Nine-game Prep Classic schedule also set
Russell Hedges
rhedges@bossierpress.com
The 2013 high school football season is still almost three months away, but one parish school is already guaranteed a spot in the playoffs.
The LHSAA announced the schedule for the nine-game 2013 Prep Classic at the Superdome earlier this week along with the breakdown of teams in the five select and four non-select divisions.
The LHSAA voted last January to divide the organization’s schools into select and non-select for the football playoffs only.
The LHSAA defines select schools as “all non-public schools, university laboratory schools, magnet schools and dual-curriculum schools that include at least 25 percent of their enrollment as select admission students who do not live in the designated attendance zone.
“In addition, charter schools whose charter includes admission requirements for the selection or retention of students are included in the select admission schools’ list.”
Non-select schools are traditional public schools with a designated attendance zone. All six Bossier Parish schools are non-select schools.
Last week, the LHSAA’s executive committee approved a plan to place the select schools into four divisions for playoff purposes. Classes 3A and 4A were combined into Division IV. State champions will be crowned in those divisions as well as the five non-select classes.
Because of the select/non-select split, there are only 27 teams left in Class 1A, which includes Louisiana New Tech. That means all 27 will make the playoffs and be placed into a 32-team bracket with five byes.
The other five Bossier Parish schools will still have to earn their way into the playoffs.
There are 52 teams in Class 5A, including Airline, Parkway and Haughton.
Haughton is the second smallest school in the class based on a 2012-13 enrollment of 1,115. Helen Cox, which has a 4A enrollment but elected to play up a class, is the smallest with 1,027.
Airline’s enrollment is 1,696. The largest school in the state is Lafayette High with 2,478.
Parkway is the fourth smallest with 1,147.
Class 4A, which includes Benton, has 49 schools with enrollments from 617-1,114. Benton is in the middle of the pack with 861 students.
Class 3A, which includes Bossier, has 52 schools. Bossier is tied for the largest school in the class with 616 students. The smallest, Bossier’s District 1-3A rival Green Oaks, has 414.
The largest select division is Division IV with 30 schools. The smallest is Division I with 10, which includes Byrd. Division II has 17 and Division III 15.
Because of the limited number of teams, no games will be played in the top three divisions in the fourth week of the playoffs. In Division I, the state champion and runner-up could play just three playoff games.
Three of the select championship games have been scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 12 — Division III (12:30 p.m.), Division II (4:30 p.m.) and Division I (8:30 p.m.).
The Class 1A, 2A and 3A games will be Friday at 12:30, 4:30 and 8:30.
The Division IV, Class 4A and 5A games will be Saturday at noon, 4 and 8.
