The Trouble With Class

<p>Fluctuating from year to year, the classification for each school is sometimes hard to predict. Every class in the state of Nebraska has stellar volleyball, but some classes have it a little more challenging than others due to amount of students enrolled. Class A enrollment levels range from the largest at Omaha Central with 1,945 students to North Platte with 934 students. Class B has a similar situation with Elkhorn South being the largest with 929 and Aurora the smallest with 272.</p> <p>In my personal opinion, I don’t believe it is ideal to have over a 1,000-student enrollment “gap” between the largest and smallest Class A schools, and a 657 gap in Class B. Often times, this enrollment gap creates a drop off of talent within classes. In Nebraska the gap may not be ideal, but schools still find ways to compete at high levels given their small enrollment level.</p> <p>Aurora High School is a prime example of this with a small-but-mighty 272 enrollment. Aurora was classified as C-1 this year, but opted up to Class B in volleyball making a total of 33 teams in Class B for the 2017-2018 school year. Aurora is predicting their enrollment will rise again in the upcoming years.</p> <p>Even with a small enrollment Aurora is an anomaly, having the smallest enrollment level in Class B but being a consistent powerhouse that is ranked 8^th in the Class B Prep Dig Nebraska preseason rankings this year.</p> <p>Another peculiar team is Malcolm. Malcolm High School is 52^nd out of 55 teams in Class C-1 with an enrollment level of 126. Their miniscule enrollment level plays no part on their talent on the court. Ranked 1^st in the Prep Dig Nebraska C-1 Preseason Rankings, Malcolm is proof that the legacy is more of a factor than enrollment is.</p> <p>Aurora and Malcolm are prime examples of schools that may look like they are playing a bit out of their league. If you watch them this season, you will be proved wrong. Both teams have extremely knowledgeable coaching staffs that make a difference.</p> <p>If schools like Aurora and Malcolm with dropping enrollment levels can still produce killer teams, any school at any enrollment level can. It may look unfair on paper comparing enrollment levels of each school, but enrollment levels do not define how good volleyball teams are. The program’s capabilities and legacy do.</p>