OSSAA holds back 7A proposal for further study
BY MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
12/05/12 at 3:28 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY – A proposal that would divide Class 6A football into two 16-team championship classifications is on hold for now.
The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association’s board of directors voted on two motions Wednesday sending the matter back to committee for further study.
The board voted 7-6 to deny a motion by Yukon superintendent Bill Denton to send the motion to the state’s 32 largest high school for ratification, and 6-5 on a motion by OKC Bishop McGuinness principal David Morton to send it back to committee.
Denton chairs the OSSAA’s Constitution and Rules Revision committee, which developed the plan to address the widespread disparity between the state’s largest and smallest high schools.
“We want to find the best situation for everyone, if this is the direction we’re going,” said Union athletic director Emily Warren, one of several Class 6A administrators who were urging caution on the matter.
The largest schools fear the potential effects on scheduling and existing rivalries if the plan were to be passed in its current form.
“Our intention was to look at some of the other ideas that are out there, and we’re excited that we’re going to have some time to do that,” Warren said.
Proponents of the plan say the smallest schools in the class aren’t able to compete on equal footing with the largest schools on a regular basis. They point to the fact that Jenks or Union, two of the three largest high schools in the state, have combined to win the last 17 Class 6A football titles.
"This is probably an idea whose time has come, but it needs to go back to committee fur further discussion,” Morton said by way of introducing his motion to send the issue back to committee.
Morton said he hopes the OSSAA will consider splitting 6A in all sports.
“It’s not just in football, if you go back and look at just the last 15 years, with the top-echelon schools winning all the state championships,” he said. “So if you’re going to do something with 6A, let’s look at everything and not just cherry pick football.”
The plan calls for each 16-team classification to be divided into two districts of eight teams each. Twelve teams in each class would advance to the playoffs, with district champions and runners-up receiving first-round byes.
Such a plan would not go into effect at least until 2014 because class alignments are already set for next year.
