WVSSAC changing some rules for 2024-25 sports season

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) -Plenty of changes are about to be made for the 2024-2025 sports season in West Virginia. One of those changes is the elimination of the sectional basketball tournament, which officials hope will increase competition in the playoffs.

“Instead of having a sectional with a 3-4 team tournament, those two sections combined, the region will be saved, and there will be a straight play regional tournament. You’re going to get down to the final four, and you’re going to have the two regional co-finalists just like you do now. Those two teams will advance to the state tournament in Charleston,” said Wayne Ryan, Assistant Executive Director of the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission.

One of the teams that might be in the thick of tournament action is Fairmont Seniors Boys basketball. They went 26-2 last year and were the state runner-up in class AAA. Their coach, Dave Retton, thinks new regulations won’t always have the desired results.

“There will be upsets with the systems in place 30 years ago. There were upsets with the system ten years ago. There will be upsets regardless of the system,” said Retton.

One thing Retton would like to see done is create an outlet for playoff teams, who, under new regulations, might play once in three weeks due to the loss of the sectional tournament.

“Maybe the one seed or whoever is left may be a good situation for staying sharp with your team,” said Retton.

On the gridiron side, changes have been made to the game shorting rule; now, if a team is down 42 points or more in the third quarter, it can be subject to a running clock. Previously, it was stated that a team needed to be down 35 points or more in the fourth quarter for that rule to come into play. Morgantown Mohigans head coach Sean Biser told WDTV the new rule will help football out.

“With the way football is trying to make the game safer, we have done some things. I think the new rule change with the point spread in the third quarter was a good change. If you’re the other coach on that side and you’re the team that’s up, it makes it hard on you too,” said Sean Biser, Morgantown High School head football coach.

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