The Virginia High School League voted Wednesday in favor of a new six-tier classification system based on enrollment size that will go into effect beginning with the 2013-14 school year.
The new system will be a complete transformation from the state’s previous three-class format (Groups A, AA and AAA), which had been in place since 1970.
Under the new alignment, state public schools will form into six classifications – 1A-6A – based on student body population.
Each of the six classifications will be split into two separate regions – East and West – of 24-28 teams that will be divided into conferences based on geographical location.
The VHSL says its aim is to create a more competitive balance by placing schools in conferences with other schools that have comparable enrollment sizes.
“The League membership has been studying and discussing this specific change since December,” VHSL executive director Ken Tilley said in a press release. “Considerable progress has already been made in developing details regarding future organization, playoffs, finances and other aspects.
“These efforts will continue over the coming months in preparation for the 2013-14 school year.”
While the Bay Rivers District will likely remain intact for scheduling purposes, district tournaments will no longer exist – although the VHSL has granted district committees permission to conduct tournaments for the sheer purpose of bragging rights – and regular-season contests in all sports except football won’t have any bearing on a team’s postseason outlook.
The first round of the playoffs – again, in all sports other than football – would be conference tournaments, as every pair of regions that split up each of the six classifications will be made up of conferences consisting of 5-8 teams . Every team is eligible for the conference tournament, with the champions and runners-up moving on to regional play.
The football playoffs will be determined by a points system similar to the current format that will send the top 16 teams from each region to the postseason.
From there, as many as six state champions will eventually be crowned in each sport.
While many postseason rivalries between Bay Rivers schools may continue – Tabb and Grafton field hockey, for one, as both schools will move to Class 4A – others will have to adjust.
See what’s ahead for all 10 of the Bay Rivers schools by checking out the new conference realignment plan here.
