Class 5A schools vote down proposals to re-unite for playoffs

BATON ROUGE – As representatives of Class 5A schools voted down four different proposals to bring together select and non-select schools for playoffs Friday morning, perhaps the final straw in a years-long attempt to re-unite the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, the split of opinions was as deep as the split of championships.

“We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and figure out a way to get it done,” said Brother Martin principal Ryan Gallagher, who authored the proposals. “I don’t think it’s hopeless.”

LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine’s view was 180 degrees apart.

“In my opinion,” Bonine said, seemingly resigned to the fact, “it is dead.”

The 5A meeting was held prior to the LHSAA’s annual meeting at the Crowne Plaza.

Gallagher said the vote on coming together for boys and girls basketball was “very close,” but the votes in football, baseball and softball were much more one-sided against.

Gallagher’s attempt to go through Class 5A only was a new strategy because it would have only required a majority vote to pass. By-laws affecting the entire organization now require a two-thirds majority.

“I wouldn’t say I’m surprised, but I’m disappointed,” said Gallagher, who also serves as one of two Class 5A representatives on the executive committee and was elected to another term earlier in Friday’s meeting.

“Walking in this morning, you had that feeling it wasn’t going to go our way again,” said Archbishop Rummel athletic director Jay Roth. “I feel sorry for the athletes of the state of Louisiana who don’t get the chance to play for a true championship.”

While vote counts and specific votes by schools had not yet been released, John Ehret athletic director Sheena Smith-Dilworth and Chalmette AD David Brossette each confirmed they voted against the four proposals. Both Gallagher and Roth said they were hopeful local non-select schools would vote to re-unite.

“At this time, if we’re not going to bring the whole organization back together, why just 5A?” Smith-Dilworth said.

“When we were in that meeting, there was hardly anything said. If we have a little bit more discussion about it and … if it was the whole organization coming back together, the vote might have been a little bit different.”

What’s next?

“As long as we’re a governing body,” Roth said, “people can propose and make amendments. I’d say there’ll be a vote again.”

Said Bonine, “How many times are they going to bring it back?”

Instead, the executive director wanted to look forward. “Now we know what we need to do as an association,” he said.