The Missouri State High School Activities Association announced new championship venues for its two biggest sports and then released the new district assignments for football and basketball over the weekend.
After two decades in St. Louis, Missouri’s 11-man championship games will move to Plaster Stadium in Springfield for the 2016 season before going to Faurot Field in Columbia in 2017. The Edward Jones Dome hosted the games starting in 1996 through this past fall.
Prior to 1996, 11-man games alternated between sites with multiple venues hosting in any given year. Plaster Stadium and Joplin’s Hughes Stadium were the locations in 1995.
In addition, basketball championships will move but not until the 2017-18 school year.
Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. will be the venue again next year, continuing that city’s exclusive rights to the games dating to 1992. In 1991, Columbia and Springfield split hosting duties, and the games will return to Springfield in two seasons.
The JQH Arena — and Hammons Student Center for small school semifinals — will host the Show-Me Showdown on a five-year contract beginning in 2017-18.
The MSHSAA Board of Directors voted on the changes during its annual April meeting.
The new district assignments for football and basketball also provided some noticeable changes for area schools. Park Hill’s move to Class 6 in football became official, Platte County basketball will receive a mostly new postseason look and West Platte and North Platte were reunited in hoops.
Park Hill’s move to football’s largest classification puts the Trojans in an eight-team District 4 with three Lee’s Summit high schools, Joplin, Kickapoo, Raymore-Peculiar and traditional powerhouse Rockhurst. They also split from Park Hill South, which goes into a five-team Class 5 District 7 that includes defending state champion Fort Osage.
The two Park Hill schools also split in basketball and won’t even be in the same sectional. Park Hill will be in Class 5 District 16, while Park Hill South goes to Class 5 District 14.
Platte County moves over to Class 4 District 15 in basketball. There will still be six teams with Kearney and Smithville also moving over but with Northeast, Excelsior Springs and St. Pius X.
Platte County’s Class 4 District 8 in football remains virtually unchanged with Winnetonka moving down from Class 5 and replacing Van Horn.
The bi-annual shuffling also brought West Platte and North Platte back together in postseason basketball. The Bluejays and Panthers will be in Class 2 District 15 with Kansas City schools and others located to the southeast.
The KCI Conference rivals also remain in the same football district. Class 1 District 7 remained almost unchanged except for adding East Buchanan (moving down from Class 2) to replace Lone Jack.
2016-17, 2017-18 DISTRICT ASSIGNMENTS
FOOTBALL
Class 1 District 7
Concordia
East Buchanan
Mid-Buchanan
North Platte
Orrick
Plattsburg
Wellington-Napoleon
West Platte
Class 4 District 8
Benton
Excelsior Springs
Kearney
St. Joseph Lafayette
Platte County
Savannah
Smithville
Winnetonka
Class 5 District 7
Fort Osage
North Kansas City
Park Hill South
Truman
William Chrisman
Class 6 District 4
Joplin
Kickapoo
Lee’s Summit
Lee’s Summit North
Lee’s Summit West
Park Hill
Raymore-Peculiar
Rockhurst
BASKETBALL
Class 1 District 15
Concordia
Lone Jack
K.C. Lutheran
North Platte
Northland Christian
Santa Fe
Wellington-Napoleon
West Platte
Class 4 District 15
Excelsior Springs
Kearney
Northeast
Platte County
Smithville
St. Pius X
Class 5 District 14
North Kansas City
Park Hill South
Raytown
Rockhurst
Ruskin
Class 5 District 16
St. Joseph Central
Oak Park
Park Hill
Staley
Winnetonka