OSSAA board to receive Class 6A football proposal
BY MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
1/23/13 at 7:52 AM
A proposal concerning Class 6A football will be presented to the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association's board of directors at the Feb. 6 meeting, executive secretary Ed Sheakley said.
The OSSAA's Constitution and Rules Review Committee has been studying the creation of a two-tiered playoff format in the state's largest football classification.
The committee met Tuesday at the OSSAA office in Oklahoma City. Sheakley confirmed that a proposal will be offered next month, but would not provide particulars, or even say whether the proposal would deal specifically with a 6A split.
"The committee has asked that nobody say anything until after the board has a chance to review it," Sheakley said.
Yukon superintendent Bill Denton, who chairs the committee, could not be reached for comment.
In December, the board tabled action on a plan that would have divided 6A into two 16-team classifications, sending it back to committee for further study.
Input from 6A representatives was sought. Earlier this month, 6A coaches and athletic directors representing 31 of the state's 32 largest high school met to develop a proposal.
Their plan would keep the 32 largest schools in four eight-team districts, but sift playoff qualifiers into separate Division I and Division II championship brackets based on school enrollment, similar to what Texas does.
Sheakley would not say whether the administrators' plan will be used in full or in part in the OSSAA committee's proposal. But he did say, "I think that the input received from the membership was taken by the committee, and it was very useful."
Proponents of a split are concerned with the disparity between the largest and smallest schools in the class. Broken Arrow, with almost 4,600 students, is more than 3 1/2 times larger than Booker T. Washington, the smallest school in the class.
If the OSSAA board liked the committee's proposal, it could send it on to the largest schools for ratification. A simple majority is required for passage.
Sheakley said any plan needs ratification quickly to be implemented in time for the next two-year football cycle (2014-15).
Original Print Headline: OSSAA board to receive 6A football proposal
Mike Brown 918-581-8390
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Ed Sheakley: He did not say whether a proposal would deal specifically with a 6A split.
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