Even Odds: Montana schools have class

By Pat Ryan - 11/19/2008

Pat Ryan

The Montana High School Association fall enrollment numbers are out, and though there are some minor changes and interesting trends, there are no major moves set for Montana high school sports.

The one area we've been watching with interest is whether Columbia Falls and Belgrade will move up from Class A to the AA ranks. That would be interesting because it would make a total of 16 AA schools, and create a

perfect bracket, and nice

divisions.

Article X of the MHSA bylaws was updated a couple of years ago, changing the guideline enrollment numbers pertaining to classifications. The changes put Columbia Falls and Belgrade over that number, but just barely.

The bylaws give class numbers as follows: Class AA = 826+;

Class A = 340-825; Class B = 120-339; Class C = 1-119.

The bylaws also state, "Any school that exceeds the maximum enrollment levels by no more than 10 percent may remain at the lower classification for two years."

Columbia Falls has been over the 826 line for at least two and a half years, though their numbers have declined. The Wildcats had 878 students in fall of 2006, and are down to 830 now. That's likely due to the opening of Kalispell Glacier, which also drew some enrollment from Whitefish. The Bulldogs had 624 students in spring of 2008 and are down to 551 this fall.

Belgrade has been over the number since fall of 2007, when they had 859, though the Panthers have seen a decline in enrollment as well.

It's hard to say whether the MHSA would force schools so close to the borderline to move in classification.

The Class A ranks have enjoyed a 24-team league for a while, with four six-team divisions. The imminent move of Columbia Falls and Belgrade seems unlikely, but at the lesser-populated end of the spectrum there could be changes coming sooner.

The lower limit of Class A enrollment is 340, but thanks to the MHSA's allowance for smaller schools to play up in enrollment, Butte Central remains a powerful little fish in a big pond. The Maroons have 123 students, less than half of Billings Central and Bigfork, which are the next smallest schools. There are actually five Class C schools with larger enrollment than at Butte Central.

The fact that the Maroons regularly compete so well with schools more than six times their size is a testament to the pride and

tradition at the school.

Bigfork, with 312 students, is rumored to be looking at a move to Class B. They've got a small enough school considering the guidelines, though their departure from Class A would make the

divisions less numerically even.

A couple of the bigger movers in enrollment terms include

Anaconda and Laurel. The Copperheads have seen their

numbers falling steadily, as they are currently at 385 students,

73 fewer than fall of 2006. Laurel, on the other hand, has grown by 50 in the last two and a half years.

Class AA

Billings West (1,996) took over as the biggest Class AA school after Kalispell Flathead was separated to make Kalispell Glacier last year. The Wolfpack was the smallest Class AA school at 881, but has grown quickly as students who live within the school's boundaries start attending there instead of Flathead. Glacier has passed Missoula Big Sky to become the second smallest Class AA school at 1,190.

Butte High is in the middle of the pack after falling slightly to 1,482.

The three Class AA Billings schools are among the largest schools, with a total enrollment of 5,280. The three Missoula Schools are among the smallest, with a combined number of 3,549.

Should Billings create another high school, it would likely be farther west than Billings West High, and like Glacier, would probably draw students from nearby schools, such as Laurel.

The economy tends to dictate enrollment for many communities, especially smaller ones where a dozen kids can mean more than half of the school's population.

Larger enrollments often mean better success in numbers-intensive sports like football, but certainly not always. Butte Central has been competitive in football for as long as the school has been in existence, but many of the smaller Class C teams are pretty respectable as well.

Allowances are made for smaller schools with 8- and 6-man football teams, but sometimes even that is a big number to attain. Longtime Lima coach Jack Hutchison had his hands full this season just getting six players for his six-man team.

Many schools combine and co-op to help fill the roster, and it's often the smallest schools with the biggest names. Take Hobson/Moore/Judith Gap, Froid/Medicine Lake/Grenora, or Roy/Grass Range/Winnet for example. Chester-Joplin-Inverness is just one school, so we often say CJI for the sake of brevity. Heck, even White Sulphur Springs alone is a mouthful.

