The Winona football team will move from Region 5-3A in South State to 3-3A in North State the next two years. Coach Joey Tompkins is not happy with the change.
“I figured we would be moved to the North, but I’m not really excited about the region we have been moved into just because of the monetary issue. We’ll be going from teams that bring good crowds to playing teams that are not going to bring good crowds. That’s a problem for us.”
Winona won Region 5 in the first year the school moved up from 2A due to the consolidation with Montgomery County.
Winona will be joined in 3-3A by Amanda Elzy, Coahoma Early College (formerly Coahoma AHS), Humphreys County and Ruleville Central. The current 5-3A includes Choctaw Central, Forest, Kemper County, Morton and Southeast Lauderdale.
The Mississippi High School Activities Association conducts reclassification for its six classes every two years based upon enrollment in grades 9-12 and adjusts regions. Fall and winter sport regions for the next two years were announced last week.
Tompkins said coaches have no input into regions. “You can appeal it, but that’s not going to do any good.”
Winona will also move from 5-3A to 3-3A for boys and girls basketball with the same four opponents as in football.
Boys and girls soccer will move from Region 4 for 1A/2A/3A schools to Region 3 with Coahoma County, Marks Palmer and Riverside.
Slow-pitch softball will move from Class II Region 5 for 3A and 4A schools to Region 4. Others in the region will be East Webster, Eupora, Hamilton and Hatley.
Cross Country will move from 2-3A to 4-3A with Choctaw County, Houston and Ruleville Central.
J.Z. George will have all new regions because the school dropped from 3A to 2A. Football, boys and girls basketball and cross country will all be in 2-2A.
In football, the Jaguars’ region opponents will be Bruce, Calhoun City, East Webster and Eupora. Calhoun City won the district this year and Eupora was second.
Basketball opponents will be Bruce, Calhoun City, East Webster and Eupora. And in cross country, the other region teams for boys and girls will be Charleston, East Webster, Eupora and Mississippi School for Math and Science.
