Clayton News Daily

By Doug Gorman

As enrollment continues to fluctuate within Henry and Clayton County high schools, those changes will be reflected starting in the 2004-2005 school year when the Georgia High School Association realigns its member schools.

Local teams will be placed in Class AAAAA, Class AAAAA and even Class A for a two-year period.

A 12-member reclassification committee met at the GHSA headquarters in Thomaston Wednesday afternoon to come up with the new regions.

As far as Southern Crescent teams are concerned, Morrow and Riverdale will be paired together in the eight-team Region 2-AAAAA region, which includes several City of Atlanta schools.

Lovejoy and Mundy's Mill will join Henry County foe Union Grove to help form the seven-team Region 4-AAAAA region.

The region also includes Fayette and Starr's Mill as well as East Coweta and Newnan.

The largest region involving local teams comes from Region 3-AAAA, which will be the home to 13 schools.

Eagle's Landing, Henry, Stockbridge and Luella, which opens this fall, help make up the new region.

Dutchtown, which opens in Henry County during the fall of 2004 also joins the region.

Four teams from Clayton County will help make up the 11-team Region 5-AAAA league. Forest Park, Jonesboro, Mt. Zion and North Clayton will compete against schools located primarily in DeKalb County.

Eagle's Landing Christian, which has competed in the Georgia Independent School Association in previous years, has petitioned to join the GHSA and will compete in Region 5-A.

Only five of the schools play football, including ELCA. State Class A state power Landmark, Our Lady of Mercy, St. Francis and Whitefield Academy.

Other schools in Region 5-A include Atlanta International, Ben Franklin, Cathedral Academy, Galloway, Green Forst, Southwest Atlanta Christian, W.D. Mohammed and Yeshiva.

Member schools can appeal Wednesday's ruling by the reclassification committee.

Appeals must be submitted to the Georgia High School Association offices by July 11.

The reclassification committee will then meet again to hear the appeals at 10 a.m. on July 16.