Arkansas Activities Association releases football conferences for 2022-24 cycle

By Nate Olson | Photos by Jimmy Jones

The Arkansas Activities Association Board of Directors met via Zoom call Tuesday morning to approve the football conferences for the 2022-24 football cycle. 

The Board revealed the new classification cycle enrollments during the summer workshop in June, so many programs knew they would be competing in different classifications but not in which leagues. The AAA also revealed the Competitive Equity Factor, which reclassified private schools based on performance. The formula is calculated from the previous four years and can cause a school to move up or down a classification. 

The new rule sent defending state champion Pulaski Academy and Little Rock Christian, who qualified for the state championship game three of the past four years, from 5A to 6A and defending champion Harding Academy from 3A to 4A. Defending runner-up Shiloh Christian moves from 4A to 5A. The rule worked in the opposite way for Little Rock Catholic and Baptist Prep, who weren’t as competitive, and they dropped to Class 6A and 2A, respectively.

Little Rock Christian and PA will join fellow new 6A member Greenbrier in the 6A-West with Greenwood, Lake Hamilton, Mountain Home, Russellville, Siloam Springs and Van Buren.

Benton moves from the 6A-West to the East and joins new 6A members Catholic, Jacksonville and Greene County Tech. The other members are all incumbents, including defending 6A state champion El Dorado, Marion, Searcy, Sheridan, Sylvan Hills and West Memphis. 

In 7A, the only shakeup was former Class 6A member Jonesboro moving to the ultra-competitive 7A-Central. That now gives the league six members that are/were ranked in the SBLive Arkansas Top 25 rankings this fall. 

Shiloh Christian has appeared in 5A before and once again moves to the 5A-West to join Alma, Clarksville, Farmington, Pea Ridge and Harrison. Dardanelle moves up from 4-4A to join the league, and Shiloh’s old 1-4A rival Prairie Grove also moves up.

The current 5A-Central members are likely glad to be rid of powers PA and Little Rock Christian, but the league won’t be easy with the addition of Vilonia and Morrilton from the West and Pine Bluff from 6A, as well as defending state champion Joe T. Robinson and Mills from 4A. Class 5A runner-up White Hall and Beebe return along with Maumelle. Winless Watson Chapel, and new coach Maurice Moody, move from the South.

Little Rock Parkview, which had eight players receive NCAA Division I offers this season and cracked the SBLive Arkansas Top 10, moves down from 6A to 5A and takes Watson Chapel’s place in the South.

Harding Academy moves up to the 2-4A to battle conference heavyweight Stuttgart along with Lonoke. 

The 1-4A is wide-open now with the departure of Shiloh and Prairie Grove, who finished atop the league this season. Class 3A members Lincoln and Ozark move into the league. 

The 7-4A, which has been so powerful in recent years, takes a dip with the departure of Robinson. Waldron and Mena move over from the 4-4A, and former 3A member Genoa Central moves up. 

Former 7-4A members Haskell Harmony Grove and Bauxite are now in the 4-4A. Little Rock Hall, which played 8-man football this season, is also in that league along with Clinton, Dover, Lamar, Mayflower and Pottsville. 

Fordyce has qualified for the Class 2A state championship game the past three seasons but will now move to Class 3A and will battle traditional rival Rison in the 6-3A.

Traditional power Booneville moves from the 4-3A to the 1-3A and will aim to challenge Charleston and Cedarville for supremacy there. 

Baptist Prep moves from 3A to 2A and Episcopal Collegiate is transitioning from 8-man to 11-man and will compete against the Eagles in the 2-4A. Hazen, Bearden, Carlisle, England and Hampton round out that league. 

You can view all of the conferences here.