As we head into spring sports season, we are reaching the end of the last academic year where the 16th District will remain as it has for the last 17 years.
In January, the KHSAA opted to grant a request from Monroe County to return to the 16th District after moving out in 2005 to go to the 15th. The reasoning ultimately came down to competitiveness, which was stated in a letter Monroe County sent to the KHSAA. Basically, Monroe County believes they will be more competitive in the 16th District than the 15th.
This move was part of multiple changes in the 4th Region, which moved Warren East from the 14th District to the 15th and placed Foundation Christian Academy, a relatively new private school in Warren County, in the 14th District.
The 16th District becomes a 5-team district, beginning next school year, and while Monroe County will be welcomed into the district, this seems to be a poor move by the KHSAA, for a couple reasons.
First of all, the current 16th District schools (Russell County, Cumberland County, Clinton County, and Metcalfe County) all opposed the move and stated their opposition to the KHSAA. Now, it would seem logical for these schools to oppose such a move, as a 5-team district makes advancing in the postseason more challenging.
But there are more issues than that. Geographically, there’s no rational reason to move Monroe County in to the 16th.
And geography is apparently why the KHSAA approved such a move. Just look at this statement from KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett.
“Alignment discussions are always challenging,” said Tackett. “Looking at the alignment solely on a geographic basis, the Board felt the moves were warranted. Certainly, there was not a lot of desire to create a six-team District with the addition of Foundation Christian, so the issue was certainly germane given the Monroe County request. There was a considerable amount of feedback from member schools and systems, and the Board did an exemplary job ensuring the issues stayed with geography so that consistency with the other Regions could be maintained.
So let’s take a look at Google Maps to see how much sense this makes.
Russell County High School to Monroe County High School: 57 miles, approximately one hour drive
Clinton County High School to Monroe County High School: 52.2 miles, approximately one hour drive
Cumberland County High School to Monroe County High School: 34.7 miles, 41 minute drive
Metcalfe County High School to Monroe County High School: 23 miles, approximately 30 minute drive
This adds to what is probably the most spread-out district in the region. To go from Russell County to Metcalfe County, you have to go through the 5th Region, and the drive from Metcalfe County to Clinton County is the longest drive between district opponents in the 4th Region.
“This move takes the most disadvantaged geographic district in the 4th region and makes it considerably worse,” Metcalfe County Schools Superintendent Josh Hurt said. “Three of the longest drives in the region for district opponents will lie in the 16th district. Further, this presents a significant shift in the competitive balance in the region as a whole and forces the 16th district to carry the burden of the decision from a competitive standpoint.”
According to a letter signed by multiple 4th Region schools, no other school is asked to drive more than 42 minutes for a district game.
I concur with the superintendents in that letter in stating that “if geography is the key metric, a move to include Tompkinsville with Albany and Russell Springs defies basic logic.”
Multiple 4th Region members opposed such a move and several (more logical) alternatives were proposed. Russell County High School Athletic Director Michael Carpenter said on a recent episode of Laker Sports Talk that 11 superintendents in the region signed letters opposing such a move.
The KHSAA could’ve taken a number of paths with realignment, but this one just doesn’t make sense to me.
The opinions contained in this article are solely those of the author. The opinions contained herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, or positions of Lake Cumberland Broadcasters, LLC., its owners, or other employees.
