Karlsgodt sees positives with ACGC drop to Class A
GROVE CITY -- Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City football and basketball teams are in for a big change next season as they drop from Class AA to Class A in those sports.
As re-ported in the Tribune April 2, ACGC was one of a number of schools to drop a class in at least one sport. But due to some timing problems, comments from football and girls basketball coach Terry Karlsgodt were not received in time to add to the article.
He sees the move as a great lift for the Falcons to be in Class A football.
"... there is no question the sport is a numbers game to a large degree. The past years we have done very well in football despite being the smallest school in the West Central Conference by a significant number," he wrote in an email. "We have had a good tradition with a number of quality athletes that have had a great work ethic. ... We have established some great rivalries in Class AA and those will be hard to see go. But there certainly will be an advantage to competing year in and year out with schools closer to our size."
ACGC moves to Section 4A from 5AA for the 2009 season, which will be an adjustment, Karlsgodt noted. "I don't know much about the football teams in the new section other than their records from last season. They haven't been consistent state powers. We haven't played any of them or even shared common opponents."
In girls basketball, Karlsgodt said playing in Class AA was a challenge for his program.
"The section (6AA) we are leaving has had great (basketball) in the past many years. The state champions and numerous other highly-ranked teams have consistently come out of this section. Again, many of the schools are twice our size and it surely gives them a larger pool to pull athletes from, but to their credit they have built outstanding programs as well.
"I know there is very good basketball played in the new section (2A), and travel will be more. It will be a positive in that a change of scenery will give the girls a renewed optimism regarding postseason play."
