by STEVE WILMOTH
TriCitiesSports.com
November 22, 2022
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – In last week’s Board of Control Meeting, the TSSAA approved, after hearing around 20 appeals, the next cycle of classifications for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years and corresponding district and regional assignments for each of its sanctioned sports.
Locally, that means significant changes for Volunteer, David Crockett, Cherokee and Tennessee High Schools.
The most significant changes come for Volunteer and David Crockett where the Pioneers are sliding down to Class AA in multiple sports, and largely as a result, the Falcons will move from District 1 to District 2 in many of those same sports.
For basketball, baseball and softball, Crockett goes from Class AAAA to Class AAA joining District 1-AAA with Elizabethton, Sullivan East, Tennessee High and Unicoi County. Crockett also moves from District 1-AAA to District 1-AA in soccer joining those same schools. Additionally, the Pioneer track and field and cross country programs are on the move, relocating from District 1-AAA to District 1-AA in track and from Region 1-AAA to Region 1-A/AA in cross country.
“The change in classification for David Crockett High School athletics will allow much greater opportunities for our student-athletes,” said David Crockett Athletic Director Josh Kite. “For years we have competed and had much success in our current classification. However, our main purpose is to help athletes have equitable opportunities, fair competition as well as academic success. I firmly believe the new classification will be very beneficial to our entire athletic program.”
However, one sport unaffected at David Crockett is volleyball. Like soccer, volleyball is also a three-classification sport, but each is sport is divided equally by the number of participating schools and that number varies just enough that Crockett lands in Class AA for soccer, but AAA in volleyball.
The Pioneers’ exit from Class 4A in basketball leaves the both District District 1-AAAA and District 2-AAAA with just four teams each. It’s interesting to nate that with four teams advancing to the Region 1 Tournament from both districts, no team will be eliminated in any district tournament and all eight have already qualified for the 2024 and 2025 Region 1-AAAA Tournaments.
With Crockett’s new assignment in basketball, baseball and softball, Volunteer will slide into District 2-AAA and into District 2-AA for soccer along with Cherokee, Claiborne, Grainger and Greeneville.
“I think it is exciting for Volunteer High School. The new classification will provide at least two years of playing opponents that we have not played traditionally,” said Volunteer Athletic Director Jeremy Bailey. “We have played Grainger in numerous events recently and an out of county rivalry has started to formulate with highly competitive games. Playing Greeneville will give our student athletes an opportunity to play against some of the best talent in East Tennessee, in turn, making our players better. The Cherokee games being a District game will add an extra amount of significance to that already storied rivalry.
And in an unexpected move, Volunteer also joins District 2-AA volleyball with those same four and Union County. District 1-AA volleyball’s jumbling started with Tennessee High’s move back to Class AAA after two years in Class AA.
But instead of leaving the remaining members of District 1-AA volleyball status quo, the TSSAA opted to make the interesting relocation of Chuckey-Doak and Greeneville into District 1-AA from District 2-AA and move Volunteer from District 1-AA to District 2-AA. While the move surprised many, no appears were heard from any of those schools affected at last week’s meeting.
“We will stay focused on controlling what we can control from within our programs, and I believe Volunteer will be successful in any District that they are placed in, now and into the future,” continued Bailey. “Change is often met with opposition, but Volunteer will embrace this change with a positive mindset, build new relationships, provide hospitality for our ‘new’ opponents, represent Hawkins County to the best of our abilities, and go places we have never gone before.”
Bailey said all Volunteer sports will likely seek to continue its longstanding District 1 relationships.
“We hope to secure some of the District 1 teams in non-conference play to continue the traditions and friendships among coaches that have been developed with Sullivan East, Tennessee High, Elizabethton, and Unicoi County,” advised Bailey. “At the end of the day, if our teams take care of business, we will see some of those similar foes in Region anyway.
In football, the vast majority of Region 1 & Region 2 remain unchanged. However, Cherokee is moving from Region 1-5A to Region 1-4A while Northview Academy comes up from Region 1-3A to Region 1-4A. Thus, Seymour slides out of Region 1-4A to Region 2-4A.
