Henry Sibley Football and Hockey Drop to Class 4A, 1A Due to Enrollment

Henry Sibley High School athletes played 5A football and 2A hockey last season, but due to lower enrollment of 1,201, it will play 4A football and 1A hockey next year in accordance with Minnesota State High School League rules.

Enrollment for the purpose of class assignment is calculated by taking grades 9-12 enrollment, and subtracting 40 percent of the number of free or reduced lunch enrollees.*

Last season the Warriors football team went 2-7 and lost to Eagan in the first round of the Class 5A, Section 3 playoffs. The boys hockey team went 7-19-1 (1-14-1 Classic Suburban) and fell to Eastview in the first round of the Class 2A, Section 3 playoffs, while the girls hockey team went 14-11-2 (8-5-1 Classic Suburban) and lost to Eastview in the semifinals of the Class 2A, Section 3 tournament.

“It’s not going to be any easier for us,” athletic director Brian Ihrke said. “We still have to go through some tough teams in our section and that is how it should be.”

According to the MSHSL website, schools with an enrollment between 623-1,245 can play Class 4A football and 1A for boys and girls hockey. Enrollment higher than 1,245 requires schools to play Class 5A for football and 2A for hockey.

“I think we are in a good spot,” Warriors football coach Stan Eskierka said of the football program, “Especially for the postseason. Your kids will know that they have a chance. (Some) times we have played Cretin-Derham Hall in that first round and got beat up pretty good. I think before we hit the field, our kids knew they didn’t have a chance.”

However, the road to get to state doesn’t get any easier for Henry Sibley being placed in its new Class 4A, Section 3 beginning this fall.

Instead of having to play state powers like Cretin, the Warriors get conference foes St. Thomas Academy and South St. Paul.

“We substituted Cretin and got St. Thomas,” Eskierka joked. “Getting to the section finals might be easier, but getting to state will be just as tough.”

Along with the Cadets and Packers, the Academy of Holy Angels, Chaska, St. Louis Park and Simley will be part of the Warriors new section.

“It’s not going to be any easier for us,” Ihrke said. “We still have to go through some tough teams in our section and that is how it should be.”

In hockey, both the boys and girls will have tough regular season schedules playing in the Classic Suburban Conference with Hill-Murray, St. Thomas Academy (boys) and South St. Paul in the mix.

For the postseason, the boys team will be in Section 4A, which is a 12-team section that includes some elite programs in Mahtomedi, St. Thomas Academy, South St. Paul and Totino-Grace. The girls team is in the same class and section, but only have seven teams to compete with, that include the same powerhouses that the boys have.

There is a higher chance the Warriors could play teams from the Classic Suburban conference with the new changes.

“We are playing a lot of teams that are in our conference,” Ihkre said. “We are excited about that and the new challenges that some new teams we will possibly play against.”

Ihrke said he does not enjoy the bad rap that the lower class gets.

“There are a lot of good teams in Class 1A and I don’t like how it gets beat up when people talk about it,” he said. “A lot of those teams can easily compete in Class 2A, but for particular reasons are in Class 1A.”

 “Overall, it’s a good move,” said Eskierka. “We thought it would happen a few years ago. This year, it just kind of happened. We thought we have been a 4A school for a few years now in football at least.”

Ihrke said the athletic participation for the school is not as high as he would like it to be, which could be a reason why some of the major sports teams have not fared well in postseason play.

“We don’t have as much participation in athletics as private schools have,” he said. “Most students that go to St. Thomas play a sport, and they are right in our backyard. Do I wish more students would play athletics? Yes, and that is part of my job and I hope to get more in athletics.”

*This article has been edited to show how the enrollment numbers are calculated by the MSHSL. Thank you to the reader that pointed out this information was missing.