GG22

This is the problem with having such small classes. You end up with regions that make no sense, schools with crazy travel because they are isolated from any geographic rivals, and playoff teams that have horrible records and don't belong in the postseason. Three classes in D2 makes no sense other than watering down competition for the smaller classes and making more playoff money for the TSSAA.

If this happens, that's some ridiculous coddling of Shelby County. It'd be nonsense to split one county into two 4-team regions while cramming 9 teams over a very large area into another. With Memphis dropping from 9 to 8 schools this time and no other schools in West Tennessee, there's no reasonable argument to leave two regions out there again. It won't happen like the below, but if I were 6A czar I'd do something like the below to try to keep the regions reasonably compact while balancing the numbers . Region 1 William Blount High School Maryville High School Morristown-Hamblen High School East Jefferson Co. High School Science Hill High School Dobyns Bennett High School Region 2 Bradley Central High School Cleveland High School Bearden High School Farragut High School Hardin Valley Academy Region 3 Hendersonville High School Lebanon High School Beech Senior High School Cane Ridge High School Gallatin High School Antioch High School Cookeville High School Region 4 Shelbyville Central High School Riverdale High School Coffee Co. Central High School Oakland High School Warren Co. High School Rockvale High School Region 5 Siegel High School LaVergne High School Blackman High School Stewarts Creek High School Smyrna High School Region 6 Summit High School Centennial High School Franklin High School Brentwood High School Ravenwood High School Independence High School Region 7 Clarksville High School Dickson Co. High School West Creek High School Rossview High School John Overton High School McGavock High School Region 8 Whitehaven High School Germantown High School White Station High School Houston High School Arlington High School Cordova High School Bartlett High School Collierville High School

Neither of those is east of MTCS, but they're faster drives east due to proximity to 40. You could make an argument to send them east instead of MTCS and Bell Buckle, which has the strongest case not to have to make that drive. Really, there just aren't enough schools to make 3 private classes efficiently. It's also kind of silly to have "state championships" coming from classes consisting of 2 regions. There'd be a strong argument to go back to 2 classes with 16-20 teams in the upper group. I'm not sure the TSSAA would give up the extra playoff revenue, though, just like they show no signs of being willing to end the nonsense of giving playoff births to four teams from Division I regions of 5-6 teams.

Southtowner posted a list that I think is more accurate (I didn't include 2-3 small schools I should have), and it has GP back on the bottom end of 3A. Unless at least three 1A or 2A schools request to move to 3A, which seems unlikedly, GP is unfortunately probably 3A again. CLASS 3A Memphis East High School 544 Waverly Central High School 561 Gatlinburg-Pittman High School 562

That looks pretty accurate to me.

Fayetteville will be 1A. The cutoff is a few schools above them. Put Fayetteville back in Region 5 1A, and I think you've got that one. Community is likely going to be 3A, a few schools above that cutoff. Cascade could be moved to Region 5 2A to bring that one up to six schools since Community won't be there. Cascade has had a bad geographic fit with Region 4.

It's intended to be just the football schools, but I didn't check it enough to be confident it's 100% correct. There's already been one error pointed out, but it's very close as a starting point. I'd bet the lines are within a couple either way, unless you have a bunch of schools request to play up to a given class (which could allow the cutoff for the bottom of that class to increase by a roughly equivalent number of schools).

The new school, West Ridge, is already listed. It's solidly a 5A, and East is right in the middle of 4A. There's also a good chance Tennessee High could end up in 4A rather than 5A once schools request to bump up to 5A and the final cutoffs are set, as it's right on the line.

Yep, missed that one when I was deleting, so that could be good news for Obion County, Tennessee High, and Clarksville, but there's a good chance I deleted one or two that I shouldn't have, too. There will probably be 6-12 schools that ask to move up a class (or two) as well, so there's every chance that schools very near the bottom of a given class list may move down. Shelbyville and Dickson County may end up out of luck, though, as in the recent past no one has asked to move up to 6A, and if I accidentally deleted a school it probably wasn't one bigger than them.

