Rockmart moves up, Cedartown stays put

Jackets now a 3A school, Bulldogs remain 4A with new region alignments still to come

The Georgia High School Athletic Association (GHSA) have released their reclassification lists for the next two years, with a move up for one local school and the other remaining in the same class for now.

Rockmart is being moved up to Class 3A, and Cedartown will remain in Class 4A after realignments were announced by the GHSA.

Yellow Jackets Athletic Director Barry Williams said the numbers worked out to where Rockmart moved up into a new classification, and that there are no plans to appeal the decision.

He added the only reason Rockmart would seek an appeal is based on where they would fall in region play.

Cedartown Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Doyle Kelley also said he was happy that Cedartown remained in Class 4A for the next two years.

The Bulldogs final student numbers with only 29 out of district students fell at 1,331, or in the middle of new reclassification list of 57 schools in Class 4A.

Rockmart fell close to the end of the list with only 11 out of zones students counted, with a final tally of 972 students. If appeals provide several schools the opportunity to move up or down in classification, it could potentially bump Rockmart downward back into Class AA or upward more in the pack of Class 3A schools.

Other area schools who moved around included Calhoun and Cartersville, who both moved into 5A, Rome who moved up to 6A, and Haralson County who moved downward to 2A.

Region 5-4A opponent Sandy Creek also moved down into Class 3A under new rules.

The reclassification will stand through the 2020-21 and 202122 school years. With the release of the list and potential appeals to still undertake, the GHSA has not yet released where each school will fall in new regions. Both schools are hoping for an alignment more centered around Northwest Georgia.

Appeals of where a school ends up in classifications are due by no later than Monday, Nov. 11 for consideration by a committee starting on Nov. 12.