By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The Beechwood Tigers football program that has won 13 state championships and five state runner-up trophies in the Class 1A playoffs will be competing on the Class 2A level during the 2019-2022 seasons.
Beechwood is one of six local high school teams that will be switching classes in the statewide football realignment that was approved by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association during a Board of Control meeting on Wednesday in Lexington.
The proposed realignment in Kentucky’s six-class playoff system was sent to member schools last February. The KHSAA has been making adjustments every four years to balance the number of teams in each class based on updated student enrollments. Each class will have between 32 and 41 teams when the new realignment takes effect in 2019.
This is the first time that Beechwood has been part of a statewide realignment, but it comes as no surprise. The Tigers had one of the highest enrollments among Class 1A teams last season when they won their second straight state title.
Beechwood will actually be switching places with Newport Central Catholic, which is dropping from Class 2A to Class 1A. The new Class 2A district will include Beechwood, Holy Cross, Lloyd and Newport. The new Class 1A district will consist of Bellevue, Dayton, Ludlow and NewCath.
NewCath won back-to-back Class 1A state titles in 2005 and 2006 before a realignment moved the school up to Class 2A. Over the last 11 seasons, the Thoroughbreds won two state championships and five state runner-up trophies in the Class 2A playoffs.
Here’s a look at how the realignment for the 2019-2022 seasons will affect other local teams:
CLASS 6A — Dixie Heights will move up to Class 6A and join Campbell County, Ryle and Simon Kenton in the new district.
CLASS 5A — Boone County, Cooper and Conner will drop down to Class 5A and join Highlands and defending state champion Covington Catholic in the new district.
CLASS 4A — Rowan County and Boyd County will join a new Class 4A district with Scott, Holmes and Harrison County.
CLASS 2A — Louisville Shawnee will move into a Class 2A district that already includes Walton-Verona, Carroll County, Gallatin County, Owen County and Trimble County.
CLASS 1A — Brossart, Nicholas County, Bracken County and Paris will remain in the same Class 1A district, but Berea will move to a different district.