Coming into Region 1-3A replacing Northview are Gatlinburg-Pittman and Pigeon Forge with Kingston moving from Region 3-3A to Region 2-3A.
West Greene’s reclassification moves the Buffaloes out of Region 1-3A as well and into Region 1-2A along with Eagleton College and Career Academy, a new school opening this fall in Blount County.
The TSSAA initially moved York Institute and Midway from Region 2-2A to Region 3-2A but York appealed, and won, and will stay in Region 1-2A along with newcomer Bledsoe County.
Here are the complete Region 1 & 2 / District 1 & 2 assignments for the next TSSAA classification cycle (2023-25):
FOOTBALL – Six Classes, Split Evenly
Region 1-1A: Cloudland, Cosby, Hancock County, Jellico, North Greene, Unaka
Region 2-1A: Coalfield, Greenback, Harriman, Midway, Oakdale, Oliver Springs, Rockwood, Sunbright
Region 1-2A: Cumberland Gap, Eagleton College and Career Academy, Hampton, Happy Valley, South Greene, West Greene
Region 2-2A: Bledsoe County, Oneida, Polk County, Tellico Plains, Wartburg Central, York Institute
Region 1-3A: Chuckey-Doak, Claiborne, Gatlinburg-Pittman, Johnson County, Pigeon Forge, Unicoi County
Region 2-3A: Alcoa, Austin-East, Kingston, Scott, Union County
Region 1-4A: Cherokee, Elizabethton, Grainger, Greeneville, Northview Academy, Sullivan East, Volunteer
Region 2-4A: Anderson County, Carter, Fulton, Gibbs, Seymour, South-Doyle
Region 1-5A: Cocke County, Daniel Boone, David Crockett, Morristown West, Sevier County, Tennessee High
Region 2-5A: Heritage, Knox Central, Knox Halls, Powell, Knox West
Region 1-6A: Dobyns-Bennett, Jefferson County, Morristown East, Science Hill, West Ridge, William Blount
Region 2-6A: Bearden, Bradley Central, Cleveland, Farragut, Hardin Valley, Maryville
BASKETBALL, BASEBALL, SOFTBALL – Four Classes, Split Evenly
District 1-A: Clinch, Cloudland, Hancock County, North Greene, Unaka, University High
District 2-A: Career Magnet Academy, Cosby, Hancock County, Samuel Everett School of Innovation, Tennessee School for the Deaf, Washburn
District 1-AA: Chuckey-Doak, Hampton, Happy Valley, Johnson County, South Greene, West Greene
District 2-AA: Alcoa, Austin-East, Cumberland Gap, Eagleton College & Career Academy, Gatlinburg-Pittman, L&N Stem Academy, Oneida, Pigeon Forge
District 1-AAA: David Crockett, Elizabethton, Sullivan East, Tennessee High, Unicoi County
District 2-AAA: Cherokee, Claiborne, Grainger, Greeneville, Volunteer
District 1-AAAA: Daniel Boone, Dobyns-Bennett, Science Hill, West Ridge
District 2-AAAA: Jefferson County, Morristown East, Morristown West, Sevier County
VOLLEYBALL – Three Classes, Split Evenly by Participating Schools
District 1-A: Hampton, Hancock County, Happy Valley, North Greene, South Greene, West Greene
District 2-A: Cosby, Eagleton College & Career Academy, Greenback, Jellico, Tennessee School for the Deaf, Washburn
District 1-AA: Chuckey-Doak, Elizabethton, Greeneville, Johnson County, Sullivan East, Unicoi County
District 2-AA: Cherokee, Claiborne, Gibbs, Grainger, Union County, Volunteer
District 1-AAA: Daniel Boone, David Crockett, Dobyns-Bennett, Science Hill, Tennessee High, West Ridge
District 2-AAA: Cocke County, Jefferson County, Morristown East, Morristown West, Sevier County
SOCCER – Three Classes, Split Evenly by Participating Schools
District 1-A: Chuckey-Doak, Cosby, Cumberland Gap, Gatlinburg-Pittman, Pigeon Forge, University High, West Greene
District 2-A: Eagleton College & Career Academy, Greenback, Harriman, Kingston, Oliver Springs, Oneida, Rockwood
District 1-AA: David Crockett, Elizabethton, Sullivan East, Tennessee High, Unicoi County
District 2-AA: Cherokee, Claiborne, Grainger, Greeneville, Volunteer
District 1-AAA: Daniel Boone, Dobyns-Bennett, Science Hill, West Ridge
District 2-AAA: Jefferson County, Morristown East, Morristown West, Sevier County
TRACK & FIELD – Three Classes, Split Evenly by Participating Schools
District 1-A: Bledsoe County, Brainerd, Career Magnet Academy, CSAS, Chattanooga Girls’ Leadership Academy, Chattanooga Prep, Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts, Chuckey-Doak, Cumberland Gap, Eagleton College & Career Academy, Gatlinburg-Pittma, Happy Valley, Ivy Academy, Johnson County, L&N Stem Academy, Marion County, Pigeon Forge, Polk County, Sale Creek, Sequatchie County, South Greene, South Pittsburgh, Sunbright, Sweetwater, Tellico Plains, Tennessee School for the Deaf, Tyner Academy, University High, West Greene.
