The Advocate and Democrat

Thirty-three items are on the agenda for the meeting, with reclassification being one of the final items the board will discuss.

The board will consider three proposals for the structure of high school football in Tennessee, which would start with the 2009-10 school year.

The first option would be to continue with the current structure of five classes consisting of eight regions in Division I, with the exception of Class AA, which has nine regions.

This would mean little to no change for Sweetwater and Sequoyah and their regions.

Another option, known as the Z-plan, has gained popularity across the state recently. It would split teams into three classes for the regular season and five classes for the playoffs.

Under the Z-plan, 2A and 3A schools would form a new AA class for the regular season.

The top two teams from each district automatically qualify for the playoffs and wildcard teams, using the same format 2A schools currently use, would fill the rest of the playoff slots.

The Z-plan would divide the schools into 16 districts across the three classes. That is the same structure the TSSAA uses for basketball, baseball, and softball.

It would also promote some of the same rivalries Monroe County fans have grown accustomed to in those sports.

A move to the Z-plan would likely place Sweetwater, Sequoyah, and Tellico Plains in the same district, along with rivals McMinn Central, Polk County, and Meigs County.

The Z-plan has gained popularity due to the potential to create natural rivalries and a way to curb rising travel costs.

Another option would be switching to a rural-metro system. However, that plan lacks support and is considered to be the least possible option.

Another item the TSSAA will consider is whether or not to keep the 1.8 multiplier for non-public schools, modify the multiplier, or scrap it completely.

The multiplier was added in an attempt to even the playing field for public schools, but has failed to do so.

According to The Tennessean, in the three years before the multiplier, private schools won 32 Division I state championships. In the three years since enacting it, private schools have won 33 Division I state titles.

The 1.8 multiplier is applied to a school’s enrollment and generally moves the school up only one class.

Regardless of what the TSSAA decides, one Monroe County school is set to move.

Tellico Plains athletic director and boy’s basketball head coach Shawn Yates said the school will go wherever the TSSAA puts them.

If the association keeps the present system for football, the Bears would likely move down from 3A to 2A.

According to the TSSAA Web site, Tellico Plains has 22 fewer students than Sweetwater, another 2A school.

However, Tellico has played up in classification the last three years in football for travel purposes.

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