HHS football moving up to 2A, MHS down to 1A
Some move up, some move down, and some stay the same.
That’s how it goes when the TSSAA redraws the classification map for high school sports across the state every few years, and last week the TSSAA announced the latest set of re-classifications, which will take effect in 2021 and remain in effect until 2023.
As it turns out, Huntingdon High School football is moving up from Class 1A to 2A next year, while McKenzie is coming down from 2A to 1A.
West Carroll and Hollow Rock-Bruceton will continue to play football in Class 1A.
It has been several years since Huntingdon played football at the 2A level, but Huntingdon Head Coach Eric Swenson said he won’t mind the change.
“We’re good with it,” said Swenson. “There’s not a whole lot of difference between 1A and 2A.”
The TSSAA has not yet determined which teams will be in each region – that will be announced in early November – and, according to Swenson, Huntingdon could end up in either a region tending toward the east with some teams from Middle Tennessee or in a westward region with more teams from this part of the state.
“We prefer to go west,” he said, adding that more of Huntingdon’s traditional rivals are in West Tennessee, and that would, of course, mean shorter trips on away games.
McKenzie Head Coach Wade Comer said he is also curious to find which side of the Tennessee River his Rebels will be playing on-the-road regional games next year.
“Going across the river will be a money situation, and it is what it is, but it gives you a better opportunity to compete,” said Comer. “Most people don’t mind traveling a little farther if you can compete.”
Comer pointed out that McKenzie has been switched between 1A and 2A quite a bit over the years.
“You don’t want to get in that yoyo where you are going back and fourth between 1A and 2A every couple of years,” said Comer. “If I thought we’d go back to 2A in two years, I’d say we’d stay put in 2A, but it looks like we’re going to be in Single A for the next four or five years.”
Swenson pointed out that completion can be a little stiffer at the top of 2A, but he added that the challenge will be good for the program.
“We’re excited about it,” said Swenson.
Comer commented that teams can be really good in both classifications.
“Sometimes the good Single A teams can beat the good Double A teams,” said Comer. “You have to compete and stay focused each week, and you can’t let up.”
The TSSAA assigns classification based on changes in school enrollment.
More information about recent re-classifications can be found on the TSSAA’s website.
