Columbus High School is expected to move down to Class 5A, while New Hope High is expected to move back up to Class 5A in the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s (MHSAA) next round of reclassification.
On Monday, the MHSAA announced the enrollment totals for its member schools. The totals are based on the schools’ total enrollment in grades 9-12 as of Oct. 1, 2018, as verified by the Mississippi Department of Education.
With an enrollment of 959, Columbus High is expected to move down from Class 6A and become one of the biggest Class 5A schools.
“It is always difficult as one of the last couple of schools in a classification,” Columbus High football coach Eric Rice said. “The biggest challenge with being the smallest school in 6A is depth on the team.
“We have been around 60 players throughout the season, and realistically you would like about 20 more. In Classes 5A and 6A, it is difficult to have a lot of two-way players. A move down to Class 5A would be beneficial. However, the biggest challenge remains depth. Regardless of the class, we need more players. That starts on the junior high level all the way on up.”
Columbus High boys basketball coach Phillip Morris said the school has known for a few months that there was a strong probability that it would move down from Class 6A. He said he expects the school to move back up after things get taken care of in the Columbus Municipal School District.
“I knew it was coming. It was only a matter of time,” said Morris, who is in his first season as head coach at the school after taking over for Anthony Carlyle. “The last time they took the numbers I think we were only two or three kids over the number we needed to be a Class 6A school.”
New Hope, which moved down from Class 5A to Class 4A in the most recent two-year cycle of reclassification, would be at the bottom end of a new 32-team Class 5A with an enrollment of 740. East Central High (734 students) is projected to be the final Class 5A school.
Starkville (1,388) would remain in Class 6A. West Point (803) would remain in Class 5A, and Caledonia (564) would stay in Class 4A, but Noxubee County, the reigning Class 4A State champion in football, is expected to move down to Class 3A. With an enrollment of 395, Noxubee County would have 11 schools with a larger enrollment in a new Class 3A.
Aberdeen (309) would remain in Class 3A. Hamilton (191) and West Lowndes (133) would remain in Class 1A.
The current breakdown of classifications has 32 schools in Classes 6A and 5A, 46 in Class 4A, and 47 in Class 3A.
The alignment of regions in each classification hasn’t been determined.
The MHSAA does a reclassification of its teams every two years.
Columbus has been in Class 6A for the last 10 seasons. It was in Class 5A with Starkville in 2008 under then-coach Bubba Davis before moving back up in the following two-year cycle.
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