15 Idaho high schools want to play in a lower classification. These are their reasons
No one will win a state championship Tuesday. But it still stands as one of the most important days on the high school sports calendar.
Idaho high schools will change classifications next fall. But the ruling on who plays in what division comes Tuesday at the Idaho High School Activities Association’s monthly meeting.
Enrollment figures typically decide if a school plays in 5A or 4A, for example. But schools can protest their assignment. And the IHSAA’s board will vote up or down on their petitions Tuesday, potentially reshaping conferences and state power dynamics.
Fifteen Idaho high schools, including nine in the Boise region, will make their case before the IHSAA. Some went to the state’s superintendents for an advisory vote. Others took the competitive equity route, showing how they’ve struggled on the field, straight to the IHSAA board.
Either way, the IHSAA board will make the final decision. These are the cases for, and the cases against, those petitions.
CALDWELL
Request: Remain in 4A
Route: Competitive equity
Enrollment: 1,425 (4A max is 1,279)
The case for: The Cougars continue to meet the IHSAA’s competitive equity standards in individual sports, finishing in the bottom half of their varsity and sub-varsity district meets 90% of the time in the past three years. They also narrowly missed the standards for team sports, failing to win ⅓ of their games at all levels 71% of the time.
(They would need to do that 75% of the time to meet the IHSAA guidelines for team sports.)
Caldwell struggles to field junior varsity teams in many sports. It can’t field varsity golf or dance teams. It had to forfeit its final three football games last fall because it didn’t have enough eligible players. Even its historic wrestling program has not finished better than fourth at the 4A district tournament in the past three years with 5A enrollment numbers.
All current members of the 4A SIC signed letters of support for Caldwell to stay in the league.
The case against: While Caldwell struggles in many sports, a couple have excelled in 4A.
The Cougars’ boys soccer team has won two state titles and the consolation title while playing with 5A numbers. And their girls basketball program won second- and third-place trophies with 5A numbers.
NAMPA
Request: Remain in 4A
Route: Superintendent vote
Enrollment: 1,463 (4A max is 1,279)
The case for: The IHSAA has twice approved Nampa to stay in 4A, and the Bulldogs have not set the world on fire. They’ve won a lone district title (wrestling, 2021), and only two team sports have qualified for state (football, volleyball) in the past three years.
Nampa last won a state title in 1993 (wrestling). And no girls team has won a district title since 2001.
Four current league members (Bishop Kelly, Caldwell, Columbia and Vallivue) submitted letters supporting Nampa remaining in 4A. So did Skyview, which returns to the 4A SIC next fall.
The case against: Nampa no longer qualifies for the competitive equity standards thanks to several successful programs, programs which are taking state berths away from traditional 4A teams.
The Bulldogs’ football team has won at least one playoff game each of the past three years, and it reached the semifinals twice. The wrestling team finished second at state last year, two points shy of a title, thanks to two individual champions and eight placers.
Its girls sports are seeing some success, too. The volleyball team finished second at district last year, qualifying for state. And the girls cross country team has made it to state two years in a row.
RIDGEVUE
Request: Remain in 4A
Route: Superintendent vote
Enrollment: 1,411.5 (4A max is 1,279)
The case for: The Warhawks are still trying to establish themselves in many sports. Ridgevue has yet to sniff the state playoffs — or win more than ⅓ of its varsity games in any season — in football, boys basketball or girls basketball.
The lack of success leads to low participation. Ridgevue has failed to field junior varsity teams in football and girls basketball, and it struggles to keep them running in boys and girls soccer.
Moving to 5A would also separate the Warhawks from Vallivue, their school district rival. Ridgevue Athletic Director Ted Reynolds wrote the school would move to 5A in 2024 “if we are able to be competitive.”
The case against: Since opening in 2016-17, Ridgevue has won state tournament trophies in boys soccer, baseball, softball, boys golf, girls golf, boys tennis and girls tennis. It also won a district baseball championship last spring, and it qualified for the 2019 state volleyball tournament.
The Warhawks’ softball program remains one of the state’s best, finishing second at state three times and qualifying for the tournament each year since the school opened.
MIDDLETON
Request: Remain in 4A
Route: Superintendent vote
Enrollment: 1,285.5 (4A max is 1,279)
The case for: The Vikings claim enrollment numbers counted last year during the coronavirus pandemic are misleading. The district’s comparatively lax restrictions to slow the virus likely led to artificially high enrollment.
A nearby charter school, Forge International, also started accepting ninth graders this year and plans to add a grade each year. That will soon eat into Middleton’s enrollment.
Middleton maintains the current 5A and 4A enrollment boundaries are unsustainable. Using just enrollment numbers, the 5A SIC would have 15 teams next year with just five left in the 4A SIC.
The case against: Middleton is one of the state’s most successful athletic programs. In the past six years, the Vikings have won state titles in boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball, softball (three times) and boys tennis. They’ve also won state tournament trophies in football, volleyball, boys soccer, girls soccer, girls track, girls tennis and girls golf in that time frame.
Balancing league sizes is not the responsibility of the IHSAA. Additionally, the state would have the same number of schools in 5A and 4A (23) if it only used enrollment numbers (which it doesn’t).
Middleton also claimed the lack of 5A enrollment cap means it could play schools three or four times its size. That’s simply false. No Idaho 5A school is more than twice the classification’s minimum (1,280).
