Kentucky High School Athletic Association

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) has been the governing body of Kentucky high school athletics since 1917. Located in Lexington, the organization sanctions competition in the following sports:
*Boys and girls
**Basketball
**Cross-country
**Golf
**Soccer
**Swimming
**Tennis
**Track and field
*Boys only
**Baseball
**Football
**Wrestling
*Girls only
**Fast pitch softball
**Slow pitch softball
**Volleyball

chools governed

The KHSAA governs competitions for both public and private schools throughout the state, plus two federally administered schools—Fort Campbell and Fort Knox High Schools, located on the U.S. Army bases of the same names. Fort Campbell High is actually located on the Tennessee side of the base, which straddles the state border, but the United States Department of Defense organizes the schools it runs on the two bases under a single district.

Not all secondary schools in Kentucky participate in the KHSAA. About two dozen small, private religious schools are sanctioned by the Kentucky Christian Athletic Association. [ [http://www.kcaaonline.com Kentucky Christian Athletic Association web site] ]

Whether public, private, or federally administered, all member schools compete for state championships on an equal basis. Unlike some other states' school athletic governing bodies, the KHSAA governs only athletics; it does not govern band, academic competitions, or other extracurricular activities, all of which are governed by separate bodies. Also, unlike bodies in a growing number of states, the KHSAA does not govern cheerleading competition, which is organized by the [http://www.kapos.org Kentucky Association of Pep Organization Sponsors] .

Boy's Basketball

See also: Sweet Sixteen (KHSAA State Basketball Championship)

2007 National City Bank KHSAA Boys Sweet Sixteen

March 21-24, 2007 Lexington, Kentucky; Rupp Arena

* = Overtime (one per overtime)

16TeamBracket | RD1=First round
RD2=Quarterfinals
RD3=State Semifinals
RD4=State Championship

RD1-seed01=5
RD1-team01=Adair County
RD1-seed02=12
RD1-team02= Lincoln County
RD1-score01=51
RD1-score02=41

RD1-seed03=11
RD1-team03=Scott County
RD1-seed04=8
RD1-team04=Oldham County
RD1-score03=59
RD1-score04=47

RD1-seed05=13
RD1-team05=South Laurel
RD1-seed06=6
RD1-team06=Louisville Fairdale
RD1-score05=48
RD1-score06=46

RD1-seed07=9
RD1-team07=Covington Holmes
RD1-seed08=1
RD1-team08=Paducah Tilghman
RD1-score07=57
RD1-score08=48

RD1-seed09=3
RD1-team09=Owensboro
RD1-seed10=7
RD1-team10=Louisville Ballard
RD1-score09=60
RD1-score10=80

RD1-seed11=10
RD1-team11=George Rogers Clark
RD1-seed12=2
RD1-team12=Christian County
RD1-score11=77*
RD1-score12=71

RD1-seed13=16
RD1-team13=Elliott County
RD1-seed14=15
RD1-team14=Shelby Valley
RD1-score13=68
RD1-score14=55

RD1-seed15=14
RD1-team15=June Buchanan
RD1-seed16=4
RD1-team16=Warren Central
RD1-score15=53
RD1-score16=71

RD2-team01=Adair County
RD2-team02=Scott County
RD2-score01=53
RD2-score02=68

RD2-team03=South Laurel
RD2-team04=Covington Holmes
RD2-score03=49
RD2-score04=55

RD2-team05=Louisville Ballard
RD2-team06=George Rogers Clark
RD2-score05=71
RD2-score06=48

RD2-team07=Elliott County
RD2-team08=Warren Central
RD2-score07=76
RD2-score08=92

RD3-team01=Scott County
RD3-team02=Covington Holmes
RD3-score01=73
RD3-score02=64

RD3-team03=Louisville Ballard
RD3-team04=Warren Central
RD3-score03=61
RD3-score04=55

RD4-team01=Scott County
RD4-team02=Louisville Ballard
RD4-score01=56
RD4-score02=50

