A.M. ATL: A ‘seismic shift’ for high school sports?

Morning, y’all! It’s a tad chilly this morning, with highs reaching about 80 degrees later on.

• On Monday, the Georgia Supreme Court reinstated the state’s ban on abortion after about six weeks. It’ll stay that way pending an appeal of a recent ruling declaring the law unconstitutional.

Otherwise, we’ve got the latest on what Hurricane Milton could mean for Georgia, a face-lift for Midtown’s rainbow crosswalks and the Hawks getting preseason action underway.

But first: Is it time to reimagine our approach to high school sports?

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CHASING BIG CHANGE

For the better part of a century, Georgia’s high schools have been sorted by enrollment. Sports teams from similarly sized schools square off on the football field, the basketball court and just about everywhere else.

But a new plan under consideration by the Georgia High School Association could throw that status quo straight out the window.

• “It would be a seismic shift, the biggest philosophical change in the history of GHSA reclassification,” AJC prep sports guru Todd Holcomb told me.

Well then! Let’s discuss.

The basics: Every two years, the five most athletically successful schools from each classification would move up to a higher grouping. At the same time, the five schools with the least athletic success would drop down.

• Notably, this also applies to private schools.

For example: Gwinnett County’s Meadowcreek High is winless this season in Class 6A, which includes the state’s biggest schools. The poor Mustangs have lost games with final scores like 90-0 and 71-0.

If your kid was on that team, might they welcome the opportunity for slightly fairer competition?

• Said Holcomb: “A startling number of sports contests in high school are complete mismatches. The argument is that this is scholastic sports, that more is learned when there is greater competitive balance.”

On the flip side, Class 4A powerhouses like Marist and Westminster are probably ready for more of a challenge.

All sports a factor: Football drives the bus around here. But to be clear, the reclassification model would offer up points for performance in every sport.

• Once that’s averaged out, the whole school and all its athletic teams move up or down (or stay put) together.

What’s next: The GHSA’s rule-making committee met Monday but didn’t tackle the plan.

The proposal remains just that for now — albeit one with the backing of new executive director Tim Scott, so expect plenty of discussion in the coming months.

But what do you think? Yay, nay or something in between?

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ANOTHER ONE

A satellite image shows Hurricane Milton in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday.

Hurricane Milton is a monster already, and it’s barreling straight toward Florida’s western Gulf Coast. Georgia should dodge the worst, but cities like Brunswick, Savannah and Valdosta — still reeling from Helene — could see tropical storm force winds and several inches of rain.

• Metro Atlanta, meanwhile, might welcome an influx of evacuees, as emergency officials urge them to avoid resource-strapped South Georgia.

» Helene prompts Georgia Tech, UGA to extend early action deadlines

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STILL A CRISIS

Rockdale County officials lifted their nightly shelter-in-place advisories for everyone except those who live within a two-mile radius of the BioLab facility that caught fire last week.

• Commission Chairman Oz Nesbitt declined to offer a timeline for things to be resolved, saying “we cannot give you false hope or box us into a certain amount of time.”

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BUILD THE WALL

Atlanta residents are pushing government leaders to put up five miles of walls along I-20 to shield their homes from growing noise, debris and pollution.

• “It affects every part of life, every day,” Mozley Park resident Kennard Reeves said.

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‘LEGAL REDLINING’

Incoming DeKalb CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson poses for a portrait near Glenwood Road and Columbia Drive.

More and more, insurance companies are denying essential coverage to businesses and apartment complexes in what they deem to be “high crime” areas of metro Atlanta.

Incoming DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson says that’s hindering revitalization attempts and evoking ugly parts of our history: “Regardless of the intent,” she said, “the outcome is ‘legal redlining.’”

• As the AJC’s Reed Williams reports, the solution may lie at the state Capitol.

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CRIME WATCH

» Gwinnett County authorities say a man retrieved a gun from his car and opened fire on deputies outside the local jail Monday. Deputies shot back, wounding him.

» Douglas County officials released unpleasant new details about the death of Atlanta PD “Investigator of the Year” Aubree Horton, who was shot while allegedly breaking into a neighbor’s home.

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READY FOR ACTION

Hawks draft pick Zaccharie Risacher prepares for an interview during last week's media day event.

Leader Trae Young, No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and the rest of the Hawks kinda sorta start their new campaign tonight, hosting the Indiana Pacers in their first preseason exhibition game.

Tune into Bally Sports Southeast at 7:30 p.m., but don’t expect the stars to play heavy minutes.

• Bulldogs: UGA’s big Oct. 19 road matchup with top-ranked Texas is now set for 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
• Jackets: Tech hosts No. 11 Notre Dame at the Benz the same day. Kickoff’s at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN.
• United: How do the Five Stripes make the playoffs? The AJC’s Doug Roberson breaks it down, but the gist is “win and pray for help.”

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MORE TO EXPLORE

» State Election Board to meet for final time before Election Day

» What’s sustainable paper innovation worth? For this company, about $7B

» Airport Plane Train service disrupted, causes congestion

» South Georgia judge let cases languish, including one for 7 years

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ON THIS DATE

Oct. 8, 1907

The International Conference of Cotton Growers and Cotton Spinners gathered in Atlanta, and the Journal marked the occasion with a very interesting front-page layout.