St. Xavier, Manual and Pleasure Ridge Park.

“We’ve ran into a buzz-saw with the 6A schools,” Just said. “For us to consider playing up, I don’t think that’s something we’d consider. For us and where our program is today, that will be nice to be in a different level of schools.”

Just said he’s looking forward to competing in a 5A district that could include Bullitt Central, Fairdale, Iroquois and Moore.

“New people, and sometimes that is a little refreshing to get excited about something different,” Just said. “And we can still keep some of the 6A schools on our schedule. It gives us the best of both worlds. … It gives us the ability to start over again and maybe build back into 6A if that’s what we want.”

What’s the impact statewide?

Nineteen schools have won at least one state championship over the past five years, and seven of those are projected to move classes.

Along with Central, these are the others that could be on the move – Frederick Douglass (5A to 6A), South Warren (5A to 6A), Covington Catholic (5A to 4A), Franklin-Simpson (4A to 3A), Belfry (3A to 2A) and Ashland Blazer (3A to 4A).

South Warren currently projects as the smallest school in 6A. If a smaller school requests to play up in 6A, South Warren could choose to go back to 5A.

Frederick Douglass beat Bowling Green 28-7 in Saturday’s Class 5A final to capture its first state championship. Frederick Douglass opened in 2017 and played its first two seasons in 6A before moving to 5A from 2019-22.

Covington Catholic, which won Class 5A titles in 2017 and 2019, plans to stay in Class 4A for 2023-26, athletic director Tony Bacigalupo said.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: A look at KHSAA football realignment; Is your school changing classes?