Where will Central Georgia high schools be in the GHSA in 2026-28? First round of reclassification numbers are out, but there's more movement to come

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          High schools throughout the state will spend a day or two perusing their next two years in a new set of GHSA reclassification standards.

          The association is returning to seven natural classifications, and eliminating the split of Class A into two divisions. That’s the only part of the regular process that’s official.

          Monday’s release – based on information submitted by schools and released by the state’s Department of Education - of enrollment figures after adding out-of-zone students is only one early step in the process, and things will change in a week.

          Schools have until noon Sunday to file an appeal for their classification placement, with the appeals to be heard on Monday in Thomaston.

          The GHSA will then put schools in specific regions. Another round of appeals will follow, and the final set of regions for seven classes is likely to be approved in late November or early December.

.        On Nov. 9, 2023, Houston County successfully appealed dropping from 6A to 5A, Warner Robins from 5A to 4A, and Central from 3A to A/I.

          A week after that came appeals from schools to be moved to a different region in the same class, a lateral region move.

          Jones County’s appeal to change regions to one near Athens was denied, while Dodge County’s attempt to go from Region 1 to 2A/I was approved, as was Crawford County from 4A/II to 6A/II.

          In 2021, Central was moved from 4A to 3A, Perry from 5A to 4A.

          Another round of appeals – from four schools denied it he previous session - was heard in late November that month, with the full reclassification for 24-26 approved in that meeting.

          The same schedule is now on the clock. But this is only one step in the process, and by no means final.

          While certainly slated for dozens of appeals in the coming days, the new numbers do offer some interesting notes and possibilities.

          It’s worth remembering that teams will again be more spread out in classifications, and may be in a higher classification but still in a region with schools of similar enrollments and acceptable geography. Teams may be in a region with many current region mates or recent and familiar opponents as some schools decide to play in a higher classification.

          Central is again initially listed in a higher classification, but again is very likely to win an appeal to drop down to 3A or AA. Mary Persons is a candidate to appeal to drop down from 5A to 4A, as is Jasper County from AAA to AA.

          But school officials will contact school officials to discuss potential appeals in hopes of a positive region placement.

          For example, a 5A region possibility is Warner Robins, Perry, Jones County, Mary Persons, Harris County, and schools from between Macon and Atlanta. If Mary Persons moved to 4A, a possibility of a region with Howard, Westside, West Laurens, Spalding, Peach County, Baldwin, Upson-Lee, or similar combination.

          Geography, competitiveness, and travel distance play into the appeals process.

          This go ‘round, Central being in 5A, and Westside and Howard being in 4A raised eyebrows. But the same thing happened two years ago, with six classes. At this point in that process, Central was the fifth-largest Class AAA school with a reclassification figure of 1,370 (247 out of zone students) and was moved to A/I.

Teams moving a class lead to a corresponding dropping down a class for other teams.