GHSA denies proposal to allow eighth graders to play varsity sport

THOMASTON — The GHSA executive committee on Monday unanimously denied a proposal submitted to give eighth graders varsity eligibility.

North Cobb Christian, which submitted the proposal, said it wanted to earn eligibility for eighth grade wrestlers, not all student-athletes. The GHSA’s meeting agenda simply said it was a proposal “to allow eighth grade students to participate on the varsity level.”

North Cobb Christian director of wrestling Darryl Johnson presented the proposal before the 68 member committee. He argued that because many eighth graders are already competing against varsity wrestlers in practice, they should have the chance to compete in the state tournament.

“They’re doing the lion’s share of the work, but they’re not getting the rewards,” Johnson said.

One committee member asked if the proposal would apply to other high school sports. Johnson said it would be like trying to eat an elephant.

“You’re going to eat him one bite at a time,” Johnson said. “I would say start with wrestling as a pilot. Let’s meet after the season and see what went right, what went wrong and what we could change to make it better.

“Trying to do everybody at once, I think, would be a big ask.”

GHSA President Jim Finch recommended the proposal be submitted before the organization’s wrestling committee. All six members on the wrestling committee were part of the executive committee’s unanimous denial Monday.

Johnson said the “resounding no” would likely discourage him from taking the proposal to the wrestling committee.

“I think, from a legal standpoint, they think, ‘What other things could we have to battle?’ or ‘Why is this eighth grader allowed and why is this eighth grader not allowed?’ and different things,” Johnson said. “I think they’re looking from that standpoint.

“I mean, if this was football, if this was baseball, if this was … basketball, if this was something other than wrestling, I think they would probably take another look at it.”

The GHSA allows eighth graders to compete in junior varsity sports if their middle school doesn’t offer the sport. GHSA executive director Tim Scott gave three main arguments against granting varsity eligibility to eight grade wrestlers.

Scott first cited concerns for their safety. Johnson said in his presentation the proposal would require eighth graders to get approval from parents and coaches, but Scott had bigger-picture worries.

“If I’m allowing one set of students to (play a varsity sport), then to be fair, I’ve got to (allow) everybody,” Scott said. “Football, basketball, lacrosse, some of the maybe contact sports. Soccer. That could be a safety issue.”

Scott also said it would be difficult to track which schools eighth graders were playing for and how that would affect their varsity eligibility once they reached high school.

“Where they may feed to, they may not always attend that school, so that could make a difference in their eligibility in the future,” Scott said.

Finally, Scott mentioned the potential harm that pulling eighth graders off middle school teams could cause. Unlike other statewide high school sports entities, the GHSA does not preside over middle school sports.