By Dana Hess
For the S.D. NewsMedia Association
The first reading of sports classifications and alignments for the next two school years received the endorsement of the South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors at its meeting on Wednesday. Feb. 28.
Despite some suggestions for changes from activities directors, the board accepted the alignments as offered by the SDHSAA staff. A second reading will be held at the board’s April meeting.
The board typically has a “public forum” at the top of its agenda. Often unused, at Wednesday’s meeting the board listened for 40 minutes as school representatives offered alternatives to the plan laid out by the SDHSAA staff in basketball, volleyball, wrestling and golf.
One suggestion was that more emphasis should be placed on enrollment when making regional assignments. SDHSAA Assistant Executive Director Jo Auch explained that the schools are assigned to regions based on geography first to cut down on travel. The second consideration is making the least amount of change.
Considering enrollment within regions, Auch said, was “different than we’ve ever looked at before.” If that would be considered, it would be “back to the drawing board.”
SDHSAA Executive Director Dan Swartos said that enrollment is considered in the classification system that seeks to have schools of similar sizes compete against each other.
Swartos explained to the board that the staff uses a system of circles to try to find teams in each classification that are within the same geographical area. “It’s all about perspective,” Swartos said. “You could draw these things a million different ways.”
Swartos said that if extensive changes are made to the classifications or alignments at the second reading, there could be a third reading.
The first reading of the classifications and alignments approved for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years include: (for Ipswich, Edmunds Central and North Central)
Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball
Class B
Region 6B: Faulkton Area, Herreid/Selby Area, Highmore-Harrold, Ipswich, North Central, Potter County, Sully Buttes, Sunshine Bible Academy, Tiospaye Topa, Wakpala. New to Class B: North Central. New to Region 6B: Tiospaye Topa, Wakpala.
Boys’ and Girls’ Cross-Country
Region 1B: Aberdeen Christian, Castlewood, Deubrook Area, Estelline/Hendricks, Faulkton Area, Frederick Area, Hitchcock-Tulare, Ipswich, James Valley Christian, Langford Area, Leola, Northwestern, Tiospa Zina, Warner, Waubay/Summit, Wilmot. New to Class B: Estelline/Hendricks, Tiospa Zina, Waubay/Summit.
Region 4B: Herreid/Selby Area, Highmore-Harrold, Lemmon, Lower Brule, Lyman, McIntosh, McLaughlin, North Central, Potter County, Sully Buttes, Sunshine Bible Academy, Timber Lake, Tiospaye Topa, Wakpala, Wessington Springs, Wolsey-Wessington. New to Class B: McLaughlin and North Central. New to Region 4B: Lemmon and Tiospaye Topa.
Football
Class 9A: Alcester-Hudson, Castlewood, Centerville, Chester, Deubrook Area, Dupree, Estelline-Hendricks, Gayville-Volin, Harding County/Bison, Howard, Ipswich, Lemmon/McIntosh, Lyman, North Central, Philip, Platte-Geddes, Potter County, Timber Lake, Wall, Warner, Waverly-South Shore, White River, Wolsey-Wessington.
Boys’ and Girls’ Golf
Region 1B: Aberdeen Christian, Britton-Hecla, Clark/Willow Lake, Doland, Edmunds Central, Faulkton Area, Florence/Henry, Frederick Area, Great Plains Lutheran, Ipswich, Langford Area, Leola, Waubay/Summit, Waverly-South Shore, Webster Area, Wilmot. New to Region 1B: Edmunds Central, Faulkton Area, Ipswich. Note: There is no Aberdeen Christian team in girls’ golf.
Track and Field
Class B: Aberdeen Christian, Alcester-Hudson, Andes Central/ Dakota Christian, Arlington, Avon, Bennett County, Bison, Black Hills Christian Academy, Bridgewater-Emery, Burke, Canistota, Castelwood, Centerville, Chester, Colman-Egan, Colome, Corsica- Stickney, Crazy Horse, De Smet, Dell Rapids St. Mary, Deubrook Area, Dupree, Edgemont, Estelline/Hendricks, Faith, Faulkton Area, Flandreau Indian, Frederick Area, Freeman, Freeman Academy/Marion, Gayville-Volin, Gregory, Harding County, Herreid/ Selby Area, Highmore-Harrold, Hitchcock-Tulare, Howard, Ipswich, Irene-Wakonda, Iroquois/ Lake Preston, James Valley Christian, Jones County, Kadoka Area, Kimball/White Lake, Langford Area, Lemmon, Leola, Lower Brule, Lyman, Marty, McCrossan, McIntosh, McLaughlin, Mitchell Christian, New Underwood, Newell, North Central, Northwestern, Oelrichs, Oldham-Ramona-Rutland, Philip, Potter County, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket, School for the Blind/VI, Sioux Falls Lutheran, Sully Buttes, Sunshine Bible Academy, Takini, Timber Lake, Tiospa Zina, Tiospaye Topa, Tripp-Delmont/Armour, Viborg-Hurley, Wakpala, Wall, Warner, Waubay/Summit, Waverly-South Shore, Wessington Springs, White River, Wilmot, Wolsey-Wessington.
New to Class B: Bennett County, Dupree, Estelline/Hendricks, Kimball/White Lake, McLaughlin, North Central, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket, Tiospa Zina, Waubay/Summit and Wilmot.
Volleyball
Region 6B: Faulkton Area, Herreid/Selby Area, Highmore-Harrold, Ipswich, North Central, Potter County, Sully Buttes, Sunshine Bible Academy, Tiospaye Topa, Wakpala. New to Class B: North Central. New to Region 6B: Tiospaye Topa and Wakpala.
Wrestling
Region 1B: Britton-Hecla, Clark/Willow Lake, Deuel/ Deubrook Area, Doland, Faulkton Area, Groton Area, Hamlin/Castlewood, Ipswich/Bowdle, Kingsbury County, Potter County, Redfield, Sisseton, Sully Buttes, Tiospa Zina, Warner/Northwestern, Webster Area. New to Class B: Sisseton.
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