Midvale • The state’s high school football programs could be split into six classifications, separately from all other sports, as soon as the 2013 season.

The Utah High School Activities Association’s board of trustees will present a proposal to the public that would split schools in special football-only divisions that theoretically would put those programs in tighter groups with schools with similar enrollments. All other sports would remain in five classifications.

The board had its first reading on Thursday, and many steps remain before it would be put into place. But the plan, borne out of feedback from schools around the state, seems to be gaining momentum.

“It’s definitely a start,” UHSAA executive director Rob Cuff said. “We’ve collected input from the member schools, and we’re hoping it solves some things and keeps the playing field level.”

The main split would be in the current 3A and 2A classes. Using past enrollment numbers as a guide, the board determined these groups would be reformatted into a 14- to 20-team Class 4A, a 12- to 16-team Class 3A and a 10- to 14-team Class 2A, each broken up into two regions.

Under the proposed range for the other sports, the largest schools in 3A and 2A each more than double the enrollment figures of the smallest schools in their respective classifications. But under the proposed six-class football system, none of the five largest classifications would have as great a disparity, which the UHSAA hopes can give other schools a chance to compete, as well as improve safety in the game.

The UHSAA will not determine which teams fall into which classes until it receives fresh enrollment numbers on Oct. 1, but it could change the fortunes of such programs as Spanish Fork or Dixie, which tend to straddle the line between the current 4A and 3A. It would theoretically help rural, more isolated midsize schools compete for championships.

The obvious drawback with the smaller regions is travel. With only two regions in each class, several schools will travel further to play region games. It would help that teams would play one another only once a year — one of the reasons the six-classification proposal affects only football so far.

“Because football is somewhat contained to only once a year, it’s a little more manageable,” said Highland Principal Paul Schulte, who serves on the board and is chairman of the realignment committee. “With the other sports, making those regions smaller would have a fairly significant impact with cost, travel and things of that nature.”

The UHSAA will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. on March 21 to take input. The format and procedure for realignment won’t be approved until the board meets the day after the hearing for a review and vote.

Although there were only subtle tweaks to the proposal during the meeting, it still could change dramatically between now and the final approval.

“There’s always an unexpected twist somewhere in this process that you don’t anticipate,” Schulte said. “That’s why we bring it to the public and get the feedback. We want to let everyone have a voice in this process.”

kgoon@sltrib.com

Twitter: @kylegoon