Same teams, different number for FSHS district

Thursday, October 4, 2007

The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) assigned football districts effective for the 2008 and 2009 seasons Wednesday.

The only thing that will change about Fort Scott High's current Class 4A district is the number. The Tigers, Chanute, Iola and Anderson County will remain together in what will be known as District 6. This year, those four schools are together in District 3.

The teams advancing out of District 6 will face those which advance out of District 5 in the first round of the playoffs. District 5 is made up of Louisburg and Paola of the Frontier League and Prairie View and Osawatomie of the Pioneer League.

With Pittsburg moving back up to Class 5A and Southeast-Cherokee down to 3A, Columbus and Girard will have new partners in their district. Parsons and Labette County will move over into what will be known as District 7.

While Coffeyville and Independence lose Parsons and LCHS from their district, their travel has actually been reduced a bit as they will be grouped in District 8 with Neodesha and Fredonia, both Tri-Valley League schools moving up from Class 3A.

Pittsburg, meanwhile, will be in Class 5A District 4 with Gardner-Edgerton, Ottawa and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Jayhawk-Linn will be in an entirely new Class 3A district. Northeast-Arma moves down to Class 2-1A while Frontenac and Erie have been paired up with Southeast and Cherryvale.

The Jayhawks were placed in District 3 with fellow Pioneer League member Central Heights and Tri-Valley schools Burlington and Eureka.

The schools advancing to the playoffs from District 3 will play those in which come out of District 4, which are Osage City, Pomona-West Franklin, Silver Lake and Wellsville.

When Class 2-1A was found to have just 52 schools in it for the next two seasons, the possibility of breaking up Uniontown and Pittsburg Colgan became feasible as 12 of the new districts have just three schools in them.

However, the KSHSAA had decided that Uniontown and Colgan, along with Pleasanton, will remain together in one of the few four-team districts in Class 2-1A. The new District 7 will swap out Humboldt in exchange for Northeast.

Humboldt has been moved into District 6 with Olpe and Yates Center.

The teams coming out of District 7 will face District 8 teams in the first round of the playoffs. Those schools are Sedan, Oswego and Howard-West Elk.