BOONE, Iowa – The Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Board of Control held its regular meeting on Thursday, January 25, reviewing winter reports and approving several recommendations in track & field, football, and soccer.
Past editions of Board Briefs are available through News page and via the “Board Briefs” tag. Approved minutes from past Board of Control meetings are available through the Board & Reps page and directly through the Meeting Minutes page.
Track & Field: Expansion of adaptive opportunities with new Paralympic Class
Starting in the 2024 season, IHSAA and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union will offer an expanded Paralympic Class to add an Ambulatory Division alongside the preexisting Wheelchair Division.
The Ambulatory Division will offer opportunities to student-athletes with at least one of eight impairments – limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, visual impairment, and intellectual impairment – and event points will be added alongside those scored within the Wheelchair Division to compete in the Paralympic Class.
The IHSAA has offered a Wheelchair Division at the State Track & Field Championships since 1990.
Team championships were awarded within the Wheelchair Division starting in 2003. Team points will now be distributed from events from both adaptive divisions and result in Paralympic Class champions for both boys’ and girls’ competitors.
Guidelines for these divisions have been adopted from the International Paralympic Committee and Adaptive Track & Field USA, with the assistance of Adaptive Sports Iowa.
Soccer: State finals and semifinals to move in Des Moines
The semifinals and finals for all four classes of IHSAA soccer will move to Drake University starting this spring.
Semifinals games will be split between Drake Stadium & Mediacom Stadium, with finals then competed at Mediacom Stadium, which is a 4,000-seat facility opened in 2023 as a multi-use partnership for both Drake University and Des Moines Public Schools.
“The IHSAA is excited to add Drake Stadium and Mediacom Stadium to our relationship with Drake University,” IHSAA soccer administrator Todd Tharp said. “We strive to provide premier facilities to our student-athletes and member schools. These venues will help us continue to create the best possible experiences for our student-athletes.”
Quarterfinals in 2024 will still be played at Cownie Soccer Complex, where the IHSAA has been contracted since 2005.
2024 IHSAA STATE SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, May 29
Cownie Soccer Complex
Semifinals
Friday, May 31
Drake Stadium & Mediacom Stadium
Finals
Saturday, June 1
Mediacom Stadium
Football: Advisory recommendations approved for 2024
Seven different recommendations out of December’s meeting of the football advisory committee were approved by the Board of Control on Thursday, addressing specific issues within playoff host criteria, forfeits, scrimmages, and more. All approved changes will go into effect for the 2024 season, which is the second of a two-year cycle.
- A new order for postseason site assignments were agreed upon to better distribute hosting within the IHSAA’s new ranking and seeding process for Classes 2A, 1A, A, and Eight-Player. The order for hosting priority, as applicable:
- Round of 16: 1. District finish; 2. Head-to-head results; 3. IHSAA ranking; 4. Fewest district losses; 5. Alphabet draw.
- Quarterfinals: 1. Head-to-head result; 2. IHSAA ranking; 3. District finish; 4. Fewest district losses; 5. Alphabet draw.
- Use the 17-point tiebreaker in case of three-way ties to determine district champion and/or district runner-up in Class 4A and Class 3A.
- Teams forfeiting in the regular season due to lack of available players will result in ineligibility for the postseason, including Week 9 non-distrBict games permitted for Classes 2A, 1A, A, and Eight-Player.
- Teams will be permitted to schedule weight room sessions outside of the preseason allotted four-hour practice window.
- Teams will be permitted to practice on Saturday or Sunday following the first allowable scrimmage date.
- Teams may now determine the number of teams at scrimmages, up to four teams at the same site.
- The IHSAA will begin assigning seven-person officiating crews – an increase from the typical five-person mechanic – for the state semifinals and finals in all classes.
