(Court Reports – Photo Illustration/MetroCreativeConnection)

PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Board of Education has filed a petition for an emergency injunction relief against the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission after their reclassification of many high school football teams across the state this year.

The petition says Williamstown High School, Parkersburg High School and Parkersburg South High School all made their football schedules for the 2024-25 football season before this reclassification occurred on Aug. 7 of this year.

The petition said these reclassifications “not only serves to the economic detriment of Williamstown High School, Parkersburg High School and Parkersburg South High

School,” but also reduces the chance for each school to host a home playoff football game.

“Which serves as a detriment to the students, faculty and staff of Williamstown High School, Parkersburg High School and Parkersburg South High School,” the said petition.

It said as a result of the reclassification, five of Williamstown High School’s scheduled opponents were moved down a classification. It said this has impacted Williamstown’s state ranking, costing the team at least 12 points in the WVSSAC football ratings due to victories over four of the reclassified schools. It said these rankings also had an impact on PHS and PSHS.

The said petition while the points system being applied is valid on its face, the manner in which the WVSSAC plans to implement that points system, given the circumstances, is both “arbitrary and capricious.”

It said granting this petition will cause minimal disruption to the state football playoffs and all parties involved will benefit.

The said petition to the three Wood County Schools, “must be allowed to compete against a rightful opponent, as opposed to an opponent that was placed before them in an arbitrary and capricious manner.”

The petition also states that there would be monetary losses for the three schools for their football, band and booster programs.

The WVSSAC is scheduled to release their playoff rankings during their annual meeting Sunday.

Douglass Huxley can be reached at [email protected]