PIERRE, S.D. — One of the most discussed topics in prep football in 2019 was classification and alignment changes following Pierre’s 103-0 win over Spearfish in the opening round of the Class 11AA Football Playoffs, and changes could be on the way, beginning in the fall of 2021. The South Dakota High School Activities Association Football Advisory Committee received multiple suggestions, and Thursday, opted to push ahead with a proposal for trimming seven classes to five — three 11-man and two nine-man divisions. The proposal will be reviewed by the state’s athletic directors for recommendations during their annual conference in March and they will also have to move through two readings with SDHSAA Board of Directors before any chance of implementation for the 2021-2023 two-year cycle. The proposal would call for the 10 largest schools including Sioux Falls O’Gorman, which has historically moved up to play in the highest division to be placed in Class 11AA, the next largest 16 in Class 11A and the remaining 11-man schools in Class 11B. The nine-man classes would be trimmed from three to two with 28-30 teams in each. In this proposal, the top-eight teams in Cass 11AA and Class 11A would qualify for the playoffs, while the top-16 teams in Class 11B would be playoff-eligible. Also adopted at Thursday’s meeting was the implementation of a Mercy Rule for all Classes of Football. The proposal is to add a mercy rule in which a 35-point lead at any point in the second half results in a running clock for the duration of the game. It would not include a 50-point termination rule which is in effect for the Class 11B and Nine Man Classes of football. The proposals will now go to the SDHSAA Board of Directors to be voted on and if passed, implemented.
(www.mitchellrepublic.com supplied information for story)
