BHS sports prep for season in Class B

As Bigfork High School's athletic teams gear up for their new seasons most are undergoing signicicant changes as the school competes in Class B for the first time since the 1996-1997 school year.

Last November the Montana High School Association (MHSA) recommended that BHS move from Class A to Class B for activity and athletic competition for the upcoming school year due to decreasing enrollment.

The school was given the option to petition MHSA to stay in Class A, which is a common procedure for the private schools in the state with small enrollment and strong athletic programs.

The MHSA reviews enrollment data for the schools every two years and divides the schools into classes based on those numbers. Enrollment has been decreasing statewide over the last 10 years, so those guidelines were adjusted accordingly for this year's review. Bigfork's combined average enrollment for 2007 and 2008 was 333.25, which put the school within the Class B range of 120 to 339 students. A school categorized as Class A is supposed to have 340 to 825 students. While a difference of seven students may not seem like a good enough reason for BHS to drop to Class B, there were other factors considered by the administration and school board. Bigfork was the smallest Class A public school in the state. Meanwhile, schools like Columbia Falls and Belgrade have more than 800 students. Also, enrollment numbers at BHS are expected to continue to decrease with smaller class sizes moving up through the middle and elementary schools.

Opponents of the move said that they were upset that the students would be traveling further for Class B games. Time, money and safety were the biggest concerns that both parents and students shared in the change. Also, athletes voiced that they were upset that they'd be losing their longtime rivals.

With just a little more than a week to make a decision both sides were heard at a monthly school board meeting and the administration supported the move and presented their recommendation to the board.

"We looked at travel, money, scholarships and all of the key points," Bigfork Superintendent of Schools and then-BHS Principal Russ Kinzer said at the meeting, which was attended by about 40 people. "But what it came down to was whether our students could compete at a fair level. We have to do what's best for the kids. There are MHSA guidelines and they are there for a reason. Therefore, we are recommending to the board that we accept the move to Class B."

A 4-2 decision with one member absent was made by the board to not file a petition.

Soccer is the only sport that is not affected by the change. Class B schools do not compete in soccer so Bigfork is allowed to play up into Class A. Speech and drama, track and cross country will keep the same schedule as they would have in Class A, since schools from all classes attend those meets. The difference will be that their scores will be ranked among Class B schools rather than Class A now. The tennis team's opponents have not changed much for the upcoming season either. They will play against mostly Class A schools because many Class B schools don't have tennis teams and they would otherwise be traveling all over the state, which would still be mostly non-conference matches.

With the exception of golf, the rest of BHS' sports will now compete in District 7B, which currently includes Thompson Falls, Troy, Plains, Lincoln County (Eureka) and St. Ignatius. For golf, which is played in the spring in Class B and C, Bigfork will compete in Division 3, which includes Broadwater (Townsend), Lincoln County, Loyola Sacred Heart (Missoula), Manhattan, Manhattan Christian, Plains, Powell County (Deer Lodge), Seeley Swan, Sweet Grass County (Big Timber), Thompson Falls and Three Forks.

The administration researched the difference in time, miles and cost between the Northwest Class A schedule, and the 7B schedule it will take on this year. Measurements were made from Bigfork to each of the playing sites in both of the conferences. The Class A schedule was 243.5 miles and five hours and 45 minutes each way. The Class B schedule was 457.1 miles and 10 hours and 12 minutes each way.

Although teams will no longer be traveling to far away Class A schools for non-conference games, teams will still take part in some Class A tournaments at those locations.

For example, the volleyball team will still be playing in the annual tipoff tournament which is attended by mostly Class A schools and is in Anaconda this year.

The basketball teams will also still play in their respective tipoff tournaments that are attended by Class A schools. This year those tournaments are being held in Polson and Ronan, but it alternates from north to south conferences each year. In southern years, it is commonly held in Hamilton.

The Bigfork teams are being included in these predominately Class A tournaments because without them their is an odd number of schools at the tournaments. So they will likely continue to play in the tournaments until other schools add in or drop out of Class A.

One of the biggest differences between Class A and Class B is in post season play. In volleyball and basketball, teams play in a district tournament attempting to advance to the divisional playoffs as opposed to Class A, where all of the teams in the conference play at divisionals. In Class B, football playoffs have one more game in the bracket than Class A. Also, in tennis, all boys automatically go to state and only girls have to advance through divisionals.