CARBONDALE - Cautiously optimistic, Murphysboro will enter Class A for the first time in school history next fall after another enrollment drop and a new cutoff by the Illinois High School Association.

With an enrollment of 724 given to the association in October, the Red Devils will make the SIRR Ohio Division an all-A conference next school year. The IHSA's cutoff for the two-class sports will be 735 next year.

"There's a certain level of respect you earn or gain when you compete with the large schools, but it's not a coincidence that one of the SIRR River-to-River teams has competed in a state championship in the last six years and Murphysboro hasn't won a sectional championship," Murphysboro Athletic Director Len Novara said. "I think we're as competive as the other schools. It'll be fun to get to experience that. We've had teams in the last couple years that have been pretty doggone good teams, that haven't gotten out of the sectional tournaments."

Novara said the district was expecting the move sooner than the fall of 2005, when he took the athletic director position.

He also said that just because the Red Devils are moving down a class, don't expect a slew of sectional championships in line.

"There's no guarantees," Novara said. "Sometimes the road to the state tournament is tougher in Class A than it is in AA. Last year the baseball team would have had to get past Harrisburg to get there. Harrisburg beat us twice. It'll probably increase some chances, but you gotta play the games."

Mooneyham, Newbold

Herrin's AD finalists

Current boys basketball coach Mike Mooneyham and former boys basketball coach Mike Newbold are Herrin's two finalists for the athletic director position that will be vacated by Rod Sherrill at the end of this school year, Herrin Superintendent Mark Collins said Thursday.

Both have heavy ties to the school in addition to degrees. Mooneyham has coached basketball over 20 years. Mooneyham, the Lady Tigers' girls basketball coach, served as the school's athletic director from 1993-99. Collins said the board would have a recommendation at its April 19th meeting.

ETC: Carbondale's Ray Nelson scored a game-high 18 points in the Missouri-Illinois Riverwar All-Star Game in St. Louis, but Missouri beat the Illinois all-stars 90-83. Cahokia's Andre Taylor added 10 points. … Nashville's Heather Markowski will sign a letter of intent with Rend Lake College for volleyball today. … Former Carbondale standout Maurice Gibbs has narrowed his choices for next season to the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Colorado, Nebraska, Washington, UMass and Georgetown. Gibbs and Moberly Area Community College finished second at the NJCAA Division I Tournament earlier this year.

todd.hefferman@thesouthern.com

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