Football Change up to WVBOE

By Delano Farley
There could be a new format of operation in the high school football system of the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC) in 2007.

The Commission’s Board of Control accepted a proposal by Christine Carder, the principal at Wheeling Park High School, Tuesday, April 4, when the state’s high school principals passed a plan to change the nearly 50-year old format that has been in place since 1958.

If the proposal passes the vote of the State Board of Education, a new class AAAA will be created for football; private schools like Parkersburg Catholic will be moved to a private class (the new “AP” division); and every high school football team in the state will participate in post-season play.

Wheeling Park Athletic Director Bernie Dolan appeared to be in support of the proposal. Dolan was quoted by the Associated Press as stating, “That’s an advantage West Virginia has over everybody else. We are small enough to do things other states can’t.”

Currently the system has three class specifications in A, AA and AAA. Class A represents the small schools, the big schools make up AAA, and the rest fall into the AA section. The class any school participates in is determined through the school’s enrollment.

The proposal is aimed at tightening the gap in school size within each classification of the sport. It would also allow each school an opportunity to earn more revenue from the sport with an additional playoff game for everyone.

The proposal at first did not pass the Secondary School Activities Commission’s Board of Control, failing by a 73-72 vote, but a recount of votes garnered an 84-69 count in favor of the proposal. The West Virginia State Board of Education will have the final say as to whether or not the scope of Mountain State high school football will take a new form starting in 2007.