Wouldn’t it be interesting to have a super-region with Stephenson, Southwest DeKalb, Tucker, Marist and Dunwoody all together?
New high school enrollment numbers released last week by the Georgia High School Association present several scenarios. The GHSA will use the enrollment numbers to reclassify schools and place schools in regions for a four-year period beginning with the 2010 school year.
The GHSA Executive Committee will meet Jan. 12, to finalize the reclassification. Any schools that want to play in a higher classification than their enrollment numbers indicate must notify the GHSA by noon on Nov. 25.
Stephenson, now in Class AAAAA, would move down to AAAA based on enrollment numbers of 1,820. The cutoff to participate in AAAAA is an enrollment of 1,915. Other possibilities include Dunwoody moving up to AAAA, Redan moving down to AAAA, Stone Mountain moving down to AAA and Towers moving down to AA. Marist, which has traditionally played up one or two classes, has enrollment for AA. Tucker, with an enrollment of 1,423, would be the smallest AAAA school in the state.
“This is new waters for me,” said Stephenson football coach Ron Gartrell. “I don’t have a problem going down to 4A, but there is great competition in 5A and 4A.”
Marist athletic director Tommy Marshall said coaches and administrators will meet and make a decision before the Nov. 25 deadline.
“We have to consider all sports, rivalries, travel and other issues,” Marshall said.
DeKalb County athletics spokesman Mark Brock said his office sent out letters to each school last week about the enrollment numbers and deadlines. He said the county had not gotten response yet.
Traditionally, Redan and Marist have been approved to play up in Class AAAAA and AAAA respectively. Gartrell said he had not spoken with anyone yet about the reclassification.