The Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Board of Control approved the new football alignment earlier this week — with one major change from years past.
Instead of the usual four-year setup, the governing body opted for a two-year rotation that will only be in effect for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Realignment will take place again in 2025.
The KHSAA uses enrollment figures from the Kentucky Department of Education to determine which teams go in each of the six classes.
“Our numbers are out of whack,” KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett told the board. “Blame it on COVID, whatever the reasoning. Let’s come back next year with this year’s numbers and see what that looks like.”
In all, nearly 25% of the KHSAA’s 222 football playing schools are changing classes — including three of the four local teams.
Bardstown, Nelson County and Thomas Nelson are making the jump from Class 3A to 4A. The Tigers, Cardinals and Generals are now in District 2 along with John Hardin and Breckinridge County.
Bethlehem, meanwhile, remained in 1A. The Eagles are in District 2 with Campbellsville and Louisville schools Holy Cross and Kentucky Country Day.
KCD takes the spot of Fort Knox, which is moving from 1A to 2A next season.
The Board of Control also discussed several other items, including adding a girls’ bass fishing championship and setting one of the state golf first round sites at Winchester Country Club.
The Board also tabled discussion of adding championships in other sports, including girls’ wrestling and indoor track & field, until its February meeting.
Here is the complete realignment for the 2023 and 2024 seasons:
Class 1ADistrict 1: Ballard Memorial, Caverna, Fulton County, Russellville
District 2: Bethlehem, Campbellsville, Holy Cross (Louisville), Kentucky Country Day
District 3: Bellevue, Dayton, Newport, Newport Central Catholic
District 4: Bishop Brossart, Holy Cross (Covington), Ludlow, Trimble County
District 5: Berea, Eminence, Frankfort, Sayre
District 6: Fairview, Nicholas County, Paris, Raceland
District 7: Harlan, Lynn Camp, Middlesboro, Pineville, Williamsburg
District 8: Hazard, Paintsville, Pikeville
The fifth place team in District 7 will become the fourth place team in District 8 for the purpose of playoff cross-bracketing
Class 2A
District 1: Caldwell County, Crittenden County, Mayfield, Murray
District 2: Edmonson County, Fort Campbell, Owensboro Catholic, Todd County Central
District 3: Clinton County, Green County, Metcalfe County, Monroe County
District 4: Fort Knox, Lexington Christian, Shawnee, Washington County, WEB DuBois
District 5: Beechwood, Bracken County, Carroll County, Gallatin County, Owen County, Walton-Verona
District 6: Breathitt County, Danville, Leslie County, Somerset
District 7: Floyd Central, Knott County Central, Martin County, Prestonsburg
District 8: Betsy Layne, East Ridge, Pike County Central, Shelby Valley
Not eligible for district postseason competition until at least 2024
Class 3A
District 1: Hancock County, Hopkins County Central, McLean County, Trigg County, Union County, Webster County
District 2: Adair County, Butler County, Franklin-Simpson, Glasgow, Hart County
District 3: Central, Christian Academy-Louisville, Elizabethtown, LaRue County
District 4: Casey County, Garrard County, Marion County, Mercer County
District 5: Bourbon County, Lexington Catholic, Lloyd Memorial, Pendleton County
District 6: Bath County, East Carter, Fleming County, Lewis County, Russell, West Carter
District 7: Bell County, Clay County, Knox Central, McCreary Central, Rockcastle County
District 8: Belfry, Estill County, Lawrence County, Magoffin County, Morgan County, Powell County
Class 4ADistrict 1: Allen County-Scottsville, Calloway County, Hopkinsville, Logan County, Paducah Tilghman, Warren East
District 2: Bardstown, Breckinridge County, John Hardin, Nelson County, Thomas Nelson
District 3: DeSales, Doss, Jeffersontown, Valley, Waggener, Western
District 4: Franklin County, Henry County, North Oldham, Shelby County, Spencer County, Western Hills
District 5: Covington Catholic, Grant County, Harrison County, Holmes, Mason County
District 6: Ashland Blazer, Boyd County, Greenup County, Johnson Central, Rowan County
District 7: Boyle County, Lincoln County, Russell County, Taylor County, Wayne County
District 8: Corbin, Letcher County Central, Perry County Central, Whitley County
Class 5A
District 1: Apollo, Graves County, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Marshall County, Muhlenberg County, Owensboro
District 2: Bowling Green, Greenwood, Ohio County, South Warren
District 3: Atherton, Butler, Fairdale, Iroquois
District 4: Bullitt Central, Grayson County, Moore, North Bullitt, Seneca
District 5: Anderson County, Collins, Scott County, South Oldham, Woodford County
District 6: Boone County, Conner, Cooper, Dixie Heights, Highlands, Scott
District 7: East Jessamine, Madison Southern, Montgomery County, West Jessamine
District 8: Harlan County, North Laurel, Pulaski County, South Laurel, Southwestern
Class 6A
District 1: Christian County, Daviess County, Henderson County, McCracken County
District 2: Barren County, Central Hardin, North Hardin, Warren Central
District 3: DuPont Manual, Meade County, Pleasure Ridge Park, St. Xavier
District 4: Bullitt East, Fern Creek, Male, Southern
District 5: Ballard, Eastern, Oldham County, Trinity (Louisville)
District 6: Campbell County, Great Crossing, Ryle, Simon Kenton
District 7: Henry Clay, Lafayette, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Tates Creek
District 8: Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass, George Rogers Clark, Madison Central