IHSAA makes announcements

The Iowa High School Athletic Association posted two messages Thursday afternoon.

Basketball assignments out

Postseason assignments will be released in two segments with Classes 2A and 1A made available today, then Classes 4A and 3A scheduled for a Friday, January 31 release. These district and substate assignments then become pairings in February following coaches' seeding meetings. The postseason begins Monday, February 17 for 2A and 1A.

Football announcements on hold

The biennial release of football classifications, districts, and schedules is being delayed from its usual January release. The Board of Control spent time Thursday discussing the football advisory committee's recommendations from last month regarding the number of regular season games and playoff qualifiers, as well as ideas shared in a meeting of Class 4A athletic directors at the IHSAA offices on January 16.

The board previously considered and tabled a playoff and scheduling recommendation from the advisory committee and Iowa Football Coaches Association – eight regular season games and 32 playoff qualifiers per class, not including Class 4A – and did not vote on the topic Thursday.

In working with the IHSAA's Classification Committee and Class 4A athletic directors, executive director Tom Keating and assistant director Jared Chizek shared with the board possible scheduling models to address competitive equity concerns. The IHSAA will seek feedback on the models, and the Board of Control set February 5 as the deadline date for an IHSAA recommendation regarding football districts.