Woodbury Football Could Move Up a Class

The Minnesota State High School League on April 7 voted to add a seventh football class starting in the 2012 season, a move that could affect the Woodbury Royals.

The league’s Board of Directors approved the addition of Class 6A based on a recommendation from the Football Task Force. Minnesota already awards championships in nine-man and Class 1A-5A.

Currently, the enrollment ratio for largest school to smallest school in Class 5A is about 2.5:1. The new class would reduce the ratio to about 1.8:1.

The plan is for Class 6A to include the 32 largest schools in the state by enrollment, split into four eight-team sections. Although just which schools will make up the new class is still to be determined, because some schools may opt up or down in class.

But the chances are good that will be one of them.

Based on 2011-12 enrollment numbers on the MSHSL website, Woodbury has the 27th largest enrollment in the state with 1,715 students.

A potential move is just fine with Royals’ activities director Jason Schultz.

“We’re going to prepare to be the best and beat the best,” Schultz said. “If that means we compete with Wayzata, great. If that means we compete with Rochester, great.”

The Royals, who finished 4-5 last season, do not currently have a head coach. Beau LaBore, who spent six years leading Woodbury, at Stillwater Area High School in February.

But the MSHSL board’s decision came as no surprise to Schultz, and he knows he will have to make sure the new coach is prepared for any change in class. Still, that’s not his main concern.

“We’re going to focus on Woodbury High School,” he said. “The color of the (other team’s) jersey doesn’t matter.”