From the Sports Desk

with Carey Phillips: 11/14/02

That's the case with enrollment numbers for North Carolina high schools.

The N.C. High School Athletic Association realigns schools every four years based on enrollment. The next alignment will be in effect from August 2005 through May 2009. Enrollment numbers typically come out a little less than two years before the alignment begins.

The difference this time is we have a preview list of figures. With football being subdivided into large and small schools in all four classifications, enrollment numbers have been released for this school year. Remember, things could change significantly before the official alignment numbers come out late next year, but this year's numbers make for some interesting reading.

For starters, Smoky Mountain appears headed for 2-A in the next alignment. That's assuming the state sticks with four classifications, a decision likely to be made in December. A number of other factors could change and keep the Mustangs in 3-A.

Schools with an unusually small senior class or unusually large freshman class could move up or down before next year. The impact of new charter schools is not known.

Without charter schools, SM would have been 2-A in the current alignment. Because of charters and other non-football playing schools, such as Blue Ridge, only 70 of the 87 schools in 1-A play football. All schools in 2-A (90), 3-A (87) and 4-A (86) play football.

If charters are allowed to continue to join the NCHSAA and are counted like other schools in the realignment process, the percentage of 1-A schools playing football will continue to decrease. That would make winning state titles even easier and less meaningful for the state's smallest schools.

SM Athletic Director Si Simmons is a member of the Realignment Committee.

"It will be exciting to watch the process unfold," Simmons said. "I'm going to try to be as open-minded as I can, especially about Region 8, but you have to look at the entire state."

Franklin Principal Gary Shields is the other Region 8 representative on the committee.

The process always produces controversy. Simmons said when he was contacted about being on the committee, an NCHSAA staff member told him to be ready to wear a shirt with a bull's eye on the back.

The committee held an informal get-to-know session in October. The work will really begin after the enrollment, or average daily membership, numbers come out late next year.

The NCHSAA staff will put together a draft proposal in January 2004. All schools will send a representative to a pair of meetings, East and West, in March 2004. In April, the committee will meet, review alternate proposals from the March meetings and develop a second draft. The committee will present its final plan in June with schools having until October to file appeals. The NCHSAA Board of Directors will pass a realignment plan in December 2004 with it taking effect the next August.

Smoky Mountain has an enrollment of 961. No less than 22 schools currently in 2-A have larger enrollments.

If the current numbers were used, Reynolds (1,396) would remain the only school from Buncombe County west in 4-A.

Roberson (1,335) would be borderline 4-A/3-A. Solid 3-As include Asheville (1,248), Tuscola (1,239), Enka (1,211), North Buncombe (1,168), Erwin (1,082) and Franklin (1,066).

West Henderson (1,011), currently a 2-A school, would go 3-A with this year's numbers, but that is borderline. Also on the bubble is East Henderson (1,000). The 3-A Eagles look to be going 2-A, but the numbers are too close to say for sure.

Likely 2-A schools, in addition to SM, are Pisgah (933), Owen (900), North Henderson (886), Brevard (769), Mountain Heritage (722), Mitchell (716), and Madison (701).

Avery (641) was 1-A in size for the last alignment but was allowed to play up due to a geographic hardship. The same thing could happen with the next alignment.

Other 1-A size schools are Polk (656), Hendersonville (595), Murphy (594), Swain (501), Hayesville (378), Rosman (367), Robbinsville (307), Cherokee (268) and Andrews (264).

No numbers are listed for Blue Ridge and other non-football schools.

In addition to serving on the Realignment Committee, Simmons is also a member of the President's Committee. That group advises the NCHSAA president on various issues.

Areas they will be looking at include charter schools, home-schooled students, Friday night college football games, technology, number of classifications, cheerleading and lacrosse.

Back to Sports: 11/14/02.