CANYON RIDGE
Request: Remain in 4A
Route: Superintendent vote
Enrollment: 1,349 (4A max is 1,279)
The case for: Canyon Ridge would become the only 5A team in the Twin Falls region, forcing it to join the High Country Conference in East Idaho. That would make the average round trip for a conference game 318 miles, leading to lost classroom time and increased travel expenses for the Riverhawks and their opponents.
Since opening 12 years ago, the school has won a single state title (girls golf, 2017). Its football team has made the playoffs three times and struggles to field a junior varsity program. And its boys and girls basketball teams have never qualified for state.
The case against: Canyon Ridge doesn’t struggle in everything. It qualified for state in three team sports (boys soccer, girls soccer, baseball) last year. Those are spots it took away from traditional 4A programs.
Its boys soccer team has made it to state three years in a row, earning a trophy each of the past two seasons. It finished second in boys cross country and fourth in boys track in 2017-18. And the football program is getting better, making the playoffs twice in the past four years.
VISION CHARTER
Request: Drop to 1A Division I
Route: Competitive equity
Enrollment: 191 (1A D-I max is 159)
The case for: The Caldwell charter school more than meets the IHSAA’s competitive equity standards to move down. Since founding a varsity athletic program three years ago, the Golden Eagles are a combined 15-118 (.113) across all sports. That includes seasons when its girls basketball and baseball teams only played against 2A junior varsity opponents.
The case against: Charter schools hold inherent advantages over traditional public schools. They can choose their students while traditional schools accept all children within their boundaries.
Only one charter school, Compass Charter, has tried to petition down a classification under the current system. The IHSAA rejected it in 2019, forcing it to move up to the 2A level where Vision Charter now resides.
HANSEN
Request: Remain in 1A Division II
Route: Superintendent vote
Enrollment: 96 (84 is 1A D-II max)
The case for: The Huskies have not won a conference, district or state title in any sport since 2003 (boys track). They made the state football playoffs last fall for the first time since 1980. And small classes in the middle school means it expects to fall back under the enrollment line before 2024-25.
The case against: It submitted no evidence outside of its football team’s record (6-24 the past four years) to prove it struggles in the win-loss column. And an extra dozen students can have a large effect in Idaho’s smallest division.
CLARK FORK
Request: Remain in 1A Division II
Route: Superintendent vote
Enrollment: 90 (84 is 1A D-II max)
The case for: The Wampus Cats have remained a 1A Division II school since Idaho split the 1A division in 2008-09, twice successfully petitioning to remain down. They have not qualified for the state football playoffs since 2005, and their boys and girls basketball programs have made a combined four state tournament trips since the 1A split.
The case against: Playing with 1A Division I numbers last year, Clark Fork won a district volleyball championship and qualified for the boys basketball state tournament. It submitted no win-loss data to justify remaining in the lower classification.
FOOTBALL-ONLY PETITIONS
Six programs will take advantage of the IHSAA’s new opportunity to petition down in football only. But the largest surprise is who didn’t — Boise.
The Brave have struggled for decades on the football field, posting just one winning record since 1992. Boise is playing as a 5A independent for the second straight season this fall, making itself ineligible for the playoffs by avoiding a full 5A SIC schedule in order to gain some positive momentum.
Boise will rejoin the 5A SIC as a full member starting in the fall of 2022, Athletic Director Brian Barber confirmed. He declined to answer questions about the decision.
Schools petitioning down in football only include:
Wood River (drop to 3A): The Wolverines are 4-20 at the varsity level in the past four years, with a single win against a 4A opponent. Low turnout means they haven’t fielded a full slate of varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams in 14 years.
Castleford (remain in 1A Division II): The undefeated Wolves (5-0) were ranked second in the 1A Division II state media poll last week. But trouble looms. The school has just three sophomores, two freshmen and one eighth grader playing football.
Lakeside (drop to 1A Division II): The Knights made a rare playoff appearance in their first year in 1A Division I as the last team in the field. They then lost 78-6 to eventual state champ Oakley. Geography remains the major hurdle with only one other team in its conference.
Wallace (drop to 1A Division II): Lakeside finally gave the Miners another team in their conference. But filling the schedule remains a challenge in remote North Idaho. Wallace is 1-20 the past three seasons. Current league members unanimously support both Lakeside and Wallace joining the 1A D-II North Star Conference.
Lewis County (remain in 1A Division II): The co-op of Highland and Nezperce falls just 2.5 students above the 1A dividing line. Current Whitepine League members unanimously support the Eagles staying put to reduce travel for everyone. Lewis County is a combined 6-18 the past three seasons.
Shoshone (drop to 1A Division II): Despite averaging 120.5 students, 36.5 above the 1A dividing line, the Indians haven’t played a full varsity schedule since 2017. They went 0-9 that year, and they are 6-15 the past three years in a combined junior varsity/varsity schedule.
MORE PETITIONS
The IHSAA will also weigh seven more petitions to change classifications. Most are noncontroversial and mirror previous appeals to limit travel.
They include:
Parma, Coeur d’Alene Charter and Kellogg petitioning up to stay in 3A.
Gem State Academy, Centennial Baptist and Greenleaf Academy petitioning up to stay in 1A Division I.
Sun Valley Community School petitioning down to stay in 1A Division II.
This story was originally published September 27, 2021 at 1:16 PM.
