GHSA puts schools in regions for 2020-21

The Georgia High School Association placed its 468 member schools into regions for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years on Tuesday after hearing requests to move up and appeals to move down in classification.

The GHSA's reclassification committee blocked five schools with Class A enrollment from moving into Class AA. The committee also let Dacula, Greater Atlanta Christian and St. Pius enter classes lower than originally classified but denied bids by Calhoun, Woodward Academy and Blessed Trinity to do the same.

As planned, the GHSA split Class A into public- and private-school divisions, each with eight regions. Class A Private has only 40 football-playing schools, 32 that will make the playoffs. The small numbers resulted in three four-team regions.

The reclass committee will meet again next Tuesday to hear requests to change regions within the same class and to hear appeals of schools that were denied their requests to move up.

Class AA schools breathed sighs of relief when the GHSA denied the requests of Christian Heritage, Darlington, Holy Innocents', Pace Academy and Wesleyan to move up.

Denials of play-up requests are extremely rare if not unprecedented, but they were applauded by AA members, who will have easier paths to state championships.

The five schools that appealed to move into AA won 10 state titles in 2018-19. All five have been in the top 10 of the football rankings at some point this season.

The only private schools that have competed in AA the past four seasons are Benedictine, which moved to AAA in 2018, and St. Vincent's, a Savannah girls school that has won five state titles in that time.

Lovett, currently a AAA private school, and Riverside Military, currently Class A, will be the only private schools in AA for 2020-21. They were placed there based on enrollment.

Dacula, the school with the No. 1-ranked football team in AAAAAA, won an appeal that will prevent it from moving up to the highest classification in 2020-21. So did Richmond Hill, which faced the prospect of joining Lowndes and Colquitt County in Region 1-AAAAAAA but got to stay put.

St. Pius and Greater Atlanta Christian also won reclassification victories.

But Blessed Trinity, Calhoun, Starr's Mill and Woodward Academy were not so fortunate. They remain assigned to Class AAAAA. Calhoun and Starr's Mill were dismissed unanimously, but Woodard and Blessed Trinity each lost by votes of 9-7.

For Calhoun, that's a two-class bump from its current AAA. Woodward and Blessed Trinity are moving up one class. Rutland of Macon also lost its appeal and must compete in AAA.

Fourteen schools won appeals to play lower than originally placed. St. Pius now is slated for AAAAA while GAC is pegged for AAA.

Other schools allowed to compete lower than originally classified are Bryan County (approved for Class A), Central of Macon (AAA), Chamblee (AAAAA), Druid Hills (AAAA), KIPP Atlanta (AA), North Springs (AAAAA), Richmond Academy (AAA), Screven County (A), Social Circle (A) and Westover (AAAA).

Winning an appeal typically requires that a school show proof that its enrollment or out-of-zone numbers are inaccurate, deceiving or produce no competitive advantage. Richmond Hill made a case based on isolation. Richmond Hill is an average of 155 miles from the current members of 1-AAAAAAA, its likely region.

Below are the GHSA's proposed regions. Class A schools that do not play football have not yet been placed in regions.

Class AAAAAAA

Camden Co.

Colquitt Co.

Lowndes

Tift Co.

Campbell

East Coweta

McEachern

Newnan

Pebblebrook

Harrison

Hillgrove

Marietta

North Cobb

North Paulding

Walton

Brookwood

Grayson

Newton

Parkview

Shiloh

South Gwinnett

Alpharetta

Cherokee

Etowah

Milton

Roswell

Woodstock

Forsyth Central

Gainesville

Lambert

North Forsyth

South Forsyth

West Forsyth

Archer

Berkmar

Discovery

Dunwoody

Meadowcreek

Norcross

Collins Hill

Duluth

Mill Creek

Mountain View

North Gwinnett

Peachtree Ridge

Class AAAAAA

Houston Co.

Lee Co.

Northside (Warner Robins)

Valdosta

Bradwell Institute

Brunswick

Effingham Co.

Glynn Academy

Richmond Hill

South Effingham

Statesboro

Alcovy

Evans

Grovetown

Heritage (Conyers)

Lakeside (Evans)

Rockdale Co.

Hughes

Lakeside (Atlanta)

Lovejoy

Morrow

North Atlanta

Tucker

Westlake

Alexander

Carrollton

Dalton

Douglas Co.

East Paulding

Paulding Co.

Rome

South Paulding

Allatoona

Kell

Kennesaw Mountain

Lassiter

Osborne

Pope

South Cobb

Sprayberry

Wheeler

Cambridge

Centennial

Chattahoochee

Creekview

Johns Creek

River Ridge

Riverwood

Sequoyah

Buford

Central Gwinnett

Dacula

Denmark

Habersham Central

Lanier

Winder-Barrow

Class AAAAA

Coffee

Veterans

Ware Co.

Warner Robins

Wayne Co.

Griffin

Harris Co.

McIntosh

Northgate

Northside, Col.

Starr's Mill

Whitewater

Banneker

Creekside

Drew

Forest Park

Jonesboro

Mundy's Mill

Tri-Cities

Woodward Acad.

Dutchtown

Eagle's Landing

Jones Co.

Locust Grove

Ola

Stockbridge

Union Grove

Woodland, Stock.

