Gray Collegiate moving up to Class 3A? SC charter school hints at future plans
Gray Collegiate Academy has offered a solution to a much-debated competitive balance issue within South Carolina high school sports.
The West Columbia charter school — which has become a sports powerhouse in its first decade of existence — will petition to move up from Class 2A to 3A when the S.C. High School League goes through its 2024-26 realignment process, Gray principal Brian Newsome says.
“We want to move up to a different classification,” Newsome said. “There might be some schools that don’t want us there. We want to play the best of the best. We want to be the best of the best. That is the kind of aura we have about ourself.”
Realignment happens in the state every two years, factors in high schools’ updated enrollment numbers and can adjust classification size and whether teams move up or down in class. It’s the main way the SCHSL currently can address competitive balance.
Newsome’s comments came Friday during Gray’s appearance before the SCHSL executive committee. Gray was asking for the league’s help in levying and enforcing fines against three schools in Region 4-2A that forfeited games against the War Eagles in the spring.
While the focus of last week’s hearing was about those fines, the more than hour-long session turned into another discussion around competition concerns regarding private and charter schools. Those spring sport forfeits in part were those schools’ way of sending a message about an issue the S.C. High School League has largely not addressed.
Gray and some of its charter and private school counterparts that are SCHSL members have faced heavy criticism in recent years because of concerns over fair play and how those schools build their athletic rosters. The charter and private schools also compete in Class A and 2A — against traditionally rural or smaller schools — and have dominated state championships in recent years.
Gray’s desire to voluntarily move up during realignment isn’t unprecedented, as schools such as Stall and Berkeley have petitioned in the past to go up in class.
Gray’s current football region in Class 2A includes Fairfield Central, Keenan, Columbia, Mid-Carolina, Newberry and Eau Claire. A move to Class 3A would hypothetically place Gray against such bigger schools locally such as Dreher, Brookland-Cayce, Gilbert and Lower Richland.
Realignment results are typically set by mid-December and would go into effect for the following academic year.
But SCHSL executive committee member Rallie Liston said Gray or any other charter or private school moving up in class isn’t the best solution.
“Fixing this isn’t moving up a classification. It isn’t going to be welcome in 3A,” said Liston, the superintendent of Spartanburg District 4.
Liston drafted legislation a few years ago that would put private and charter schools in their own playoffs after competing in region play with traditional public schools for the regular season. That legislation was voted down.
“Solution is if Gray, Oceanside, Southside, Bishop England — I can go down the list — if they were to advocate for a separate state championship, I think this goes away,” Liston said.
Other ideas and legislation haven’t advanced beyond discussion and debate.
An existing law prevents the SCHSL from making changes that directly target its charter and private school members. There are 219 SCHSL member schools split into five classifications. Of those, 15 are public charter schools and four are private schools. And there are new charter school members being added for the next two school years.
Gray has previously voiced support for adopting some sort of “multiplier” system that’s either based on athletic success or an enrollment factor that would make a school “play up” and into a higher classification and face tougher competition.
Gray is not an advocate of a separate playoff for charters and privates. The SCHSL has not been in favor of a multiplier setup.
“We are going to be back in front of this body in October or November because we want to move up to a different classification,” Newsome said. “We want to be the first school in South Carolina to voluntarily move to 3A.”
Gray’s request last week for fines regarding forfeitures was denied by the executive committee through a 15-0 vote. The school will appeal that decision on Wednesday before the league’s appellate panel.
If the appellate panel upholds the decision, it could pave the way for Gray’s region opponents in football to forfeit games against the War Eagles this season. Several teams in the region also have already said they are unlikely to play Gray in football this year.
This story was originally published August 15, 2023 at 12:15 PM.
