Schools see new playoff format

FORT LAUDERDALE — The Florida High School Athletic Association’s radical new proposal for deciding how schools will qualify for playoffs and be classified across various sports was presented to a number of representatives from South Florida schools’ athletic programs at Calvary Christian on Tuesday.

Justin Harrison, the FHSAA’s associate executive director for athletic services, led the presentation along with Will Adams, the state governing body’s contract administration specialist. They pitched it to three different groups of 50-60 people all together — mostly athletic directors but also some coaches.

Harrison and Adams explained that change has been demanded from a number schools who have felt they can never compete the way teams are currently classified, which is based on student enrollment. Harrison argued it’s an outdated idea that the FHSAA has used as precedent dating back to 1931 and that much has changed in high school athletics since then.

The proposed system, which would impact basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and girls volleyball, pits the state’s top 64 teams against each other in an elite division. Then the following 64 teams are placed in Division 2. Divisions 3-6 involve an equal split of remaining schools participating in that sport.

“We want every student athlete to have something to play for when that season starts,” Adams told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

The idea is the best compete against the best while lesser teams compete for state championships against others at their same competitive level.

“A lot of things we hear is … ‘My program cannot compete against this program,’ ” Harrison said. “So we’re trying to find a model that fits all schools. School systems are consistently changing, and I think we