LHSAA amends playoff structure for basketball, baseball, softball

Change continues in the LHSAA playoff structure.

With the realignment of many schools who were moved from the non select to the select side of the ledger recently, four divisions were created on each side. That decision reduced the number of championship classes from nine to eight in football.

In boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball, there were many more teams thanks to the addition of non-football schools, predominantly from Class B and Class C.

Joined by some Class 1A schools, schools in B and C expressed concern to the LHSAA about the ability to compete.

Those concerns have been addressed.

The LHSAA executive committee has added a fifth division in both non select and select for boys and girls basketball, softball and baseball, bringing the number of championship brackets to 10 overall. It is still an improvement from the 12 brackets competing for state titles previously.

Unlike in football, where non select and select school numbers in each class are close in proximity, there will be many more non select schools in the five divisions of that side of the playoffs as compared to the select schools in those brackets.

The inequity lies in the fact that the non-football schools and Class B and Class C schools are predominantly non select schools.

Basketball, softball and baseball have anywhere from 80-95 more schools participating in championship competition than football does.

Football remains in place with eight overall classes, including four divisions in each of the non select and select categories.