LEXINGTON, Ky. (WMDJ) – The KHSAA Board of Control released a proposed draft for football realignment in the 2025-26 seasons on Wednesday.
A total of 24 schools could be switching classes. One of the changes involves moving a familiar mountain foe back down to Class 2A for the first time since 2006.
When the current two-year cycle of realignment was approved last year, Belfry elected to “play-up” and remain in Class 3A although their enrollment numbers had declined. The proposed draft going forward would return the Pirates to a crowded Class 2A, District 8 joining other Pike County schools East Ridge, Pike Central and Shelby Valley along with Betsy Layne.
Class 2A, District 7 keeps the foursome of Floyd Central, Knott County Central, Martin County and Prestonsburg, while shifting Leslie County over from District 6, creating a 5-team field fighting for four playoff spots.
Class 2A, District 6 would be reshaped by adding Jackson County and Morgan County back into district competition rather than playing independently, while dropping West Carter back to 2A to join the only holdover Breathitt County to fill out the District 6.
Also rejoining district play would be Jenkins and Phelps. Both schools would be tasked to compete with Hazard, Paintsville and defending state champion Pikeville in Class 1A, District 8. Phelps last played in district competition in 2021. Jenkins restarted football as an independent last season finishing (0-10) after not having a season in 2022 and 2020. The Cavaliers last won a football game in 2016 against South Floyd.
The realignment draft must be approved by the Board of Control during a meeting in May. The Board voted to not allow teams to “play-up” in class, thus forcing Belfry and West Carter to fall from 3A to 2A competition after both schools requested to play-up during the current cycle.
Here’s a complete list of the proposed draft:
DRAFT ALIGNMENT OF TEAMS FOR KHSAA FOOTBALL – 2025 and 2026 SEASONS
Class 1A
District 1- Ballard Memorial, Caverna, Fulton County, Russellville
District 2- Bethlehem, Campbellsville, Holy Cross (Louisville), Kentucky Country Day
District 3- Bellevue, Dayton, Newport, Newport Central Catholic
District 4- Bishop Brossart, Holy Cross (Covington), Ludlow, Trimble County
District 5- Berea, Eminence, Frankfort, Sayre District 6- Fairview, Nicholas County, Paris, Raceland
District 7- Harlan, Lynn Camp, Middlesboro, Pineville, Williamsburg
District 8- Hazard, Jenkins, Paintsville, Phelps, Pikeville
Class 2A
District 1- Caldwell County, Crittenden County, Fort Campbell, Mayfield, Todd County Central, Trigg County
District 2- Fort Knox, Hancock County, McLean County, Owensboro Catholic
District 3- Clinton County, Green County, Metcalfe County, Monroe County, Somerset
District 4- Danville, Lexington Christian, Shawnee, Washington County, WEB DuBois
District 5- Beechwood, Bracken County, Gallatin County, Owen County, St. Henry District, Walton-Verona
District 6- Breathitt County, Jackson County, Morgan County, West Carter
District 7- Floyd Central, Knott County Central, Leslie County, Martin County, Prestonsburg
District -8 Belfry, Betsy Layne, East Ridge, Pike County Central, Shelby Valley
Class 3A
District 1- Hopkins County Central, Murray, Union County, Webster County
District 2- Adair County, Butler County, Edmonson County, Glasgow, Hart County
District 3- Bardstown, Central, Christian Academy-Louisville, DeSales, Thomas Nelson, Western
District 4- Casey County, Garrard County, LaRue County, Lexington Catholic, Mercer County
District 5- Bourbon County, Carroll County, Henry County, Lloyd Memorial, Pendleton County
District 6- Bath County, East Carter, Fleming County, Lewis County, Russell
District 7- Bell County, Clay County, Knox Central, McCreary Central, Rockcastle County
District 8- Estill County, Lawrence County, Letcher County Central, Magoffin County, Powell County
Class 4A
District 1- Allen County-Scottsville, Calloway County, Franklin-Simpson, Logan County, Paducah Tilghman, Warren East
District 2- Breckinridge County, Elizabethtown, John Hardin, Marion County, Nelson County
District 3- Doss, North Oldham, Valley, Waggener
District 4- Franklin County, Shelby County, Spencer County, Western Hills
District 5- Covington Catholic, Grant County, Harrison County, Highlands, Holmes, Mason County
District 6- Ashland Blazer, Boyd County, Greenup County, Johnson Central, Rowan County
District 7- Boyle County, Lincoln County, Russell County, Taylor County, Wayne County
District 8- Corbin, Harlan County, Perry County Central, Whitley County
Class 5A
District 1- Apollo, Graves County, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Marshall County, Muhlenberg County, Owensboro
District 2- Barren County, Bowling Green, Grayson County, Greenwood, Ohio County, Warren Central
District 3- Atherton, Butler, Iroquois, Seneca
District 4- Bullitt Central, Fairdale, Jeffersontown, Moore, North Bullitt
District 5- Boone County, Conner, Cooper, Dixie Heights, Scott
District 6- Anderson County, Collins, Scott County, South Oldham, Woodford County
District 7- East Jessamine, Madison Southern, Montgomery County, West Jessamine
District 8- North Laurel, Pulaski County, South Laurel, Southwestern
Class 6A
District 1- Christian County, Henderson County, Hopkinsville, McCracken County
District 2- Central Hardin, Daviess County, Meade County, South Warren
District 3- DuPont Manual, North Hardin, Pleasure Ridge Park, St. Xavier
District 4- Bullitt East, Fern Creek, Male, Southern
District 5- Ballard, Eastern, Oldham County, Trinity (Louisville)
District 6- Campbell County, Great Crossing, Ryle, Simon Kenton
District 7- Henry Clay, Lafayette, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Tates Creek
District 8- Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass, George Rogers Clark, Madison Central
