Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors approved Monday the first of a series of changes to the state playoff structure that will impact Polk County athletics beginning with the 2025-26 school year.

Under the new format, team sports in classes 1A through 7A will feature 48-team playoff brackets, while the newly created 8A classification will have a 24-team bracket. The 2025-26 season will mark the first time that the NCHSAA has used eight classifications after member schools voted to limit classes to a maximum of 64 schools. There are currently four classifications.

For Polk County’s athletic programs, competing in 3A, the 48-team bracket could potentially create more opportunities for Wolverine teams to qualify for postseason play as there are only 59 teams in 3A. The specific qualification method for the postseason still remains undetermined as the NCHSAA By-Law Committee plans to present a proposal at the Board of Directors spring meeting in May.

The board’s decision addresses only team sports, with playoff structures for individual sports such as wrestling, track and field, swimming and tennis still under discussion.

In addition to the playoff changes, the board approved the sports calendar for the upcoming academic year. All sports will begin practice on July 30, with regular season competition starting August 11 for most sports. Football teams will be permitted to hold their first scrimmages on August 8, with the regular season kicking off on August 22.