Class 6A Football Addition 'Good Thing for High School Football'

When the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) opened the door for schools to change classes in athletics, it was only the beginning.

Some schools made significant changes, such as Totino-Grace moving up to 5A football to play with the big schools after winning six of the past eight state titles in 4A.

With last week's for football beginning in fall 2012—consisting of 32 schools with the highest enrollments—teams wanting to spar with the big schools will have to bump up a class all over again.

For , not a whole lot will really change. With the Lake Conference already flooded with elite football teams who will also make the leap to 6A, things will proceed in largely the same way.

"There isn’t going to be much difference," Hornets coach Reed Boltmann said. "You look at who we play already, we are going to still play the big schools, the ones that are at the top."

Three of the largest enrollments are in the Lake Conference, according to the MSHSL. Wayzata has 3,060 students—the highest—followed by Eden Prairie with 3,007 and Minnetonka with 2,750.

Edina comes in ninth in the state, with an enrollment of 2,436. The Hornets finished with a 4-5 (1-3 Lake) record last season, tied for last in the conference.

The new change will add another class to football, meaning eight more teams will have an opportunity to play for a state title.

"It’s a good thing for metro football," Boltmann said. "It is going to be a fair way to determine a state champion and give more teams a shot to win. This will also stop sections being determined by location and instead, have 32 teams battling for the big school championship."

"In the end, it’s a good thing for us," Boltmann said. "It’s a good thing for high school football in Minnesota."