Over the course of the last 12 years, the Skaneateles High School girls lacrosse program has evolved into a dynasty whose resume includes a trio of state Class C championships.
But the Lakers aren’t a Class C team anymore.
At the same late-July meeting at Turning Stone Resort where boys lacrosse expanded from three to four classes, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association approved the same measure for girls lacrosse, and Skaneateles is one of many top local programs moving from the Class C ranks.
In expanding lacrosse from three to four classes, NYSPHSAA adjusted the BEDS figures (enrollment in grades nine through 12) it used to place boys lacrosse teams so that, in girls lacrosse, roughly the same number of schools were part of each class.
Thus, in Class A the enrollment was 1,075 and up, rather than 1,050 as it was in the boys lacrosse alignment. The other classes slightly increased, too, with Class B at 790 to 1,074, Class C at 475 to 789 and Class D at 474 and below.
By using these numbers, NYSPHSAA arrived at 78 schools in Class A, C and D, plus 77 schools in Class B. Either way, Skaneateles, with an enrollment below the BEDS numbers established for boys and girls lacrosse, was bound for Class D.
What the revised girls numbers means is that some schools that were Class C in boys lacrosse, including Skaneateles’ big rival, Marcellus, along with Chittenango, will also find themselves in Class D.
Westhill, Jordan-Elbridge, Cazenovia and the combined Bishop Ludden-Bishop Grimes team are also in girls Class D, joined by LaFayette, Tully, Onondaga, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, General Brown, Watertown IHC and Thousand Islands.
Other big changes take place in Section III, too, as Fayetteville-Manlius moves from Class A to B, while powerful programs like Carthage and Jamsville-DeWitt join Class C.
Having four championships to decide might preclude a change in venue for the sectional championships away from the Carrier Dome, and could also expand the state final four, held each June in the Cortland-Homer area, which is currently a two-day event.
