The Montana High School Association Executive Board met via conference call on June 22, 2023, and the following occurred:
1. The Board and MHSA staff reported on the spring state championships. The Board and the MHSA staff appreciate the managers and venue personnel who administered and hosted these extremely successful events.
2. The Board heard reports from each of the classification’s summer meetings held in June of 2023.
3. The Board received an update regarding the MHSA Student Advisory Committee and the addition
of five new members for the 2023-24 school year.
4. Joe McElroy from Missoula was welcomed to the MHSA Executive Board as the new appointee from the State Superintendent.
The following information is being sent to member schools for a two-week notice period. All changes
are effective for the 2023-24 school year:
Baseball
1. The Board approved the following adjustments for walk-up music in MHSA baseball. Walk-up music may be played in the regular season by the home team if approved by the school’s administration. Each team can choose their own approved music. Administrators should review the music to determine its appropriateness. Walk-up music should stop the moment the batter steps into the batter’s box. Officials may order the music turned down or off if the music is inappropriate or is interfering with the orderly administration of the game.
2. The Board approved an adjustment for the mercy rule in MHSA baseball. The coach’s option to continue was removed if the 15-run differential is reached after the 3rd inning. The 10 run differential after 5 innings is still in effect.
Basketball
1. The Board approved Class AA divisional basketball tournaments to discontinue playing the 3rd/ 4th place game. Criteria have been developed to determine how these teams will advance to state.
2. The Board approved Class A to go back to an 8-team state tournament in basketball with four teams qualifying from the West and four teams qualifying from the East. There will no longer be a play-in game to advance to state.
3. The Board confirmed the policy that during the 2023-24 season, all games (varsity and sub-varsity) will be played with an operable shot clock. There is no exception for sub-varsity games played in auxiliary gyms.
Football
1. The Board approved adjustments to the Class AA Football Mercy Rule. If the 35-point differential is reached, the running clock will begin in the third quarter instead of the fourth quarter.
2. The Board approved adjustments to the Class A state football bracket. The same number of teams from each division will qualify for the playoffs and there will not be any divisional crossover in the first round.
3. The Board approved an adjustment to the Class B 11-Player football playoff tiebreaker. Other than in the state championship, if like seeds meet in the playoffs, head-to-head results will be the first criterion to determine the host site for the playoff game.
4. The Board approved alternating Whitehall and Jefferson from the South to the West football divisions every 2 years in the next reclassification of Class B 11-Player football.
Golf
1. The Board approved a format change for the Class B state golf tournament. A shotgun start will be used for the practice round and first day of competition. Tee times will be used for the second day of the competition.
2. The Board approved renaming the Class B golf divisions from the current numbering system to geographical area.
3. The Board approved a rotation for the state golf tournament sites beginning in the 2025-26 school year. Bidding sites will rotate from North to Southeast to West.
4. The Board approved a change to Class C golf state qualifiers. Four teams and 20 participants from each boys and girls division will qualify for the state golf tournament.
Soccer
1. The Board approved adjustments to the Soccer Behavior Improvement Plan in all classifications. The new plan will focus more on major fouls that occur in the sport of soccer.
2. The Board approved adjustments to the Class A state soccer bracket. The bracket will follow a yearly rotation.
Softball
1. The Board approved the following adjustments for walk-up music in MHSA softball. Walk-up music may be played in the regular season by the home team if approved by the school’s administration. Each team can choose their own approved music. Administrators should review the music to determine its appropriateness. Walk-up music should stop the moment the batter steps into the batter’s box. Officials may order the music turned down or off if the music is inappropriate or is interfering with the orderly administration of the game.
2. The Board approved an adjustment for the mercy rule in MHSA softball. The coach’s option to continue was removed if the 15-run differential is reached after the 3rd inning and the 10-run rule differential is reached after 5 innings.
3. The Board approved allowing Class A softball teams to play 22 games in the regular season as opposed to 20 games.
4. The Board approved the addition of bat testing at divisional softball tournaments in Class A.
Speech and Debate
1. The Board approved the attached changes in Speech and Drama. Click Here for this information.
Swimming
2. The Board approved a schedule change for the All-Class Swim Meet. The 500-meter prelims on Friday will move to Thursday.
Tennis
1. The Board approved adding divisional team trophies in Class B/C tennis. The MHSA Awards Rule will be followed for the number of trophies given.
Track and Field
1. The Board approved increasing the number of Class AA qualifiers from divisional to state in track and field. In each event, 8 participants will advance to state from each division. In the past, 6 participants or relay teams qualified.
2. The Board approved adjustments to the number of Class C qualifiers from divisional to state in track and field. Each division will advance 6 participants or relay teams to state. Last year the Western division advanced 7 participants.
3. The Board approved returning the number of Class A qualifiers from divisional to state in track and field to 10 from each division. Last year, the East advanced 8 and the West advanced 10
participants.
Volleyball
1. The Board approved Class A to go back to an 8-team state tournament with four teams qualifying from the West and four teams qualifying from the East. There will no longer be a play-in game to advance to state.
Wrestling
1. The Board approved adjustments to Class A qualifiers in postseason wrestling. With this change, Class A schools can enter a maximum of 17 wrestlers into the postseason and shall have no more than two wrestlers in a weight class.
General
1. The Board approved the following clarification for the MHSA Open Gym Rule. There is no such thing as an open gym during a sport-specific season (i.e. no volleyball open gym during
volleyball). During the summer coaching period, only the current student body or non-secondary students within the school’s attendance area (who are not enrolled in another district) are allowed to participate in open gyms or practices.
Interpretation:
1 – Coaches who coach AAU clubs or teams with mixed high school students must follow district policy to rent the gym to practice.
2 – Approved co-op students are allowed to participate in each school’s open gyms or practices.
2. The Board approved the following interpretation of the MHSA 8th Grade Rule: Each individual MHSA school district must adopt a school board policy on whether or not they allow 8th grade participation.
3. The Board approved an update to the recent MHSA committee structure change. Each MHSA
advisory committee will have representation from an American Indian member or an American Indian
school representative
