Say goodbye to the men's and women's basketball divisions.
The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission announced Thursday that the board approved changes that would scratch the division and move it directly into what was previously known as “regional.”
The current sections will be combined into one region and the playoffs will be played that way.
In the past, the winner and runner-up of each section were sent to a regional tournament, with the winner competing against the runner-up of each section.
The new format will take effect next school year. That means next year he will take effect during the March tournament.
SSAC said the men's and women's coaches committees unanimously approved the change.
There are still two champions who will advance to the final round of the tournament in Charleston, and the eight qualifiers will be reseeded.
Seeds will be determined by a vote of coaches in each region, as has been in effect since the SSAC adopted seeding for specific sports.
Region II Class AAAA (the same schools that make up the Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference) will have two byes in the first round of the tournament due to the six-team lineup.
The new rules state that in the event of a tie during the voting process, 1. Seeds will be determined based on head-to-head games. Total number of wins over the same class or higher 3. Total number of wins; 3. 4. Toss a coin.
The higher-seeded team will host the playoff game.
The SSAC Board of Directors also approved changes to the soccer evaluation system, which received unanimous approval from the Coaches Committee.
Bonus points are awarded to the school for every win, regardless of the school's classification. Previously, schools could not earn bonus points for winning games against schools in smaller classes.
Starting in the fall, the soccer team will be divided into four classes.
The strength of the schedule portion of the rating system remains the same and points are awarded on the following scale: Class AAAA, 15 points. Class AAA, 12 points. Class AA, 9 points. Class A, 6 points.
The SSAC did not announce Thursday if any other changes were made to athletic competition.