GHSA reclassification committee approves Perry & Central appeals to stay where they are
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
Of the many schools appealing the placement in classes for reclassification by the GHSA, only three from Central Georgia were on the list.
Perry appealed to go from 5A back to 4A, Mary Persons was looking to move up from 3A to 4A, and Central to drop from 4A to 3A.
Central Georgia-related classification changes
Region 1-6A
Loses Valdosta to 7A, likely to pick up Veterans
Region 1-5A
Loses Veterans to 6A
Region 4-5A
Loses Stockbridge and Woodland-Stockbridge to 4A
Region 4-4A
Loses Rutland to AA
Region 2-AA
Loses Vidalia to 3A
About 60 schools were looking for an adjustment, and the appeals were heard all day Wednesday in Thomaston.
Perry’s appeal was approved, so the Panthers will remain in 4A.
Mary Persons withdrew its appeal, and will stay in 3A. And Central’s appeal was approved, keeping the Chargers in 3A.
Twice as many appeals were approved as denied, 36-18, with six schools withdrawing their appeals.
Had Perry stayed in 5A, it likely would’ve replaced Veterans in Region 1, Veterans being pushed up to 6A.
It was in pretty much a decent situation either way for Mary Persons. It was in 4A until the last reclassification, so it could have perhaps rejoined the local 4A region, that at the time had West Laurens, Perry, Upson-Lee, Howard, and Spalding.
Central would have probably been put in Region 4-4A, that old Mary Persons region. The Chargers will stay in what’s likely to be the same Region 2-AAA.
Perry’s appeal was approved 17-0-1, basically unanimously, with Houston County athletics director Jason Brett abstaining. Central’s appeal was approved unanimously.
The new classifications have gone through a few adjustments, few of which directly affect any Central Georgia schools or regions.
Vidalia, a Region 2-AA foe of East Laurens, was bumped to 3A and appealed, but was denied and will stay in 3A.
The next step is for lateral appeals within classifications, to be heard next Thursday.
Some schools will push to keep a school from a region, and others may seek a change in regions. Nevertheless, here’s a look at classification-related changes with current Central Georgia regions
Central Georgia regions are unlikely to change much at all.
Washington County is often in flux, either in an Augusta-area region or Central Georgia region. The Golden Hawks were in Class AAA in the Augusta area for a long time before dropping into 3-AA in 2016.
There hasn’t been a huge amount of movement in AA, and Region 3 is likely to pick up Rutland to make it an eight-team region, all in Central Georgia. Rutland would join Northeast and Southwest.