Class 7A goes away in 2024 -- What this might mean for Tift County athletics

Jul. 7—The Georgia High School Association will reclassify its schools this fall for the purposes of competition. This move comes every two years, with, at a bare minimum, the league adjusting for enrollment ebbs and flows. Recent years has seen the GHSA also take into account out-of-district students, their way of sorts to combat recruiting by using a multiplier.

This fall's reclassification has an extra wrinkle. In 2022, the GHSA announced that 7A would be eliminated in 2024 and classes will range from A-6A. It is the first time the GHSA will completely remove a letter from its classification alphabet since 1972, when Class C was dropped. In 1978- Class B was eliminated, but to compensate, the GHSA added on 4A and generally shifted everyone up by a class.

Cutting 7A will be the first time the GHSA has removed a letter from the top.

There are 46 teams currently in 7A, with the GHSA somehow getting eight regions out of this. With the adjustments to six classes, there will be larger classifications in numbers of schools, seemingly easier to build fuller regions and perhaps help on travel costs.

So what will this do to Tift County?

I've been considering possibilities for some time, but recently began putting some deeper thought into it. I'm not a math person, but I can get behind some good statistics. Geography is more up my alley.

Though a good bit of research has gone into this writing, and while I did actually chat with a few people more official than myself, I present this as an opinion because what I think might happen with Tift's region remains a lot of speculation.

In 2022, the Georgia High School Association listed 458 schools.

Not counting Class A's two divisions — of Class A's 124 schools 37 did not play 11-man football — Classes 2A-7A averaged 56 schools per division. If all numbers stay the same, the Class A division size and the overall number of schools, that average jumps to 66 teams per class for a 2A through 6A.

On the surface, 66 teams divided into eight regions seems fine, only one or two more per region.

But we have to consider geography, too. Especially for south Georgia in Class 6A.

I typed up the names of all the schools in Classes 7A and 6A from 2022-24, with the attendance number the league used for reclassification purposes. This number is average daily attendance, plus a multiplier for students attending school from outside of the area the GHSA considers its natural district.

In 2022-24, Classes 6A and 7A combined for 104 schools.

That list should remain pretty solid for reclassification. A few areas have experienced exponential growth in the past few years. Buford is already in 7A. Jefferson (city) is another fast-growing school. It was in 5A this time.

Seckinger and East Forsyth, 4A schools this season, may also be growing quick enough to jump into a much higher classification. Both are newer schools on the edges of current Metro Atlanta. There is also the chance of neighboring Cherokee Bluff, Chestatee and Walnut Grove gaining enough students though all of these might not be pushing until 2026 or 2028.

Overall, however, there should not be much change from current 6A and 7A.

The GHSA is not completely even in its classification sizes. Sixty-six per class is an average, but not a guarantee. For the purposes of this column, we'll allow a swing of 10 either way to determine who might be in what region.

Using 2022-24 GHSA numbers, you have 11 schools in the top 76 that are deep south: Tift, Camden County, Richmond Hill, Valdosta, Lowndes, Colquitt County, Thomas County Central, Brunswick, Effingham County, Houston County and Northside (Warner Robins).

For football purposes, you can pull this off by allowing for no non-region games. It has been done before.

Travel would be ridiculous, of course. Thomas County Central to Richmond Hill is almost four hours. Members of Region 1-7A know this didn't stop the GHSA from including Richmond Hill this time, but cutting a class is supposed to be about better travel times.

There would probably also be some words about schedule flexibility if you had one massive region of 11 schools without sub-divisions.

At 66 schools, you'd lose Northside, Brunswick, Effingham and Thomas County Central using the 2022-24 numbers. That would cut the region down to seven teams, most feasible for us, but it would mean the average region size for the rest of 6A is 8.4 teams. Probably not good.

At a cutoff of 56, you'd have the same seven for Region 1-6A: Tift, Lowndes, Colquitt, Valdosta, Camden, Richmond Hill and Houston.

Travel is still bad in both situations. Colquitt to Richmond Hill is 3.5 hours, as is Houston to Camden. Region 1 will not be losing either of those east coast teams. Camden was the 42nd largest school on the GHSA numbers chart in 2022-24, with the rapidly growing Richmond Hill No. 45. Of Region 1 stalwarts, only Lowndes is larger.

(For those wondering about where Lee County might stand for any of these proposed lineups, Lee was the 103rd largest school in the GHSA in 2022-24. Looks like the Trojans are going to 5A, unless some out-of-district numbers change.)

Houston could geographically roll with a region with Newnan, East Coweta and Rockdale County ... but those teams already have better geographical fits with other metro areas.

If the GHSA opts for a bigger 6A, there is a chance of sub-regions, which has not been done in this area since the 1989 football campaign. That season, 14 teams combined into 1-4A, with Tift in the South sub-region and Columbus schools in the North. Columbus' attendance numbers haven't been close since.

Outside of the top 76 from 2022-24, but close were Grovetown and Glynn Academy. Grovetown, a metro Augusta school, might have the numbers to stay big. That could be a help if they do, making for one more eastern school. and a stronger case to sub-divide the region and help on travel costs

Thomas County Central, who placed in 6A on the strength of out-of-district numbers, might figure their way down to 5A.

This situation could go out the door if the GHSA comes up with a different solution to Class A than the emergency two divisions it did for 2022. If you remember, the GHSA's out-of-district multiplier sent many private schools to the GISA (now GIAA), making a public-private split in A impossible and creating a ripple effect in A and 2A during reorganization.

Region 1-A Division I had two regions with four teams this year. Two more had five. In Division II, Region 7-A contained three football-playing schools. I wouldn't be surprised if adjustments are made there. In that case, it might mean recombining Class A, though the 87 football-playing schools left would mean that a few larger schools get moved to 2A, or sub-divisions.

Irwin County seems in no danger of having to move up a class. Turner County, even smaller, will assuredly be sticking around in A.

Berrien, the most Class 2A team to ever 2A in terms of numbers, certainly would not be getting larger with a classification removed. The Nashville school has been in Class 2A since 1984, and for all but eight of the past 66 years.

Worth County and Fitzgerald were within 15 of Berrien on the GHSA numbers chart. Cook is a bit larger, but the same holds true; one less class at the top does not make the Hornets grow bigger.