Four classes for prep sports

PARKERSBURG — Giving students an outlet and providing an incentive in athletics motivates Fred King.

The Paden City athletic director was encouraged to see a proposal he helped author pass before the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission earlier this week. The proposal would add a fourth championship classification for three sports — boys and girls basketball, along with football.

At the Board of Control meeting held at Stonewall Jackson resort in Roanoke, school principals and athletic directors approved the proposal by a 78-37 margin. Now the issue must be approved by the state Board of Education this summer before it can be implemented. A public comment period of 30-to-60 days precedes the next vote.

“The whole state is losing too many kids to the streets and this is a way to get them back on the fields,” King said. “A lot of kids don’t go out for football because they feel they don’t have a chance to win. When I told my kids there might be a chance to get to the football playoffs, they were just elated. That would never happen before.”

Two years ago, a proposal to add a fourth class for football only was voted down 9-0 by the Board of Education. Officials at Paden City had submitted their proposal for three years before finally being approved earlier this week.

“This can get done if people want it done,” King said. “The principals have spoken. The picture the SSAC paints to the state Board of Education will be the picture they will buy. In my opinion, the plan is ready, so let’s do it.

“We’re in a time where athletics in West Virginia needs to be restructured. Somewhere along the line we get worried about money and strategic planning, but we shouldn’t forget about the children. This is not for Fred King and Paden City — we need to find a way to reach these kids.”

King’s vision, which he hopes will be implemented with the 2008-09 school year, revolves around a super-class of 16 in addition to three smaller classes. For football, all 16 schools would qualify for the playoffs. The entire playoff system would increase from 48 to 64 teams.

In basketball, the ideal formula would consist of four classes and a total of 32 state tournament teams (eight in each class). The state tournament in Charleston would begin on Tuesday and run through Saturday. Another possible option would be four classes of six teams each beginning on Wednesday. The top two seeds in each class would receive first-round byes.

“We’re trying to get it where more communities can have a chance to now be involved in postseason football and get to Charleston in basketball,” King said.

King knows he will receive opposing viewpoints, including the water down effect where too many teams have their hands on a championship. He is prepared with his own case.

“There is nothing demeaning because smaller classes will for one week get a hometown bonfire or a parade through town while preparing for their championship,” King said. “It just might turn a kid in the right direction.”