LHSAA Convention: Principals To Mull Over Playoff, Select Designation Options Following Friday Session

BATON ROUGE – A motion to postpone the ratification of current playoff structures for the sports of football, basketball, baseball and softball was approved overwhelmingly at Friday’s LHSAA annual convention

Principals from around the state voted, 300-66, to have the current playoff system comprised of four divisions on each side remain in place for remainder of 2023 season. In a Thursday meeting between a group of principals from each classification and LHSAA president David Federico, an agreement was made to finish out the spring championships and meet again around June to discuss a solution to the current definition of Select as well as possible resurrecting of playoffs.

As of now the sports of boy’s and girl’s basketball, baseball and softball will finish out the school year with the current format as voted on by the LHSAA executive committee last September.

More updates will be added to this story.

Notes:

• Due to the LHSAA being in good financial standing, no member schools will pay membership dues for the 2023-2024 academic year.

•All items proposed for ratification by executive committee under Article 4.4.4. were passed or postponed including: postponement of ratifying playoff structure, all Non-Select and Select championships remain together and new member schools will have to wait until a reclassification year to play in district.

• A proposal to add softball as a sport allowing higher seed to host quarterfinal round passed, 312-52, effective in 2024.

• Motion to remove added point for basketball district championships in power ratings for 2023-24 school year failed, 182-186, at the behest of Lincoln Prep principal Gordon Ford who argued that possible playoff restructure meeting in June could negate the proposal.