KHSAA makes 16th District a

five-team group beginning next season

Not since the early 1980s has the makeup of the 16th District high school sports members had five schools, and not since the 2004-05 season has district competition for Clinton County included Monroe County High School.

Both of those aspects changed last week when during its Board of Control meeting, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association voted to make some changes within the four districts that make up the 4th Region.

The changes approved last week by the KHSAA were brought on by the introduction into the Association of Foundation Christian School in Bowling Green.

That additional Bowling Green school will now be competing in the 14th District with Bowling Green, Greenwood, South Warren and Warren Central High Schools, making that district a five-team group also.

The adjustment by the KHSAA last week moves Warren East out of the 14th District and places that high school into the 15th District with Allen County – Scottsville, Barren County and Glasgow.

Monroe County was moved out of the 15th District with those schools and into the 16th District with Clinton, Cumberland, Metcalfe and Russell County High Schools, also resulting in a five team district.

The 16th District has not competed as a five-team district since the 1983-84 seasons, when Monroe County High School was formed with the consolidation of two high schools in that county, Tompkinsville and Gamaliel High Schools.

Monroe County competed in the 16th District against Clinton, Cumberland and Metcalfe County High Schools until the 2005-2006 season, when it was moved into the 15th District and Russell County was moved into the 16th District from what was then the 47th district in the 12th Region.

Clinton County High School Athletic Director Mike Beard told the Clinton County News Monday that in addition to basketball competition, the alignment change will also effect several other sports as well, including baseball, softball and volleyball.

He further noted that Clinton County and Monroe County also competed in the same district in soccer competition with Russell County as a three-team district.

Football and Cross Country compete in completely different district alignments from other sports, as those sports are “classed” according to school size by the KHSAA and compete against like-sized schools in district play.

Golf and tennis would also not see any changes as there are no district alignments in those sports, with all schools simply competing in one post-season 4th Regional Tournament.

As for the district tournament scheduling for each sport, Beard wasn’t sure at this time how those schedules would change in future years after the current competitive seasons are completed.

For example, Clinton County High School is slated to host the 16th District Basketball Tournament in the Lindle Castle Gymnasium the week of February 21-25.

Whether or not Monroe would move into the hosting position in front of Clinton County, or behind Clinton County for its first turn at hosting, will be determined by the member schools at the next athletic event meeting.

A mixture of winter weather and COVID-19 related issues kept Clinton County students from attending school last week, but classes resumed on Monday of this week. With rising COVID-19 numbers in the county, the Clinton County school system had issues with the number of staff available to teach the classes.