Football

KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl Games
Friday, December 7, 2007
1A: Beechwood (12-2) vs. Lexington Christian (13-3)
*Beechwood wins 38-353A: Belfry (14-0) vs. Louisville Central (9-5)
*Louisville Central wins 27-175A: Fort Thomas Highlands (14-0) vs. Bowling Green (13-1)
*Fort Thomas Highlands wins 28-7Saturday, December 8, 2007
2A: Newport Central Catholic (13-1) vs. Fort Campbell (12-2)
*Fort Campbell wins4A: Lone Oak (14-0) vs. Lexington Catholic (12-2)
*Lexington Catholic wins 49-76A: Saint Xavier (14-0) vs. Trinity (12-2)
*Trinity wins 34-28 in overtime

see also: KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl

Classification

Unlike the situation in most states, the default in Kentucky is to conduct a single state championship for all schools, with no classification of schools by enrollment. [cite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/tournamentrules/batournamentrules.pdf |title=KHSAA Rules and Regulations Governing Baseball Tournaments |work=2006-2007 KHSAA Handbook |format=PDF |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007] [cite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/tournamentrules/fptournamentrules.pdf |title=KHSAA Rules and Regulations Governing Fast Pitch Softball Tournaments |work=2006-2007 KHSAA Handbook |format=PDF |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007] [cite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/tournamentrules/gftournamentrules.pdf |title=KHSAA Rules and Regulations Governing Golf Tournaments |work=2006-2007 KHSAA Handbook |format=PDF |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007] [cite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/tournamentrules/sptournamentrules.pdf |title=KHSAA Rules and Regulations Governing Slow Pitch Softball Tournaments |work=2006-2007 KHSAA Handbook |format=PDF |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007] [cite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/tournamentrules/sotournamentrules.pdf |title= KHSAA Rules and Regulations Governing Soccer Tournaments |work=2006-2007 KHSAA Handbook |format=PDF |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007] [cite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/tournamentrules/swtournamentrules.pdf |title=KHSAA Rules and Regulations Governing Swimming Meets |work=2006-2007 KHSAA Handbook |format=PDF |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007] [cite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/tournamentrules/tntournamentrules.pdf |title=KHSAA Rules and Regulations Governing Tennis Tournaments |work=2006-2007 KHSAA Handbook |format=PDF |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007] [cite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/tournamentrules/vbtournamentrules.pdf |title=KHSAA Rules and Regulations Governing Volleyball Tournaments |work=2006-2007 KHSAA Handbook |format=PDF |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007] [cite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/tournamentrules/wrtournamentrules.pdf |title=KHSAA Rules and Regulations Governing Wrestling Tournaments |work=2006-2007 KHSAA Handbook |format=PDF |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007] Most notably, Kentucky does not divide schools into classes in basketball, [cite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/tournamentrules/bktournamentrules.pdf |title=KHSAA Rules and Regulations Governing Basketball Tournaments |work=2006-2007 KHSAA Handbook |format=PDF |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007] with Delaware being the only other remaining state with a single state basketball championship for each sex. Of the 13 sports in which the KHSAA sanctions state championships, only three are organized in multiple classes—cross-country, football, and track. As of the 2007-08 school year, the classification rules for the three sports which are divided are:
*Cross-countrycite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/tournamentrules/xctournamentrules.pdf |title=KHSAA Rules and Regulations Governing Cross Country Meets |format=PDF |work=2006-07 KHSAA Handbook |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007] and trackcite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/tournamentrules/trtournamentrules.pdf |title=KHSAA Rules and Regulations Governing Track Meets |work=2006-07 KHSAA Handbook |format=PDF |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007]
**Class A — 570 or fewer students
**Class AA — 571-950 students
**Class AAA — More than 950 students
*Footballcite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/football/realignment/6classfinalalignmentfor2007and2008.pdf |title=Final Football Alignment for 2007-08 Through 2008-09 |publisher=KHSAA |accessmonthday=August 10 |accessyear=2007] cite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/football/realignment/schoolenrollmentandnotesuseforrealignment.pdf |title=School Enrollment and Notes Used for Realignment |format=PDF |publisher=KHSAA |accessmonthday=August 9 |accessyear=2007]
**Class 6A — The 36 largest schools in the state, based on average enrollment (see below) "of boys only", among schools that sponsor the sport.
**Class 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A — Each with 36 schools, in decreasing order of enrollment
**Class A — All remaining schools that sponsor football after the other classes are filledThe 2007-08 school year was the first for a six-class alignment in football; previously, a four-class system had been used.cite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/tournamentrules/fbtournamentrules.pdf |title=KHSAA Rules and Regulations Governing the Football Championships |format=PDF |work=2006-2007 KHSAA Handbook |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007]

