01/17/24 – Board of Control Looks Ahead to Winter State Championships

January 17, 2024 2023-2024 News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JAN. 17, 2024

The KHSAA Board of Control conducted its fourth regularly scheduled meeting of the 2023-24 academic year on Wednesday in Lexington, approving status reports regarding upcoming winter state championships and items for possible action at a later meeting.

Following a data review conducted by KHSAA staff, the inaugural Girls’ Wrestling State Championships in February will be preceded by multi-region meets at Caldwell County (Regions 1-2), Central (Regions 3-4), Bryan Station (Regions 5-6) and Montgomery County (Regions 7-8). Due to the difference in participation numbers of teams and individuals, the pattern of regions and sites will differ between girls’ and boys’ competitions. Girls’ wrestling participation is on the rise in the first year of sanctioning a state championship, however, growing from 378 registered girls’ wrestlers in 2022-23 to 586 participants this season.

The Board also discussed a staff review of member schools’ requirements to submit individual and team roster entries unique to indoor track & field ahead of the inaugural Indoor Track & Field State Championships in March.

The Board reviewed a survey of all 51 state associations regarding the interval for classifying enrollment-based sports that was conducted by KHSAA staff, reflecting overwhelming nationwide favor of 34 associations utilizing two-year alignment periods to just six associations utilizing four-year periods. The Board approved changes for the football classification period to two years for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, with final parameters and draft alignments to be presented at the February Board of Control meeting for final adoption in May.

“The January Board meeting has traditionally been a time for reflection and looking forward to the new calendar year,” said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett. “We are excited to implement new championship events this winter as we continually discuss ways to improve our existing opportunities for student-athletes alongside our member schools with respect to both the present and the future.”

The Board also approved the following items:

• A competition rule change in soccer to lower the threshold for ending a match early from a 10-goal lead after halftime to an eight-goal lead after halftime;
• A competition rule change in football to lower the threshold for the implementation of a running clock from a 36-point lead to a 35-point lead; and
• A revision of levels of officiating to allow junior officials to officiate high school non-varsity contests.

Among other items, the Board reviewed the following for possible action at a later meeting:

• A potential competition rule change in golf to implement circle scoring; and
• In light of the placement of candidacy schools and alignment impact regarding Cornerstone Christian (Shelbyville) and WEB DuBois, a potential region realignment for basketball and alignment-related sports during the 2024-25 school year for implementation in the 2025-26 school year.

Additionally, the Board reviewed and accepted the following reports:

• Individual sport and sport-activity reports and non-sport-related reports from staff;
• An officials’ licensing comparison and ArbiterSports update;
• A disqualification report and comparison;
• A transfer and appeals eligibility report as required by Board policy;
• A status of regulations promulgation and legislative discussions;
• A status report on Bowling Green in compliance with the June 2022 agreed order;
• A review of corporate sponsor finance reports;
• A status report of the KHSAA Hall of Fame Selection Committee; and
• Information from around the state and nation.

– KHSAA –

About the Kentucky High School Athletic Association

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association was organized in 1917 and is the agency designated by the Kentucky Department of Education to manage high school athletics in the Commonwealth. The Association is a voluntary nonprofit 501(c)3 organization made up of 290 member schools, both public and non-public. The KHSAA awards 229 state championships to 59 teams and 178 individuals in 13 sports and six sport-activities, funds catastrophic insurance coverage for its more than 109,000 rostered member school student-athletes, provides coaching education and sports safety programs for more than 12,000 coaches and licenses and facilitates the distribution of training material for over 4,000 contest officials.