Fresh changes are on the block for the fall sports season, and they’re coming to change the game, both schoolwide and statewide.
This past January, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) Board of Control approved a finalized district and regional realignments for the upcoming 2025-2026 season and 2028-2029, setting up major shifts in the high school sports world. This has been under wraps for quite awhile, and now that it’s here, it’s ready to change every aspect of high school sports. For Bullitt East, they’ll be competing in the 23rd District, switching from the 24th. These changes will modify the competition across multiple sports, introducing lots of new opponents, reshaping experienced rivalries, and potentially having a major impact on postseason play. At the statewide level, the realignment looks to create a more balanced playing field while still keeping travel reasonable across various schools, but it also brings fresh, new storylines and matchups that could define the next generation of Kentucky athletics.
The main reason for all this change began two years ago when Jefferson County created two new high schools, WEB Dubois and Grace James. Simultaneously, Evangel moved their main campus from the I-65/Outer Loop area to Taylorsville Road. According to veteran Courier Journal reporter Jason Frakes, the changes “accomplished [their] purpose of making the districts more sensible geographically.”
For Bullitt East, the redistricting brought lots of ripple effects. The Chargers are back in a district with county rivals North Bullitt and Bullitt Central across all sports, a major move that restores old, iconic rivalries and renews high postseason stakes.
“I have always thought we should be in the same district with the other two high schools [North Bullitt and Bullitt Central] when it comes to the sports that were affected by the redistricting,” Bullitt East Athletic Director, Kenny Hughes, said. “These kids grow up playing against each other in elementary and middle school and now get to compete against each other as district rivals.”
In District 23, Bullitt East will be reunited with Bullitt Central and North Bullitt, for the first time since 2012, along with Moore and Southern. In District 24, the Chargers’ original home, will include Fern Creek, Jeffersontown, Mercy, Whitefield Academy, and Evangel. The change will be in effect for basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and girls’ volleyball. Each of these have been impacted in many different ways, including rivalry changes and brand new faces that’ll make the season even more interesting.
“Particularly when it comes to Bullitt East, I like that the Chargers are back in a district with county rivals Central and North,” he said. “I’d also think the 23rd District Tournament will be much more interesting with all three Bullitt County teams participating.”
With Bullitt Central and North Bullitt being within just a 15 minute radius from Bullitt East, it makes a lot more sense for all of them to play in the same district. This adds a bigger fuel to the fire, since they went from being in separate districts to now together.
Baseball and softball have their own unique effects to this realignment. While baseball may now feature slightly tougher paths within the district, softball should benefit pretty well.
“Bullitt East softball should dominate its new district now that it’s away from Mercy,” Frakes noted.
Football, though, tells its own unique story on a statewide level that adds a good twist to the whole game. The new two-year cycle has produced tremendous shifts, but it goes beyond the competitive picture. It carries an emotional weight for schools and fan bases that people don’t typically think about. Rivalries can be completely reignited, while new ones may arise, creating an extra layer of competition.
“It will bring a little more intensity to Bullitt East’s matchups with North and Central—if that’s possible—now that they’re back in the same district,” Frakes said. “On those occasions when they’re playing each other in a loser-go-home matchup in the postseason, those will be high-intensity. I also think fans enjoy seeing new teams on the schedule. You never know who might be your NEXT rival!”
Most student-athletes aren’t overly concerned with the administrative side of the realignment. There are lots of very technical pieces to the puzzle that make this side specifically complicated for those in charge.
“I’m not sure all that many high school athletes are in tune with the changes,” he said. “I guess most Bullitt East athletes know they’re back in a district with their county rivals, but that’s probably about it.”
Even though it’s been awhile since the actual realignment was officially announced, this is just the beginning, as the fall season is now in full swing.
“There’s going to come a day soon when the KHSAA has to seriously consider realigning the entire state—not just the Louisville area—for basketball,” Frakes said. “That’s when all chaos will break loose as schools from Paducah to Pikeville try to best position themselves for athletic success.”
No matter what kind of change happens in any life aspect, it brings its own sides and aspects. This realignment is set to change the game for the upcoming generations, and it’s going to be quite a roller coaster for all of high school athletics–athletes, coaches, fans, etc. The 2025 KHSAA sports season is about to dial up the excitement, intensity, and definitely competition.
