Augusta-area lawmakers craft bill to keep Evans High athletes

ATLANTA - Two suburban Augusta lawmakers want a local high school to be able to compete in sports against nearby schools, even if those schools are smaller. <br> <br> Rep. Ben Harbin, R-Martinez, introduced a bill this week to allow a school to play in a different size classification if its region opponents are too far away. Schools that have to travel an average of 200 miles round-trip to visit opponents in their region would be allowed to play in a size division one larger or one small than their own. <br> <br> The bill has been crafted for Evans High School in Columbia County, a school in the largest possible size classification, AAAAA, but surrounded by smaller schools. <br> <br> Evans athletes now have to ride to metro Atlanta for many of their away games, which gets some of the kids home past midnight and makes it difficult for them to study, said Rep. Bill Jackson, R-Appling, another of the bill&#39;s supporters. <br> <br> ``They have to travel so far to other schools of their size,&#39;&#39; he said. ``I think what we should be interested in is a young person&#39;s education and this proposal would help these athletes&#39; academics.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Jackson didn&#39;t know if any other high schools had a similar distance to travel to play region opponents and would be affected by his bill.