The Georgia High School Association's reclassification committee heard its final round of appeals on Wednesday from schools in Class A, 2A and 3A in Thomaston.
When several private schools left for the Georgia Independent School Association last month, the GHSA decided to combine Class A Private and Public and apply the 3.0 multiplier on all schools in Class A. The decision resulted in movement through all three classifications.
On Wednesday, the committee sorted out the appeals from schools to move up or down and released new region alignments for each of the three classifications.
In Region 7-3A, coaches and athletic directors were happy to see the new-look alignment. Dawson County, Gilmer, Lumpkin County, Pickens, Wesleyan, West Hall and White County will make up the new region. Previously, the GHSA had placed Oconee County, Stephens County, Franklin County and Hart County in the region. Now, those four schools will move back to Region 8-3A with Hebron Christian (bumped from Class A Private) and Monroe Area.
In Region 8-2A, Banks County and Union County will be joined by former Class A-Private schools, Athens Academy, Fellowship Christian and Providence Christian. East Jackson will also be housed in the region as they fell from Class 3A to 2A.
Class A, which will now house all private and public schools together, will be split into two divisions -- a large school division and a small school division.
Rabun County and Commerce will make up Region 8-A Division 1 with Athens Christian, Barrow (doesn't play football), Elbert County and Tallulah Falls (doesn't play football). Commerce lost its appeal to move down to Class A Division 2.
Towns County, for now, will be in Region 7-A - Division 2, with only four others playing football -- Bowdon, Christian Heritage, Mt. Zion, Carroll, Pinecrest Academy. Other schools in the region that do not play football are Atlanta Classical, Ben Franklin Academy, DeKalb School of the Arts, Excel Christian, Fulton Leadership Academy, Georgia School for Deaf, Greenforest Christian, Southwest Atlanta Christian and W. D. Mohammed*
The GHSA will allow schools to appeal their region placement.
(CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MINUTES AND REGION ALIGNMENTS)
