District football is getting a new look around Missouri.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association recently released District assignments for the 2012 and 2013 season. Under the old format, schools were placed in four or five-team Districts and the last three to four weeks of the regular season became the de facto playoffs. A team that 0-7 in the regular season could go 3-0 in Districts and make the State Tournament.
That system has been scrapped. Now each school is in an eight-team District that places a higher emphasis on every game counting.
The new format will create a nine-game regular season with schools scheduling all nine of these games. The 10th week will be the beginning of the District Championships. Teams will be placed into districts comprised of eight teams and seeded by a point system over the nine-game regular season. The third game of the championship series would be the district championship game, eight district champions and eight district runner-ups being crowned.
Here is a look at the new Districts.
New Districts:
Class 6, District 2
- Christian Brothers College
- DeSmet
- Francis Howell North
- Hazelwood Central
- Hazelwood West
- Pattonville
- Ritenour
- St. Louis University
Class 6, District 3
- Francis Howell
- Francis Howell Central
- Fort Zumwalt West
- Hickman
- Jefferson City
- Rock Bridge
- Timberland
- Troy Buchanan
Class 5, District 3
- Fort Zumwalt East
- Fort Zumwalt North
- Fort Zumwalt South
- Holt
- Parkway Central
- Parkway North
- Parkway West
Class 4, District 5
- Clayton
- Gateway
- Jennings
- MICDS
- Normandy
- St. Charles High School
- St. Charles West
- University City
Class 4, District 6
- Hannibal
- Helias Catholic
- Kirksville
- Marshall
- Mexico
- Moberly
- St. Dominic
- Warrenton
Class 3, District 5
- Christian High School
- Duchesne
- McCluer South-Berkeley
- Orchard Farm
- Sumner
- Trinity Catholic
- Winfield
- Wright City
Class 2, District 5
- Bowling Green
- Clark County
- Clopton
- Highland
- Lutheran High School
- Mark Twain
- Monroe City
- Palmyra