Chamblee

Clarkston

Cross Keys

Decatur

Lithonia

M.L. King

Southwest DeKalb

St. Pius

Stone Mountain

Chapel Hill

Grady

Jackson, Atlanta

Lithia Springs

New Manchester

North Springs

Villa Rica

Blessed Trinity

Calhoun

Cartersville

Cass

Hiram

Northview

Woodland, Cart.

Apalachee

Clarke Central

Eastside

Greenbrier

Jackson Co.

Johnson, Gaines.

Loganville

Walnut Grove

Class AAAA

Bainbridge

Cairo

Dougherty

Monroe

Thomas Co. Central

Westover

Carver (Columbus)

Columbus

Hardaway

Jordan

Kendrick

LaGrange

Shaw

Spencer

Troup

Benedictine

Burke Co.

Islands

Jenkins

New Hampstead

Baldwin

Howard

Perry

Spalding

West Laurens

Fayette Co.

Hampton

Luella

McDonough

Mount Zion (Jones.)

North Clayton

Riverdale

Arabia Mountain

Druid Hills

Hapeville Charter

Marist

Mays

Miller Grove

Stephenson

Cedartown

Central (Carrollton)

Heritage (Ringgold)

Northwest Whitfield

Pickens

Ridgeland

Southeast Whitfield

Cedar Shoals

Chestatee

East Hall

Flowery Branch

Jefferson

Madison Co.

North Oconee

Class AAA

Appling Co.

Brantley Co.

Liberty Co.

Long Co.

Pierce Co.

Tattnall Co.

Americus-Sumter

Central (Macon)

Crisp County

Jackson

Mary Persons

Peach Co.

Pike Co.

Rutland

Upson-Lee

Westside (Macon)

Beach

Groves

Johnson (Sav.)

Savannah

Sav. Arts Academy

Southeast Bulloch

Windsor Forest

Cross Creek

Harlem

Hephzibah

Morgan Co.

Richmond Academy

Thomson

Westside (Augusta)

Carver (Atlanta)

Cedar Grove

Douglass

GAC

Redan

Salem

Sandy Creek

Westminster

Adairsville

Coahulla Creek

LaFayette

Lakeview-Ft. Ogle.

Murray Co.

North Murray

Ringgold

Rockmart

Sonoraville

Cherokee Bluff

Dawson Co.

Gilmer

Lumpkin Co.

North Hall

West Hall

White Co.

East Jackson

Franklin Co.

Hart Co.

Monroe Area

Oconee Co.

Stephens Co.

Class AA

Berrien

Cook

Early Co.

Fitzgerald

Thomasville

Worth Co.

Bacon Co.

East Laurens

Jeff Davis

Swainsboro

Toombs Co.

Vidalia

Woodville-Tompkins

Bleckley Co.

Dodge Co.

Lamar Co.

Monticello

Northeast

Southwest

Washington Co.

Butler

Glenn Hills

Jefferson Co.

Josey

Laney

Putnam Co.

Bremen

Callaway

Haralson Co.

Heard Co.

Temple

Columbia

KIPP Atl. Collegiate

Lovett

McNair

South Atlanta

Stillwell Arts

Therrell

Towers

Washington

Chattooga

Coosa

Dade Co.

Gordon Central

Model

Pepperell

Banks Co.

Elbert Co.

Fannin Co.

Oglethorpe Co.

Rabun Co.

Riverside Military

Union Co.

Class A Private

Deerfield-Windsor

First Presbyterian

Mount de Sales

Stratford Academy

Strong Rock Christ.

Tattnall Square

ELCA

Landmark Christian

Our Lady of Mercy

Whitefield Academy

Aquinas

Calvary Day

Savannah Christian

Sav. Country Day

Brookstone

Heritage (Newnan)

Pacelli

Trinity Christian

Hebron Christian

Holy Innocents'

Mt. Pisgah Christ.

Mount Vernon

Pace Academy

Providence Christ.

Wesleyan

Fellowship Christian

King's Ridge Christ.

Lakeview Academy

Pinecrest Academy

St. Francis

Christian Heritage

Darlington

Mt. Paran Christian

North Cobb Christ.

Walker

Athens Academy

Athens Christian

George Walton

Loganville Christian

Prince Avenue

Class A Public

Baconton Charter

Brooks Co.

Calhoun Co.

Miller Co.

Mitchell Co.

Pataula Charter

Pelham

Randolph-Clay

Seminole Co.

Terrell Co.

Atkinson Co.

Charlton Co.

Clinch Co.

Irwin Co.

Lanier Co.

McIntosh Co. Academy

Turner Co.

Bryan Co.

Claxton

Emanuel Co. Inst.

Jenkins Co.

Johnson Co.

Metter

Montgomery Co.

Portal

Screven Co.

Treutlen

Dooly Co.

Dublin

Hawkinsville

Telfair Co.

Twiggs Co.

Wheeler Co.

Wilcox Co.

Central (Talbotton)

Chattahoochee Co.

Greenville

Macon Co.

Manchester

Marion Co.

Schley Co.

Stewart Co.

Taylor Co.

Armuchee

B.E.S.T. Academy

Bowdon

Gordon Lee

Mount Zion (Carroll)

Trion

ACE Charter

Crawford Co.

Georgia Military

Glascock Co.

Hancock Central

Wilkinson Co.

Commerce

Greene Co.

Lincoln Co.

Social Circle

Towns Co.

Warren Co.

Washington-Wilkes

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