This is the list I came up with based on the reported numbers. I think I may be missing at least one school, but it should be pretty close. I ended up with 294 schools in 6 classes of 49 each. The last couple schools above the cutoffs could ultimately move down, as I didn't factor in schools that may request to move up a class or the reports that some numbers may need to be corrected. Also, if I missed a school with a smaller enrollment, a school just below the cutoff could move up. Class 1A Gleason High School 127 Oakdale High School 140 Sunbright High School 152 Greenfield High School 158 Coalfield High School 162 South Fulton High School 180 Cloudland High School 189 Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central High School 195 Pickett Co. High School 195 Lookout Valley High School 204 Lake Co. High School 210 Copper Basin High School 217 Greenback High School 239 Midway High School 247 Humboldt High School 252 Collinwood High School 259 McEwen High School 267 Perry Co. High School 268 Huntland High School 273 Hancock Co. High School 280 Jellico High School 280 Oliver Springs High School 281 Moore Co. High School 286 South Pittsburg High School 287 West Carroll High School 288 Wayne Co. High School 289 Middleton High School 298 Sale Creek School 299 Cornersville High School 300 Gordonsville High School 306 Eagleville High School 317 Unaka High School 323 Dresden High School 325 Jo Byrns High School 328 Clay Co. High School 330 Memphis Middle College High School 330 Harriman High School 333 McKenzie High School 335 North Greene High School 342 B. T. Washington High School 345 Cosby High School 347 Loretto High School 353 Rockwood High School 354 Fayetteville High School 355 Whitwell High School 369 Westwood High School 373 Halls High School 374 Peabody High School 374 Houston Co. High School 376 Class 2A Richland High School 377 Trousdale Co. High School 378 East Robertson High School 381 Memphis Academy of Health Sciences 381 Hampton High School 383 Summertown High School 383 Wartburg Central High School 383 Oneida High School 386 Monterey High School 395 Oakhaven High School 398 Huntingdon High School 399 Fairley High School 407 Union City High School 422 Jackson Co. High School 425 Mt. Pleasant High School 426 Decatur Co. Riverside High School 430 Tellico Plains High School 431 Mitchell High School 444 Hillcrest High School 446 Manassas High School 447 Gibson Co. High School 451 Happy Valley High School 456 Lewis Co. High School 459 Hickman Co. High School 462 Polk Co. High School 464 Bledsoe Co. High School 469 Alvin C. York Institute 483 KIPP Memphis Collegiate School 485 Camden Central High School 488 Marion Co. High School 489 Westmoreland High School 492 Forrest High School 494 Whites Creek High School 494 Meigs Co. High School 505 Freedom Preparatory Academy 508 Westview High School 509 Cumberland Gap High School 523 Cascade High School 525 Adamsville High School 526 South Greene High School 526 Harpeth High School 527 Crosstown High School 535 Tyner Academy 535 East Hickman High School 536 Watertown High School 536 Scotts Hill High School 537 Memphis East High School 544 Waverly Central High School 561 Gatlinburg-Pittman High School 562 Class 3A Trezevant High School 563 Smith Co. High School 565 Milan High School 568 Cannon Co. High School 569 Community High School 571 Sheffield High School 572 RePublic High School 581 Chuckey-Doak High School 584 West Greene High School 596 Grundy Co. High School 603 Sweetwater High School 616 Stratford High School 617 Johnson Co. High School 624 Cheatham Co. Central High School 628 Haywood High School 635 Pigeon Forge High School 639 Knoxville Catholic High School 643 Brainerd High School 644 Pearl Cohn High School 648 Power Center Academy High School 651 Alcoa High School 655 East Nashville Magnet School 657 Union Co. High School 663 Loudon High School 665 Frederick Douglass High School 666 Sequatchie Co. High School 666 Bolivar Central High School 679 Stewart Co. High School 680 Kingston High School 687 McMinn Central High School 689 Fairview High School 691 White House Heritage High School 694 Giles Co. High School 700 Dyersburg High School 702 Hamilton High School 704 Raleigh Egypt High School 716 White House High School 727 Wooddale High School 729 Bolton High School 730 Austin-East High School 732 Signal Mountain High School 738 Ripley High School 741 