Boone, Iowa — The Board of Control approved and accepted the lone recommendation out of recent meetings of the joint IHSAA and IGHSAU classification committee, adding one classification of football ahead of the 2021 season.
The new classification will be Class 5A, adding an 11-player group to reduce the disparity in enrollment in the IHSAA’s largest class of football, and to increase the number of participating teams and student-athletes in the postseason.
At first glance it looks like what coaches and ADs have been asking for. Lloyd agrees.
With 1A and 2A featuring 48 teams and 32 playoff spots it will eliminate some of the tie breaking nuances that have kept teams out of the playoffs in the past.
The new format also alows for just 1 playoff game per week where there had been multiple games in a week during past seasons.
Sheldon was in the middle of 2A in terms of enrolment so they will stay in 2A. That may not be the case for some other district teams as there may be some notifiable changes in the 2A and 3A landscape.
The board approved separate scheduling and playoff plans across the seven football classifications:
Class 5A, Class 4A, Class 3A: 36 teams, 9 regular season games, 16 playoff qualifiers.
Class 2A, Class 1A: 48 teams, 8 regular season games, 32 playoff qualifiers.
Class A: Remainder of 11-player teams, 8 regular season games, 32 playoff qualifiers.
Eight-Player: All 8-player teams, 8 regular season games, 32 playoff qualifiers.
Teams in 2A, 1A, A, and 8P will be permitted to play a ninth regular season contest should they not qualify for the postseason.
Additional information regarding playoff qualification and district assignments will be released at a later date.
Member schools will be contacted to confirm BEDS data; questions or concerns must be directed to the Iowa Department of Education and the IHSAA.