Schools were allowed to petition the KHSAA for reclassification before the football realignment became final. Eleven schools requested that the KHSAA place them in a higher class than their enrollment warranted; six of these requests were approved. No school was allowed to play in a lower class, although the KHSAA accepted one school's request to adjust its enrollment downward.cite web|url=http://www.khsaa.org/football/realignment/finalalignmentcoverletter2006.pdf |title=Final Football Alignment Cover Letter |publisher=KHSAA |date=August 21, 2006 |accessmonthday=August 9 |accessyear=2007] As a result of these requests, the final number of schools in each classification was:
*Class 6A — 36 schools [This does not include the new Harlan County High School, a 6A-classified school which opened in August 2008. It will not compete in district play in the 2008 season, making it ineligible for the state football tournament.]
*Class 5A — 37 schools
*Class 4A — 35 schools
*Class 3A — 39 schools (now 38) [James A. Cawood High School, classified as 3A, closed after the 2007-08 school year. The students previously zoned to that school now attend Harlan County High.]
*Class 2A — 33 schools
*Class A — 41 schools (now 39) [Two Class A schools in Harlan County, Cumberland and Evarts High Schools, also closed in 2008 to make way for Harlan County High.]

In all three sports, classification is based on a four-year average enrollment in grades 9 through 12. Single-sex schools are deemed to have double their actual average enrollment for cross-country and track; prior to the 2007 realignment, football also used this rule. In cross-country and track, the KHSAA rule is to divide the classes so that 40% of all schools that sponsor the sport are in Class A and 30% are in both Class AA and AAA.

Eligibility considerations

As is standard for high school sports in the U.S., students are limited to four consecutive years of eligibility (grades 9-12), whether or not they participate in any sports during one or more of those years. In football and soccer, students are not allowed to play on the varsity until they are actually enrolled in the ninth grade, and wrestlers cannot compete until they have entered the seventh grade.cite web|url= http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/bylaws/bylaw4.pdf |title=2006-2007 KHSAA Handbook: Bylaw 4 |format=PDF |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007] In other sports, there is no grade restriction; for example, current NBA player O. J. Mayo first played on a high school varsity team as a seventh-grader at Rose Hill Christian School in Ashland, and current PGA Tour golfer JB Holmes first played on the golf team of Taylor County High School in Campbellsville while in the third grade. [cite web|url=http://www.pga.com/news/tours/pga-tour/holmes010607.cfm |title=After 10 years on his school team, Holmes joins the PGA Tour varsity |author=Associated Press |publisher=PGA of America |date=January 6, 2007 |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007] The eligibility "clock" for such students does not start until they enter ninth grade.

Like all U.S. jurisdictions, Kentucky has an upper age limit for high school athletic participation. The KHSAA rule is that students must be under age 19 as of the July 31 preceding the current academic year. This particular rule is actually codified in Kentucky Revised Statutes § 156.270(2)(e).cite web|url= http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/bylaws/bylaw3.pdf |title=2006-2007 KHSAA Handbook: Bylaw 3 |format=PDF |accessmonthday=January 8 |accessyear=2007]

A student who is repeating a grade during high school for any reason is not allowed to compete during his or her second year at that grade level.

Homeschoolers are prohibited from participating in any KHSAA-sanctioned activities. Moreover, KHSAA schools are also prohibited from competing against teams composed of homeschoolers.

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.khsaa.org/ KHSAA Homepage]