The Indiana High School Athletic Association released its official enrollments and classifications for high schools across the state on Wednesday, and with it plenty of movement among area football teams on which class they will compete in over the next two years.
The new class assignments also take into consideration the IHSAA’s Success Factor rules.
Here is what to take note of around the area.
– Half of the Summit Athletic Conference is on the move for the next two years.
Snider, which spent the last two years in Class 6A due to Success Factor, will drop back down to 5A. The last time the Panthers competed in 5A was in 2023 when they won a state championship.
A pair of SAC squads will move up to Class 5A from Class 4A for the first time in over a decade – South Side and Wayne – due to enrollment. The Generals spent time in Class 5A from 2011-14, while the Archers competed in the class in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
Meanwhile, North Side will drop from Class 5A to Class 4A, where it has not resided in quite some time, perhaps as far back as when the IHSAA expanded to a five-class system in 1985. North Side did win a Class 4A sectional, its first postseason title of any kind, in 1984.
And for the first time ever, Bishop Luers will compete in Class 4A as it is bumped once again due to Success Factor. While the Knights were Class 2A as recently as 2023 and have been pushed up twice, under current enrollment figures they would classify as a 3A program.
Outside of the SAC, Huntington North will return to Class 5A for the first time in over 10 years as it gets bumped from 4A due to enrollment.
The Allen County Athletic Conference has a trio of teams on the move or at least staying , with Jay County up a class to 4A due to enrollment, while Adams Central is bumped up again to Class 3A due to Success Factor. The Flying Jets’ streak of four-consecutive state championship game appearances ended last fall, but the team has still captured five-straight regional titles.
Also in the ACAC, Bluffton has been moved up from 2A to 3A due to enrollment. The Tigers have fallen to Adams Central two-straight seasons in sectional play. The reward? Following the Flying Jets up a class.
A pair of Northeast Corner Conference teams will move down a class due to enrollment, with Lakeland down to Class 2A and Churubusco back to Class 1A where it was as recently as 2021.
Finally, Whitko continues its drop in class due to declining enrollment. Over a decade ago, the Wildcats were a Class 3A program, but then dropped to Class 2A in 2015. Now, Whitko heads to Class 1A.
New sectional assignments are expected to be released by the IHSAA in early spring.
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