JOURNAL SPORTS
If the initial figures released Wednesday by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association hold up, Loyola College Prep Flyers sports teams face daunting travel in the next two school years.
Wednesday, the LHSAA posted enrollment figures that should dictate reclassification of some schools for 2024-25 and 2025-26. Schools submitted enrollment data for the LHSAA to assess and determine potential district alignments and postseason divisions.
Officials stressed Wednesday’s report is a first step in the process and that additional data and appeals could create adjustments from the projected reclassifications.
Loyola’s figure of 401 students appears to move the school up from Class 2A to 3A. That would shift the Flyers from a travel-friendly District 1-2A to 1-3A, where the nearest competition is North Webster in Springhill and most of the district comes from the Monroe area.
According to the new data, Huntington would move up to Class 5A, as widely expected, and Southwood would shift down to Class 4A. Those moves would have no significant impact on travel costs.
Evangel continues to “play up” to Class 4A despite its current, and projected future enrollment figures that qualify ECA to compete in Class 2A.
All other local high schools appear destined to retain their current status.
Principals have until noon Oct. 31 to file appeals to be considered by the LHSAA in a Nov. 2 meeting. Petitions such as the one anticipated by Evangel to “play up” must also be filed by that deadline.
A districting proposal will be issued by the LHSAA after the Nov. 2 meeting with a Nov. 13 session set for discussion, presumably for schools like Loyola that will face travel hardships.
Airline is the largest local school with 1,866 students. Captain Shreve is next at 1,783, followed by Benton (1,491), Byrd (1,470), Haughton (1,332), Huntington (1,301), and Parkway (1,290).
Northwood (1,029) and Southwood (1,019) would be two of the three largest schools in Class 4A statewide. Loyola would be the fifth-smallest in Class 3A.