Break out your poker analogies because it’s time to reshuffle the deck

Every two years, the Mississippi High School Activities Association and the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools try to solve the realignment conundrum.

It has to be done because nothing in the world of prep athletics is static. Schools grow. Some shrink. Some even close or consolidate. Some schools drop or add a sport.

Like a giant puzzle, the two associations try to put together divisions, regions and districts that keep long travel to a minimum, keep important rivalries together and keep the north/south alignments balanced numerically. The MHSAA starts with a report from each member school about which sports the school will play, October enrollment numbers provided by the state department of education, a map with a pin representing each school and, then, the work really begins. The top 32 schools in enrollment go to Class 6A, the next 32 to 5A and then the rest are divided by four to fill out the rest of the 4A/3A/2A/1A classifications. If the numbers at the lower levels aren’t even, the odd school will be sent down a classification. The alignment is given to the MHSAA executive committee for a vote and the executive committee can make changes. When the new alignment is announced, usually the Friday of the state championship football games, schools have 10 days to appeal positions.

Talk about herding cats.

“It’s exactly like putting a huge puzzle together,” MHSAA associate director for athletics Rickey Neaves said. “It’s very challenging to do all of that, but it’s also very rewarding. Our number one objective is driving distance, plus we want to preserve old rivalries. We’re definitely not going to make everybody happy and there are going to be some disagreements. And if School A appeals to move, we’re going to have to move someone else to fill that spot. Our office has got to look out for all of our schools, not just one or two.”

And in any realignment, there are winners, losers and schools that will stay about the same.

The biggest winner is Vicksburg High, moving down to Class 5A. After playing last year with a small roster in football, the Gators will play where they belong and have a competitive chance.

Baseball is where the Gators might make their biggest gains. They’ll move from Class 6A’s toughest division, partnered with traditional state powers Clinton and Warren Central, to one with JPS schools that struggle in baseball and rising power Ridgeland, coached by former St. Aloysius coach Clint Wilkerson.

History bears out the impact of this move. The last time the Gators were in Class 5A in 2008, they advanced to the state championship series at Trustmark Park.

As for the other county schools, they’re in the third category of little to no change. Warren Central will remain in Class 6A, while St. Aloysius stays in 1A and Class A is still home for Porters Chapel.

The biggest change for WC is losing county rival Vicksburg in division and region play, which would open a clearer path to the postseason in baseball and soccer. The two teams will still play in all sports, but for bragging rights only and earlier in the season before division and region play start.

The good news is that — unlike college athletics — these schools aren’t headed to new alignments based solely on a TV check in opposition to traditional geographical alignments. Soon-to-be ex-ACC stalwart Maryland and Big East refugee Rutgers in the Big Ten makes as much sense as a deathly slow Toyota Prius in the Indy 500.

With the MHSAA and the MAIS, realignment is a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. It’s a thankless job that deserves some thanks.

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Steve Wilson is sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. You can follow him on Twitter at vpsportseditor. He can be reached at 601-636-4545, ext. 142 or at swilson@vicksburgpost.com.