Claiborne High School 747 Sycamore High School 748 Unicoi Co. High School 749 Maplewood Comprehensive High School 752 Covington High School 753 Northview Academy 759 Millington Central High School 761 Class 4A Obion Co. Central High School 762 South Gibson Co. High School 770 Chattanooga Central High School 772 Craigmont High School 777 Chester Co. High School 785 Crockett Co. High School 787 Melrose High School 791 Carter High School 802 Red Bank High School 802 Kirby High School 803 Macon Co. High School 803 Upperman High School 806 Scott High School 815 McNairy Central High School 823 Fayette-Ware Comprehensive High School 828 Liberty Technology Magnet High School 830 Marshall Co. High School 832 DeKalb Co. High School 834 Elizabethton High School 856 East Ridge High School 859 Greenbrier High School 870 Sullivan East High School 877 Hixson High School 885 Grainger High School 894 Greeneville High School 910 Fulton High School 914 Ridgeway High School 914 Lexington High School 921 Sequoyah High School - Madisonville 930 Livingston Academy 932 Creek Wood High School 934 Lawrence Co. High School 947 Jackson South Side High School 955 Seymour High School 961 Jackson North Side High School 974 Stone Memorial High School 982 Gibbs High School 988 Cumberland Co. High School 998 Martin Luther King High School 1000 Volunteer High School 1012 Montgomery Central High School 1015 South-Doyle High School 1032 Hardin Co. High School 1054 East Hamilton High School 1065 Soddy-Daisy High School 1081 Glencliff High School 1084 Hillwood High School 1088 Tullahoma High School 1090 Anderson Co. High School 1114 Class 5A Tennessee High School 1116 Dyer Co. High School 1120 Cherokee High School 1121 Clinton High School 1125 Portland High School 1128 Page High School 1131 Cocke Co. High School 1143 White Co. High School 1150 Lincoln Co. High School 1155 Spring Hill High School 1177 Green Hill High School 1187 Knoxville Halls High School 1188 Munford High School 1193 Brighton High School 1209 Lenoir City High School 1228 David Crockett High School 1231 Knoxville Central High School 1233 Mt. Juliet High School 1234 Hillsboro High School 1245 Sevier Co. High School 1247 Springfield High School 1261 Nolensville High School 1276 Daniel Boone High School 1277 Station Camp High School 1277 The Howard School 1280 Powell High School 1290 Hunters Lane High School 1292 Campbell Co. High School 1308 Franklin Co. High School 1310 Ooltewah High School 1321 Henry Co. High School 1322 Kenwood High School 1324 Overton High School 1329 Kingsbury High School 1334 Karns High School 1352 Columbia Central High School 1356 Northwest High School 1359 Wilson Central High School 1393 Memphis Central High School 1402 Walker Valley High School 1411 McMinn Co. High School 1430 West High School 1444 West Ridge High School 1448 Heritage High School 1463 Rhea County High School 1473 Morristown-Hamblen High School West 1477 Northeast High School 1494 Southwind High School 1494 Oak Ridge High School 1496 Class 6A Clarksville High School 1518 Shelbyville Central High School 1532 Dickson Co. High School 1535 Hendersonville High School 1561 Summit High School 1562 Centennial High School 1571 Bradley Central High School 1579 Lebanon High School 1594 West Creek High School 1595 Whitehaven High School 1601 William Blount High School 1605 Maryville High School 1616 Morristown-Hamblen High School East 1619 Riverdale High School 1636 Beech Senior High School 1638 Franklin High School 1653 Cleveland High School 1671 Brentwood High School 1687 Coffee Co. Central High School 1716 Cane Ridge High School 1717 Ravenwood High School 1746 Gallatin High School 1754 Siegel High School 1758 Bearden High School 1823 LaVergne High School 1859 Oakland High School 1866 Independence High School 1874 Rossview High School 1904 Warren Co. High School 1908 Antioch High School 1913 Blackman High School 1919 Farragut High School 1946 Stewarts Creek High School 1947 John Overton High School 1973 Rockvale High School 1979 Germantown High School 1984 White Station High School 1990 Hardin Valley Academy 2006 Houston High School 2018 Smyrna High School 2043 Jefferson Co. High School 2079 Arlington High School 2157 Cordova High School 2252 McGavock High School 2256 Cookeville High School 2265 Science Hill High School 2285 Dobyns Bennett High School 2364 Bartlett High School 2768 Collierville High School 2865

