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High school football season ready for massive upset

DeLaSalle vs. Edina
DeLaSalle quarterback Billy Hart is tackled by Edina players during the first half, Friday, September 5, 2014, at DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis, MN.
Tom Baker | For MPR News file

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New rules taking effect this fall shakes up the high school football season across Minnesota. These changes will, in some cases, upset traditional football rivalries such as Albert Lea and Austin with new districts while making the season scheduling task a bit easier for schools and students. MPR News' Tom Weber talks with John Millea from the Minnesota State High School League about the changes.

Participation in high school football is declining. Some schools are finding it difficult to maintain enrollment numbers for the traditional classification ranking and in some cases are creating cooperative teams with neighboring districts.

"No schools have to search for an opponent to fill their schedule now."

Many teams were having difficulty filling out their eight-game season with nearby schools of the same class. Some teams were driving extremely long distances for away games that took the students out of the classroom for long periods. The new rules won't eliminate long bus rides entirely, but the difficulty of scheduling a game has been lessened.

How district scheduling works

Under the old system, schools had to make the schedules themselves, and under the new system, districts handle filling out the schedule. Each of the schools has a representative at the district, usually an athletics director or a coach, and they decide how to fill out the season for all of the schools in the district. It is up to each district how they want to determine the schedule.

Click here to explore the districts and the high schools in each district

What are the division classes?

The 'Method to Determination Classification' lists the activity classifications as:
6A = Largest 32 schools
AAAAA = Next 48 schools
AAAA = Next 48 schools
AAA = Next 54 schools
AA = Divided equally in 1/2
A = Divided equally in 1/2
9-Man = District 9-Man