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FHSAA OKs Football Plan

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By NICK WILLIAMS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 25, 2008

GAINESVILLE - The Florida High School Athletic Association board of directors voted unanimously Monday to accept the operations committee's "hybrid plan" for football classifications.

Under the two-year plan, districts will become larger, with a maximum of nine teams per district. In each of the four larger classifications (6A, 5A, 4A, 3A) the top four teams in each district will advance to the state region playoffs. In the current setup, only the district champion and runner-up advance. The smaller classifications (2A, 2B, 1A, 1B) will allow the top two teams to advance.

The eight classifications in the FHSAA state football series will be divided geographically and into eight districts per classification.

Members of the board and the operations committee said the plan will "stimulate interest for football" and "generate more revenue." They agreed it also gives more teams a chance to make the playoffs compared with the current alignment in which one or two district losses could destroy a team's postseason chances.

The operations committee said the number of teams competing in the state region playoffs would remain the same and will be grouped into districts geographically.

The proposed assignments will be sent out Dec. 12, and schools will have three weeks to appeal. The district assignments will be made final Jan. 9 and 10.

"It will cause some major changes," Hillsborough County athletic director Lanness Robinson said. "You're creating larger districts. Rivalries shouldn't be an issue. Although it's a bigger district, rivals are usually the schools in your area."

As far as some of the top non-district rivalries in Hillsborough County, i.e. Armwood-Plant, Blake-Middleton and Hillsborough-Chamberlain, "you'll still have flexibility to have those games on the schedule," Robinson said.

The dividing lines for basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and volleyball through 2011 also were modified.

Reporter Nick Williams can be reached at (813) 259-7851.

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