What are you seeing that makes you say that? After you take all the non-football schools out, Fayetteville appears to have at least 3-4 schools of little wiggle room if the classes are 49-50 each again. Also, at least three schools listed as smaller (Loretto - 494 to 353, Eagleville - 437 to 317, and Mckenzie - 432 to 335) than Fayetteville show such drastic decreases in their enrollments that they may get a second look to make sure they submitted correct numbers. Loretto and the other Lawrence County schools reportedly submitted their average attendance rather than enrollment, which would mean their numbers would be adjusted up significantly to correct that.

You lose credibility if you try to use the USFA 8-man football "All-American game" to say someone is an All-American level player. Fayetteville's little private school, RCA, plays in that same league and on almost an annual basis has players selected for the "All-American game" who wouldn't even be starters at City or Lincoln County.

Fayetteville is young and inexperienced this year, so they aren't likely top 5 this season, but they will do ok. Then, they will be blowing "anyone within 30 miles" out by next year and from 2 years onward will be battling it out with South Pitt on an annual basis for a while.

It'll be a few years before you can really tell if Lipscomb is going to be one of the big boys in D2 football. I'd say the last two weeks have taken them from a somewhat disappointing (but not entirely unexpected) season to one that has exceeded expectations and should give them a shot of momentum going into the offseason and "recruiting" season. The real determining factor will be whether a couple elite players and several solid ones decide to enroll there each of the next few years; you can't realistically expect a big talent upgrade for a full roster in one or two years, even in D2. If that happens and Dilfer is still there, Lipscomb football should look very different by the mid-2020s. As you said, time will tell. If Lipscomb keeps investing, there's no reason they can't match CPA's level pretty quickly, as CPA is only a few years ahead of them in terms of high level football and doesn't have a huge resource advantage like Ensworth, MBA, and (to a somewhat lesser extent) BA. Geographically, CPA is right between Ensworth and Brentwood Academy, so many top athletes would have to drive by one of those "better" schools to get to CPA. Lipscomb is in a good part of town with only one elite football school (MBA) near it, really has no top programs to its north or east for a long way, and runs buses to north and south Nashville already, so they could be well positioned to attract new blood if the program builds momentum.

Also, they would very likely have gone undefeated without him, so it's not like they can rationalize that they wouldn't have done as well if this had been resolved up front. As it turned out, he wasn't a pivotal player for them this year.

It does have the scent of a loophole compromise, allowing Fayetteville and the TSSAA to get out if this in a way that satisfied Fayetteville without setting a new precedent on eligibility that the TSSAA wouldn't want. The TSSAA bungled this situation, but they don't want to have to admit this even if they aren't sure they want the fight to continue.

Fayetteville City Schools release: Friday morning, TSSAA filed a motion to dismiss our case regarding eligibility. The judge suggested to the attorneys that we try to work out a solution rather than go forward with a lawsuit. We agreed to go before the board of control on Tuesday at 10 am if TSSAA would delay drawing the brackets as a compromise in hope of a positive resolution. We sincerely appreciate the outpouring of support and congratulate our Tigers on a 10 and 0 season!!!