Minnesota State High School League schools should no longer have a reason to travel far to find football opponents or play less than an eight-game regular season football schedule.
The MSHSL Board of Directors on Monday unanimously adopted a plan that places all member schools with football programs into districts. Members of each district will divide the district into subdistricts, and then create a full schedule for each team.
In nearly all cases the placement of schools will not negatively affect traditional rivalries or preferred opponents.
A 10-member District Football Placement Committee met five times since mid-March to place schools in districts, using enrollment, geography, like schools and current conference membership and current opponents as key criteria. Schools were given the opportunity to provide information to the committee in advance, including three teams that they would like to continue to schedule.
Those requests were reviewed carefully and were met to the extent possible. More than 90 percent of the schools' requests were met, and a significant majority of schools were placed in a district with most, if not all, of the schools that they now play.
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Districts will have initial meetings in the near future to discuss placements and the next steps in the process. The next major step will be for districts to decide on subdistrict alignments. Once that is completed, schedules for the 2015 and 2016 seasons can be developed.
The goal is for all schools to have a complete schedule for both years by Nov. 1, 2014.
Districts that include lakes area schools:
District: North Central
Alexandria, Bemidji, Big Lake, Brainerd, Buffalo, Cambridge-Isanti, Chisago Lakes, Duluth East, Elk River, Monticello, Moorhead, North Branch, Princeton, Rocori, Rogers, St. Cloud Tech, Sartell-St. Stephen, Sauk Rapids-Rice, St. Cloud Apollo, St. Francis, St. Michael-Albertville, Willmar.
District: 9 - West
Ada-Borup, Ashby, Bertha-Hewitt, Brandon-Evansville, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart, Cass Lake-Bena, Clearbrook-Gonvick, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley, Goodridge/Grygla-Gatzke, Hancock, Hillcrest Lutheran, Kittson County Central, MACCRAY, NCE/UH Titans, Norman County West, Northern Freeze, Park Christian, Renville County West, Rothsay, Stephen-Argyle Central, Underwood, Verndale, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo, Waubun, Wheaton Herman Norcross, Win-E-Mac.
District: East Central
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Albany, Annandale, Becker, Dassel-Cokato, Delano, Foley, Glencoe-Silver Lake, Holy Family Catholic, Hutchinson, Litchfield, Little Falls, Milaca, New London-Spicer, St. Cloud Cathedral, Watertown-Mayer, Zimmerman.
District: Mid State
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, BOLD, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Benson, Browerville, Eden Valley-Watkins, Holdingford, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, Kimball, Maple Lake, Melrose, Minnewaska, Montevideo, Morris/Chokio-Alberta, Paynesville, Pierz, Prairie Valley, Rockford, Royalton, Sauk Centre, Upsala/Swanville, West Central, Yellow Medicine East.
District: Northwest
Badger/GB-MR, Bagley, Blackduck, Climax/Fisher, Fertile-Beltrami, Fosston, Lake Park-Audubon, Mahnomen, New York Mills, Pillager, Pine River-Backus, Red Lake County, Red Lake, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley.
District: Northeast
Aitkin, Barnum, Braham, Chisholm, Cloquet, Crosby-Ironton, Deer River, Duluth Denfeld, East Central, Esko, Eveleth-Gilbert, Grand Rapids, Greenway Nashwauk, Keewatin, Hermantown, Hibbing, Hinckley-Finlayson, International Falls, Duluth Marshall, Mesabi East, Moose Lake/Willow River, Mora, Pine City, Proctor, Rush City, Two Harbors, Virginia.
District: Midwest
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Barnesville, Breckenridge, Crookston, Detroit Lakes, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, East Grand Forks, Fergus Falls, Frazee, Hawley, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Osakis, Ottertail Central, Park Rapids, Pelican Rapids, Pequot Lakes, Perham, Roseau, Staples-Motley, Thief River Falls, United North Central, Wadena-Deer Creek,
Warroad.
To view all football districts click on http://mshsl.org/mshsl/DistrictFootballList.asp .
