Earlier this year, it was announced that the new round of enrollment classifications had made Bridgeport the smallest Class AAA school in the state beginning next school year. On Tuesday, it was learned the Indians will be Class AAAA in the new two-year trial system for basketball that also begins in the 2020-21 school year.

 

“I expected it,” said Bridgeport High School Principal Matt DeMotto on the system that uses enrollment along with a bevy of other factors to determine who will go up.

 

What that means is Bridgeport will be in an entirely new section and region for postseason play starting next year. All its traditional rivals will be Class AAA under the basketball proposal and regional and sectional alignments are expected to be released in January.

 

“Logistically, the basketball front is very different with challenges as far as scheduling and play,” said DeMotto. “With basketball we will likely be scheduling teams further away. Because there are so many games away in basketball our kids will be out later on school nights. That makes things difficult because we still have the expectation of our students being here on time at school. In that regard, it’s not a good thing.”

 

While many do know this, many do not. If the two-year trial period is deemed a success, then the four-classification proposal goes into place for all sports under the WVSSAC banner. DeMotto said it doesn’t really matter whether Bridgeport is Class AAA in the future or Class AAAA.

 

“The AAA schools are basically the same as the quad A schools,” said DeMotto. “You’re looking at 90 percent of the same schools so any issues we have are going to be the same regardless.”

 

The biggest issue? If you answered football, DeMotto would tell you that you’re correct.

Football is the one sport where playing a certain number of opponents in class is required. To make matters worse, there aren’t a lot of ‘AAA’ teams in the immediate area.

 

“There simply are not schools in our class close to us. Add to that, the way it is today many schools will schedule with the goal being the easiest schedule possible,” said DeMotto “What that means for us is we get very few phone calls … It’s been very difficult trying to field a ‘AAA’ schedule.”

 

That doesn’t mean Bridgeport hasn’t worked the phones.

 

“We have reached out to at least 30 schools,” said DeMotto.

 

DeMotto said it’s been schools beyond West Virginia as well.  He said BHS has reached out to schools from three other states and the District of Columbia.

 

“It’s tough because, number one, next year we have only 31 other ‘AAA’ schools we could schedule. Two, many, such as those in the Mountain State Athletic Conference, play almost an entire conference schedule with little wiggle room for out of conference games,” said DeMotto. “The third issue is the ‘AAA’ schools not as successful are more willing to pick up ‘AA’ schools than Bridgeport High School.”

 

As of now, DeMotto said there are four home games on the schedule for next year. The team will play Class AAA Big 10 Conference foes Preston and Buckhannon-Upshur as well as Class AA Liberty. Class AAA Morgantown is also on the schedule.

 

“Two new ‘AAA’ schools will likely happen, but it’s tentative at this point,” said DeMotto.

 

DeMotto said the goal is to have a “challenging and fair schedule in relation to our situation.” He added that reaching that goal is proving difficult.

 

“The fact we went up in classification for competitive purposes is what it is. Our kids will work to be competitive,” said DeMotto. “The tough element is that there are so very few schools around us in the same classification and that element is unfair and unfortunate for kids.”

 

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows BHS Principal Matt DeMotto, while Indians football Coach John Cole is shown below. Photos by www.benqueenphotography.com.