Marshall competes in 3A in new alignment
New athletic alignment for members of Mid-South Association of Independent Schools brings big changes for 2025-2027.
There will be four classes, 1A through 4A. Classes 5A and 6A have been eliminated. Teams will compete in districts within the classification, as usual, and then a new twist will see Division I and Division II state champions in certain sports in each classification.
Marshall Academy will compete in District 1, Class 3A.
In football, MA's district includes Rossville (Tenn.) Christian Academy, West Memphis (Ark.) Christian School and Washington School in Greenville. There are three other districts in Class 3A football with the total number of teams in the classification at 16. The Division I championship will be a two-week playoff format between the four teams that have the highest power point averages. Power points are formulated from wins and the success of a team's opponents. The Division II championship will be a three-week playoff format between the teams that have the next eight highest power point averages.
In basketball, Marshall's district includes Rossville, West Memphis, North Delta School in Batesville, Lee Academy in Clarksdale and Kirk Academy in Grenada. There are also three other districts in Class 3A basketball with the total number of teams in the classification at 24. The top four teams from each district will advance to a regional tournament – North (Districts 1 and 2) and South (Districts 3 and 4). The top two teams from the regional tournaments will advance to the Division I Tournament. The number three and number four finishers from the regional tournaments will advance to the Division II Tournament.
The baseball and fast-pitch softball districts in Class 3A are the same as basketball.
In baseball, the Division I championship will be an eightteam playoff between the number one and number two seeds from each district. The Division II championship will be an eight-team playoff between the number three and number four seeds from each district.
In softball, the top four teams from each district will advance to a regional tournament – North (Districts 1 and 2) and South (Districts 3 and 4). The top two teams from the regional tournaments will advance to the Division I Tournament. The number three and four finishes from the regional tournaments will advance to the Division II Tournament.
Marshall Academy will be defending its 2024 state championship in fast-pitch softball.
Every two years the Academy Activities Commission of the MAIS re-aligns member schools for athletic competition. New executive director of the MAIS is Barrett Donahoe, a former headmaster and head football coach at Marshall Academy. He moves to the top MAIS leadership role after serving as headmaster at Pillow Academy in Greenwood.