Sports

Private vs Public No More

The GHSA votes to have separate Class A championships in all sports for public and private schools, including Whitefield Academy, beginning next season.

may have won just one football game last season, but the Spartans are stepping up in class.

That’s because the Georgia High School Association’s State Executive Committee approved on Tuesday , which includes the creation of Class AAAAAA (yes, six!) for the biggest high schools in Georgia. The vote was 47-1, with one pass.

Reclassification was based on this year’s enrollment of ninth- to 11th-graders for each of its member schools.

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The Spartans, now in Class AAAAA, are among the 63 schools out of the 65 originally proposed that will make up Class AAAAAA for 2012-14. With the addition of Marietta High School, here's how the new Region 4-AAAAAA will look:

Subregion A

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  • Campbell
  • Hillgrove
  • McEachern
  • Pebblebrook
  • South Cobb

Subregion B

  • Harrison
  • Kennesaw Mountain
  • Marietta
  • North Cobb

Lovett will play in Region 6-AA along with Hapeville Charter, Greater Atlanta Christian, Wesleyan and Westminster.

Whitefield Academy will play in the 16-team Region 6-A that includes subregion schools Darlington, Mount Paran Christian, North Cobb Christian, Southwest Atlanta Christian and Walker.

But that wasn't the big news with regards to Georgia’s smallest classification. Also on Tuesday, the GHSA voted to have separate Class A championships for private and public schools in all sports.

This came about because the smaller, more rural schools felt the playing field wasn't balanced since private schools can recruit easier.

Whitefield Academy athletic director Lynn Dupree told The Marietta Daily Journal, "We want kids to be able to say they're true state champions, but it's not going to be that way. We'll work with the system and move forward."


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