WHAT IF: What if Reclassification happened today? Insight on how it might look

We are just only a year away from reclassification again and the talk will start to build up when get to the 2014 season as to who will go up a classification, who will stay put or who will go down a classification.

The FHSAA has some rules to go by when it comes to reclassification, especially in football.

2/3 of the member schools committed to  district play are placed evenly as possible between Classes 5A, 6A, 7A & 8A. The remaining 1/3 of the member schools are placed in Classes 1A, 2A, 3A & 4A, again distributed evenly as possible.

Also remember Class 1A is designated rural with schools with enrollment 600 or under and are designated rural by the FHSAA are considered for this classification.

So here is what I did in looking at the numbers:
1. I took the enrollment numbers for schools currently in district play and select current independent schools that could likely join back in to district play.

2. Members of the Gulf Atlantic Conference, Sunshine State Athletic Conference, Southeastern Football Conference and some members of the North Florida Football Conference were not considered due to conference affiliation currently or statements made in the past by the schools in regards to positioning of the football program.

3. When looking at what Class 2A would like once the 36 schools were pulled for Class 1A, Class 2A would only have 42 schools based upon an even split. However, I suggest a cap at 300 or below for Class 2A which would only increase it by one to 43 schools.

4. Classes 3A & 4A took the remaining 85 teams left out of a total of 164 schools. Class 3A was given 42 teams while Class 4A was given 43 teams.

5. Classes 5A, 6A, 7A & 8A have a total 334 teams distributed evenly as possible. Classes 8A & 7A were each given 84 teams while Classes 6A & 5A were given 83 teams each.

6. While this list does not include what districts might look at (save a separate article on this) we break down the major changes look at the current districts still in use compared to our findings.

CLASS 8A
2013 enrollment – 2296 and up

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– Cypress Bay remains the largest high school in terms of enrollment.
– Haines City and Ridge Community would likely become Class 8A programs with recent growth in enrollment numbers. They would be the first schools to jump to the highest classification for Polk County in recent memory.
– Oak Ridge and Lake Worth also make the jump from Class 7A to Class 8A. Lake Worth would be within the bottom 10 percent of the classification.
– Osceola (Kissimmee) and Gateway (Kissimmee), both current 7A schools would be Class 8A (something that was suppose to have happened the last time around)
– Most current districts you see now would remain intact, however a consolidation of a district here or there might be possible. It would not be surprising if the two Polk County and two Osceola County schools are put into a district of their own to keep any or all four from finding ways of asking to go back down to Class 7A.

CLASS 7A
2013 enrollment – 1890-2295

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– St. Petersburg, Hagerty, Monarch, Bloomingdale, Miami Southridge, Reagan and Miami Sunset would fall a classification from Class 8A to Class 7A
– South Fork, New Smyrna Beach, Mainland, Venice, Lennard, Navarre, Miami Central, Gulf Coast and Forest (Ocala) would jump up from Class 6A to Class 7A.
– A combination of some new districts would result in Class 7A and looking at the some of the teams that could be in the mix would make the classification fun to watch.

CLASS 6A
2013 enrollment – 1605-1889

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– Palm Beach Lakes, Palmetto, Sebastian River, Harmony, Northeast (Oakland Park), Northeast (St. Petersburg), East River, Boyd Anderson, Miami Springs, Mourning, Port Charlotte, Eau Gallie would drop from Class 7A to Class 6A.
– Belen Jesuit would drop from Class 8A to Class 6A.
– Mosley, Auburndale, Cape Coral, Golden Gate and North Fort Myers would make the jump from Class 5A to Class 6A.
– With Miami Central likely gone it would make things interesting in South Florida and possibly could create two Miami-based districts alone with the number of teams from the area that could make this happen.

CLASS 5A
2013 enrollment – 1158-1604

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– Leesburg, South Lake, Archbishop McCarthy, Orange Park, Stranahan, Robinson, Terry Parker, Jefferson, Citrus, Pensacola, Fivay, Coconut Creek, Fort Pierce Westwood and Hallandale would drop from Class 6A to Class 5A.
– Surprisingly no teams would move up from Class 4A to Class 5A.
– Pensacola Catholic is booted down to its original class of Class 3A, which fits its enrollment numbers, but would not be surprised if geographical isolation puts them right back up here again in Class 5A.

CLASS 4A
2013 enrollment – 709-1157

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– Dunbar, DeSoto County, Santa Fe (Alachua), Bishop Moore, Astronaut, Tenoroc, Yulee, Ridgewood, Booker, Mount Dora, Dunnellon, South Sumter, Mulberry and Lake Highland Prep would drop from Class 5A to Class 4A.
– No teams would move up from Class 3A to Class 4A.
– The core group of teams that have made Class 4A very strong are still staying put and throw in teams like Bishop Moore, Dunnellon, South Sumter and Mount Dora who usually contend for playoff spots, this would be a fun classification to watch.

CLASS 3A
2013 enrollment – 300-708

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– Inlet Grove, Archbishop Carroll, Community School and Bishop Snyder would be in Class 3A if they moved back into district play.
– Andrew Jackson, Walton, Fort White, Taylor County and Florida High all drop from Class 4A to Class 3A.
– Pensacola Catholic drops from Class 5A to Class 3A.
– Duval Charter moves up from Class 2A to Class 3A.
– Union County moves up from Class 1A to Class 3A.
– North Bay Haven Charter would likely be eligible to join a district and would slot in at Class 3A.

CLASS 2A
2013 enrollment – 0-300

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– Current independent teams including St. Joseph, Oak Hall, St. Stephen’s, St. Francis, Christ’s Church Academy, and Zion Lutheran would be slotted in Class 2A with a return to district play.
– Admiral Farragut, Out-of-Door and Bishop McLaughlin would drop from Class 3A to Class 2A.
– Most other core Class 2A teams remain.

CLASS 1A
2013 enrollment – 0-600 and are designated rural

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014

– Madison Country and Baldwin would drop from Class 4A to Class 1A.
– Union County would be moved from Class 1A to Class 3A.
– Some districts could see some shifting if Madison County and Baldwin are added into Class 1A.