Soccer coaches discuss gaining 3rd class

Seven years ago, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association made the decision to add a class in the sport of volleyball for three in Division I.

The TSSAA did the same for another sport on Wednesday as soccer will have a third class starting in the fall of 2017.

For the coaches on the smaller end in Class A-AA, they are excited about the prospect of playing against smaller schools in the postseason.

“That is something that I have pushed every year on the TACA Soccer Committee,” Gibson County coach Mixon Moore said. “This is what I wanted. It is an improvement.”

If you look at how teams fall in the three classes in basketball, McKenzie, Gibson County, Trenton Peabody, South Fulton, Adamsville, Jackson Christian, Madison, Riverside, Scotts Hill and Trinity Christian Academy would all be in Class A, unless their enrollment has increased significantly.

“I am excited and pleased to hear about the increase in classifications,” Adamsville boys soccer coach Steven Price said. “I think it levels the playing field for the smaller schools. Adamsville is larger than it used to be, but teams like Dyersburg and Lexington are much farther ahead of us.”

But during the meeting, the decision was made that the teams playing soccer would be divided evenly into the three classes, so some of the smaller teams in Class AA like Milan and Westview could fall into Class A.

“I am concerned that a team like Westview could fall into Class A because they have four to five hundred more students than us,” Moore said.

But he also sees the positives in trying to grow the sport.

“Taking this step, teams might take the plunge and add the sport,” Moore said. “Huntingdon, Greenfield, Humboldt and Dresden are just a few schools where their athletics are usually good that don’t have soccer. Before, joining into Class A-AA looked more daunting.”

Peabody has had one of the top growing programs with boys and girls, so this could benefit them greatly.

“I think this is great because this gives us a great chance for state,” Peabody coach Joseph Wuchter said. “We have gotten more competitive over the years with the teams at the top, but we always seem to come up short in the postseason. This gives us a realistic shot at the boys or girls going to state.”

Girls teams from Riverside and Scotts Hill have been on and off in recent years as interest has fluctuated.

“Hopefully, some of these younger programs will find success and be able to keep teams because they are not playing the larger teams,” Price said. “This decision is key for the growth of soccer.”

Wuchter believes this decision can only be a positive for the sport.

“This gives the smaller programs extra incentive to put in the extra time to go the distance,” he said. “Now the Peabodys and South Fultons of the world can make a run at state, and that will make the fan base more aware. It gives these programs more exposure.”

Michael Odom, 425-9754