The final step in the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s football restructuring project was finalized Thursday when the state’s governing body released the district alignments that will be used from 2009-’12.

During the TSSAA’s summer meetings, the Board of Control voted in a new classification system, and that new format will affect how playoff teams are determined. Under the new system, there will be three classifications comprised of 16 districts for the regular season.

For the football postseason, enrollment will determine how teams will expand into the six playoff brackets, with teams in Class A separated into 1A and 2A, Class AA teams becoming 3A and 4A and Class AAA teams being 5A and 6A.

Teams finishing first or second in the district will be automatic playoff qualifiers, and the rest of the playoff field will be filled by wild cards determined by overall records. All schools will play every team in their district, and with three classes rather than the current five, schools are grouped with teams closer in proximity — a move designed to cut down on travel costs.

“I like the new format, because we won’t have to make any more trips to Knoxville,” Soddy-Daisy coach E.K. Slaughter said. “It will also bring back some of the old rivalries that had gone away, and that should add some excitement to the regular season in the area.”

Under the old region format, Soddy-Daisy, Bradley Central, McMinn County and Ooltewah were grouped with four Knoxville-area schools in Region 2-5A. Those travel issues have been erased for regular-season scheduling with the new AAA district filled by area teams — Bradley Central, Cleveland, McMinn County, Ooltewah, Rhea County, Soddy-Daisy and Walker Valley.

Six of the seven teams in that league earned playoff berths this season, and four of those — McMinn County, Ooltewah, Rhea County and Soddy-Daisy — are still alive in tonight’s second round.

“It’s definitely going to be a very tough district,” Slaughter said. “But if you’re one of the top two teams, you’ll know going into the playoffs that you’re a pretty doggone good team.”

Another potentially brutal local district in football will be comprised of Brainerd, Central, East Ridge, Hixson, Howard, Red Bank, Tyner and the new East Hamilton High.

“I was taught a long time ago that good babies don’t cry, so we won’t complain,” Howard coach Alvin Tarver said. “But when you look at it, that schedule will be like the SEC of high school football. There are no easy games now.”

Games between rival schools like Brainerd, Howard and Tyner, will now have added postseason meaning, as will the Marion County-South Pittsburg rivalry, with the Warriors dropping to Class A.

“As if that game needed more importance, now it will be for more than community pride,” Pirates coach Vic Grider said. “From my perspective I’m not sure how many bigger schools will be interested in scheduling a good 1A program, since overall records factor into making the playoffs. We can’t afford to load up on big schools because we have to protect ourselves, too.”

Besides Marion County and South Pittsburg, the local Class A district will also include Signal Mountain, which won all 10 of its jayvee games this season and will begin playing a varsity schedule next fall.

“We’re looking forward to playing those good teams like South Pitt and Marion, and Lookout Valley has made the playoffs a lot lately,” Signal Mountain coach Bill Price said. “We won’t back down from anybody. Going into this year we had one kid with experience, but we had a lot of kids that got to play a lot of football and we should be ready by next year.”

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