NCHSAA approves plan for playoffs under 8-class system, and playoff price hikes

The N.C. High School Athletic Association finalized a major piece of the realignment process Wednesday by approving a playoff structure for the new eight-class system that starts in the fall.

The state’s athletes and coaches now know how many teams and individuals will qualify for postseason play, how they’ll qualify, and how many regional tournaments will take place.

And fans also know how much it will cost to attend those games and matches.

The NCHSAA’s board of directors approved the plans during the final day of the two-day annual spring meeting in Chapel Hill.

One piece of the playoff structure still remains to be solved — locations for the championship games and matches, and how the NCHSAA will handle the expansion from four to eight finals in each sport.

The rest, however, is set.

Under the plan approved Wednesday, the playoff bracket will include 24 teams from the 32-team Class 8A; and 48 teams each from Classes 1A through 7A.

Teams will be seeded for the playoffs by using the MaxPreps ratings, which factor in a team’s winning percentage, its opponents’ winning percentages, and its opponents’ opponents’ winning percentages.

“Conference order of finish will no longer determine playoff positions,” said board member Brian Carver, athletics director at Enka High near Asheville.

That means a conference champion might be seeded lower than the second- or third-place team in the conference, depending on strength of schedule. And it’s conceivable that a conference champion might miss the playoffs entirely, although board members said they can’t imagine such a scenario taking place.

The board discussed a number of other topics during the two days — including the rising numbers of player and coach ejections, a push from some people to move parochial and charter schools into a separate playoff system, and a possible shot clock in basketball.

But the realignment and new playoff structure dominated the meeting.

NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker said that moving from four to eight classes means there are still some unanswered questions, including:

▪ What to do about the “extra week” for teams in the 8A playoffs? With 24 playoff qualifiers, compared to 48 in the other classes, the 8A teams will have a one-round bye. And since the eight top seeds in the bracket will have a built-in bye, it means those eight teams could face a two-week bye before starting the football playoffs.

▪ How to handle state championship games and matches? Tucker noted that the “Final Four” format used the past two seasons in basketball has been popular with coaches, players and fans. “But how do we maintain the one-week schedule with eight size classes for boys and girls?” she asked. Tucker said the NCHSAA board and staff will spend the summer working on solving that puzzle.

▪ What about combined tournaments? In some sports with a relatively small number of schools participating, like lacrosse, several classes are combined into one tournament. She said the NCHSAA will make that decision after it sees how many schools plan to field teams in various sports. “That’s one we don’t know yet,” she said.

The board also approved a plan for non-team sports:

Cross country: Two regionals will be held in 8A and three each in 1A through 7A. The top six teams and top seven individuals who are not on a qualifying team will advance to the state meet. The state finals will be held over two days, with four championships each day.

Golf: There will be three regional sites for boys and two for girls. Two tournaments will take place simultaneously at each site, with one event starting on the front nine while the other starts on the back nine.

Indoor Track and Field: The number of qualifiers in each event will be cut from 16 to 12.

Outdoor Track and Field: No major changes.

Swimming/diving: The number of regionals will be cut from three to two, and two state meets will take place at one time.

Tennis: Schools would send players to a pre-regional tournament, with the top 16 singles players and doubles teams advancing to the regional. Each of four regionals would send two singles and two doubles qualifiers to the state tournaments.

Wrestling: There will be five tournaments — 8A, 7A, 6A, 5A and 1A-4A combined. The number of regionals will be cut from four to two, with the top four finishers in each regional advancing to the state meet.

Ticket prices to climb

Playoff ticket prices, which have remained stable since the 2017-18 school year, will increase for next school year.

In sports such as soccer, lacrosse, baseball, softball and basketball, where tickets for the opening two rounds have cost $7, the price will climb to $10. The cost of a ticket to the first and second rounds of the football playoffs will jump from $8 to $12.

Increases also were finalized for later rounds in each sport. The most expensive tickets, $20, will be in football and basketball championships.

Board members said the increases were necessary so schools could cope with the rising price of conducting playoffs.

“Schools have incurred a lot more in expenses,” said board Vice President Mark Garrett, superintendent of Henderson County Schools. “Security (police) costs are way up, for example.”

Garrett said the $10 ticket price is consistent with what many schools already are charging for regular-season admission.

The board chose not to act on a suggestion from Garrett that students get a discount on tickets if purchased in advance. Several board members said they opposed the idea because it would complicate the job of ticket-takers at events.

But board member Larry Williford, principal at Farmville Central High, said he is concerned about the impact of the cost increase on students.

The board agreed to look at the issue again during its December meeting, after studying attendance patterns in the fall playoffs.

In other decisions, the board:

▪ Changed the threshold for the “mercy rule,” or running clock, in football and basketball. Under the new rule, the running clock will begin once a team builds a 35-point lead in the second half. The old limit was 42 points in football and 40 in basketball.

▪ Delayed acting on a proposal to recognize girls’ flag football as a sport. The idea will be discussed again in December. One sticking point: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ flag football season is in the spring, while most other schools compete in the fall.

▪ Tabled a decision on permitting a 30-second shot clock in some basketball games next season. Several board members expressed concern over the training required for clock operators.

It was the final meeting for three members of the 19-person board whose terms expire June 30. They are Carver; Chad Duncan, athletic director of the Gaston County Schools; and Tayna Turner, superintendent of the Perquimans County Schools.