Mustangs to play in Class C for football

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 4 February 2020 at 4:46 pm

The football division alignment and opponents will have a very new look for Medina this fall as the Mustangs will be competing in Class C instead of Class B due to a change in the state’s enrollment numbers for each of the sport’s five classifications (AA, A, B, C and D).

In 2019 the state’s classification enrollment numbers for Class B were 355-584 and for Class C 230-354.

The new classification enrollment numbers for 2020 for Class B will be 397-629 and for Class C 261-396.

Those changes will have Medina, which is listed at 356, shifting to Class C while Albion at 443 will remain in Class B.

Six other schools, which were in Class B last year, have also dropped to Class C including Tonawanda, Newfane, Lackawanna, Springville, Alden and Eden.

The tentative three division lineup for the 18 schools in Class C will be as follows:

C North – Medina, Newfane, Akron, Wilson, Tonawanda and Cleveland Hill.

C Central – Lackawanna, Springville, Alden, Eden, JFK and Gowanda/Pine Valley .

C South – Fredonia, Cassadaga Valley/Falconer, Southwestern, Chautauqua Lake/Brocton/Westfield, Allegany-Limestone and Clyer/Sherman/Panama (CSP).

The 14 Class B schools will be divided into two enrollment based divisions.

Albion will be in the B2 Division along with Lake Shore, Maritime, Olean, Maryvale, Dunkirk and Depew.

The B1 Division will have West Seneca East, Burgard, East Aurora, Iroquois, Pioneer, Cheektowaga and Lew-Port.

This fall’s Section VI schedule itself could also have a new look as the state Executive Council is scheduled to vote Friday on a proposal to increase the number of regular season games from seven to eight. The eighth game would be played on the weekend which previously was used for preseason scrimmages.

This would be the first time Section VI schools have played an eight game regular season since 2008 when the section added a quarterfinal round for the sectional playoffs. Those quarterfinal games occupied the weekend which had previously been used for the eighth game of the regular season.