District 1-AA: Alcoa, Anderson County, Austin-East, Carter, Chattanooga Central, Cherokee, Claiborne, Clinton, Cocke County, David Crockett, East Ridge, Elizabethton, Fulton, Gibbs, Grainger, Greeneville, Hixon, Kingston, Loudon, McMinn Central, Northview Academy, Red Bank, Scott, Sequoyah, Seymour, Signal Mountain, Soddy Daisy, South-Doyle, Tennessee High, Unicoi County, Union County, Volunteer
District 1-AAA: Bearden, Campbell County, Daniel Boone, Dobyns-Bennett, Farragut, Hardin Valley, Heritage, Jefferson County, Karns, Knox Central, Knox Halls, Lenoir City, Maryville, Morristown East, Morristown West, Oak Ridge, Powell, Science Hill, Sevier County, Knox West, West Ridge, William Blount
CROSS COUNTRY – Two Classes Based on Track & Field Classes w/Combined A/AA
Region 1-A/AA: Cherokee, Chuckey-Doak, Claiborne, Cloudland, Cocke County, Cumberland County, David Crockett, Elizabethton, Gatlinburg-Pittman, Grainger, Greeneville, Happy Valley, Northview Academy, Pigeon Forge, Seymour, South Greene, Sullivan East, Tennessee High, Unicoi County, University High, Volunteer, Washburn, West Greene
Region 1-AAA: Daniel Boone, Dobyns-Bennett, Jefferson County, Morristown East, Morristown West, Science Hill, Sevier County, West Ridge
GOLF – Two Classes Split Evenly by Participating Schools
District 1-A: Chuckey-Doak, Hampton, Happy Valley, Johnson County, North Greene, South Greene, Unaka, Unicoi County, University High, West Greene
District 1-AA: Daniel Boone, David Crockett, Dobyns-Bennett, Elizabethton, Science Hill, Sullivan East, Tennessee High, Volunteer, West Ridge
TENNIS – Two Classes Split Evenly by Participating Schools
District 1-A: Chuckey-Doak, Hampton, Happy Valley, Johnson County, North Greene, South Greene, Unaka, Unicoi County, University High, West Greene
District 1-AA: Daniel Boone, David Crockett, Dobyns-Bennett, Elizabethton, Science Hill, Sullivan East, Tennessee High, Volunteer, West Ridge
WRESTLING – Two Classes Split Evenly by Participating Schools
District 1-A: David Crockett, Elizabethton, Sullivan East, Tennessee High, Volunteer
District 2-A: Chuckey-Doak, Cocke County, Greeneville, West Greene
District 1-AA: Daniel Boone, Dobyns-Bennett, Science Hill, West Ridge
District 2-AA: Jefferson County, Morristown East, Morristown West, Sevier County
BOWLING – One Class
District 1: Cherokee, Chuckey-Doak, Dobyns-Bennett, Greeneville
