MHSA Executive Board Announces Decisions
The Montana High School Association executive board took action on a variety of topics including realignment for football at a regularly scheduled meeting last week.
According to a press release, Broadus will move from eight-Man to six-Man football, Hays-Lodgepole will switch from eight-man to six-man football, Harlowton- Ryegate will move from six-man to eight-man football and Deer Lodge will shift from eight-Man to Class B football.
Some schools which have a choice to participate fully in the higher classification or opt to participate in the lower classification but not be postseason eligible. Those schools are Arlee in Class B football, Box Elder in eigh-Man football, Centerville in eight-Man football, Joliet in Class B football, Shelby in Class B football and MonDak in eight-Man football.
Whitehall-Harrison is moving from the Western to the Southern Conference in Class B football. The MHSA executive board also approved the proposed four-division alignment for Class A football. In other realignment news, the board approved the proposals for Class C in basketball, track and field and volleyball. Districts will be finalized at the 2025 MHSA annual meeting in January.
Other proposals for the annual meeting include:
• Approval of the Class B golf qualifying criteria to revert to the same number of qualifying players and teams as last year.
• Approval in Class C girls divisional wrestling for a trophy to be awarded to the first-, second- and third-place teams.
• Approval of baseball conferences for the 2025 season.
• Approval of a change in the procedures for football realignment where divisions impacted by reclassification can present their conference alignment (if needed) at the executive board meeting. Schools can also appeal their conference alignment at the January meeting.
• Approval of the MHSA office in Helena to relocate to a new site in the city. The new building will help MHSA staff to host board and membership meetings ensuring ADA compliance and advanced technology.