Eudora athletics reacts to private school reclassification proposal

After losing to Bishop Miege in the girls basketball state championship game 71-45 last season, senior Sawyer Schreiner said she felt like her team could have won if it wasn’t for their opponent. 

“It was just kind of sad, you know,” she said.“We didn’t want to think we were going to lose, but we definitely had a disadvantage considering they beat every other team by like 50 or 60.”

That could change if the state Legislature approves a plan in the spring to move certain private schools up a classification based on several factors, including number of state championships, geography and number of low-income students. 

The Kansas Board of Education voted 6-4 this month to advance the proposal. If approved as is, rival Bishop Miege would move to be a 5A school, potentially as soon as the 2023-24 season.

Local coaches and players had mixed reactions to the news, but most agree change is needed.

“Need to level the playing field”

Boys and girls soccer coach Darren Erpelding feels change is necessary to create an even playing field. 

“I have mixed feelings on it, and I totally understand where everything is coming from,” Erpelding said. “It’s something that needs to happen, and we need to level the playing field a little bit more. I’m excited for it to happen, and I hope it passess the state Legislature.”

Volleyball coach Mallorie Cleveland said the time has come for Bishop Miege to change classes and that “it’s long overdue.”

“You have athletes that have every right to go to state and be state contenders. It’s time to see a change for sure,” she said.

Head boys basketball coach Kyle Deterding said he understands the frustration people feel when private schools consistently beat public schools in the postseason.

“I know there’s a lot of people that are just kind of fed up with the amount of state championships that the private schools have won,” he said.

 But at the same time, Deterding said teams need to be ready for whoever is next on the schedule.

“You have to beat whoever you’re playing against,” Deterding said. “So whoever’s there, we will play.”

Deterding referenced that the softball team defeated Bishop Miege in the state tournament last season. 

“It can be done,” he said. 

Head football coach Drew Steffen said he actually likes the challenge of competing against strong private schools and uses it as a way to motivate the team. 

“That’s kind of the gold standard,” Steffen said. “St. James (Academy) has won state the last two years. So, that’s kind of the gold standard of what you’re working for in terms of what it takes to get a state championship is knowing you have to prepare for a team like that.” 

Athletes react to proposal

The focus for now for the players is to prepare for whoever they have to go up against this season and beyond. 

“I know that we’ll play whoever we can play at the high school level,” senior captain and soccer player Parker Hurla said. “It’s fun to win the state championships, but ultimately, we’re just trying to get better. If we have to beat Bishop Miege in order to win a state final, we will do that.”

When the softball team found out it would play Bishop Miege in the state championship game last season, they used that as fuel to drive them to win, said recent graduate Kira Baker.

“We were on a roll, and that was the first time Eudora had made it past the first round of state in years and years,” she said. “So for us, it was just like a ‘challenge accepted’ moment.”

However, Baker also thinks the proposal will help public school athletes get a better shot at furthering their athletic careers. 

“High school is kind of where you, like, build your foundation for where you’re going to go next,” Baker said. And if you don’t have a fair playing field, it can really hinder your chances. So, like, if you’ve got this beautiful career going through high school, and then you’re faced with a private school that’s got all these advantages, it can be a real emotional blow to have whatever could have been taken away from you.”

Schreiner said she thinks the reclassification proposal would give public schools a better opportunity to end their season with a win. 

“If there were no private schools, then there would be other people that would be able to win,” she said. “It’s important so the same team doesn’t win every year. It’s kind of boring when you know who’s going to win state.”

Final decision lies with Legislature

Bishop Miege has won 118 state championships in school history, and 18 programs have won at least one state championship, according to the school’s athletic website. Eight athletic programs have won five or more state titles.

The Eudora Times reached out to a few state legislators for comment on how they felt about the proposal but did not receive replies by press time.

Athletic Director Cara Kimberlin said she’s glad KSHSAA has put this plan in motion after a lot of years talking about it.

“We’ve had years where we probably have the best team in the state in 4A from a public standpoint, but we hit the private schools and you can’t compete with them,” she said. “So I’m thrilled that there’s something that could possibly come down the line.”

Kimberlin said coaches are going to do everything they can to compete with who they go up against. 

“Our kids need to be on an equal playing field and the situation we’re in right now is not an equal playing field,” she said. “I think this is what has to take place to equalize that.”

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