Sports like basketball are easier on smaller schools, and individual sports like wrestling and track often see competitive entries from less populated towns.

Following are the current enrollment numbers for fall 2008 according to the MHSA Web site (http://www.mhsa.org/Enrollment/Enrollment.htm).

Class AA

Billings West 1,996

Bozeman 1,853

Billings Senior 1,833

Great Falls 1,771

Great Falls CMR 1,616

Helena 1,569

Butte 1,482

Billings Skyview 1,451

Helena Capital 1,421

Flathead 1,418

Missoula Sentinel 1,234

Missoula Hellgate 1,225

Glacier 1,190

Missoula Big Sky 1,090

Class A

Columbia Falls 830

Belgrade 828

Laurel 632

Custer County 611

Havre 605

Browning 581

Hamilton 563

Whitefish 551

Park 530

Libby 505

Polson 499

Hardin 482

Corvallis 472

Stevensville 413

Fergus 411

Sidney 407

Frenchtown 402

Anaconda 385

Dawson County 374

Beaverhead County 336

Ronan 321

Bigfork 312

Billings Central 312

Butte Central 123

Class B

Lincoln County 352

Powell County 291

Shepherd 280

Florence-Carlton 269

Glasgow 267

Wolf Point 255

Broadwater 247

Colstrip 241

Huntley Project 229

Jefferson 229

Columbus 219

Cut Bank 215

Thompson Falls 213

Three Forks 211

Malta 209

Sweet Grass County 207

Poplar 206

Loyola Sacred Heart 204

Manhattan 204

Roundup 198

Whitehall 191

Conrad 189

Shelby 189

Red Lodge 177

Troy 164

Lame Deer 154

Harlem 153

Plains 153

Cascade 149

Saint Ignatius 148

Darby 145

Forsyth 141

Baker 136

Choteau 129

Fairfield 128

Lodge Grass 121

Plentywood 121

Powder River County 120

Saint Labre 115

Manhattan Christian 113

Seeley-Swan 110

Fort Benton 109

Valley Christian 93

Class C

Rocky Boy 156

Superior 143

Arlee 130

Joliet 128

Charlo 127

Chinook 120

Simms 115

Belt 113

Absarokee 107

Ennis 105

Twin Bridges 104

Fairview 101

Culbertson 100

Hays-Lodgepole 97

Circle 96

Two Eagle River 94

Gardiner 92

Park City 92

Victor 91

Drummond 90

Box Elder 88

Centerville 84

Harlowton 84

Noxon 83

Chester-Joplin-Inverness 81

Sheridan 79

White Sulphur Springs 78

Shields Valley 77

Mount Ellis Academy 75

Alberton 74

Scobey 71

Bridger 66

Sunburst 66

Great Falls Central 65

Lincoln 64

Hot Springs 62

West Yellowstone 62

Northern Cheyenne 61

Broadview 59

Plenty Coups 58

Valier 58

Granite 55

North Star 55

Brockton 52

Heart Butte 51

Big Sandy 50

Saint Regis 50

Power 47

Stanford 47

Wibaux 47

Savage 46

Fromberg 44

Garfield County 44

Hobson 44

Roberts 44

Carter County 42

Frazer 42

Harrison 42

Hysham 42

Summit Prep 41

Custer 40

Nashua 40

Rosebud 40

Dutton/Brady 39

Geraldine 39

Moore 39

Terry 37

Winnett 37

Augusta 36

Denton 35

Highwood 33

Saco 33

Turner 33

Hinsdale 32

Lavina 32

MSDB 32

Bainville 31

Winifred 30

Lambert 29

Melstone 29

Medicine Lake 28

Plevna 28

Belfry 27

Froid 27

Reed Point 27

Richey 27

Roy 27

Grass Range 25

Lima 24

Opheim 23

Ryegate 23

Geyser 22

Dodson 20

Lustre Christian 20

Rapelje 18

Whitewater 17

Willow Creek 16

Judith Gap 13

Westby 13

Peerless 11

— Pat Ryan's column appears here most Wednesdays. Contact him at 496-5570 or Pat.Ryan@mtstandard.com