Richmond Hill won’t be the only high school in Bryan County playing down a classification the next two years. Bryan County High School will also play down, after both schools won appeals Tuesday.

Richmond Hill will remain in Region 2-AAAAAA, which will include familiar schools with Bradwell Institute, Brunswick, Effingham County, Glynn Academy returning, and the addition of nearby schools South Effingham and Statesboro.

The Wildcats appealed a move to put then in Class AAAAAAA based on geography. The nearest schools in those classifications are more than 100 miles away.

Bryan County will move down from Region 2-AA to play in Region 3-A (Public), a 10-school region including Claxton, Emanuel County Institute, Jenkins County, Johnson County, Metter, Montgomery County, Portal, Screven County and Truetlen.

Bryan County’s appeal was also based on geography, according to a statement from Bryan County Schools.

“Both Bryan County High School and Richmond Hill High School were recently granted classification appeals by the Georgia High School Association (GHSA),” the statement said. “Bryan County High School, who had the lowest enrollment numbers in the proposed 2A classification will now compete within the 1A grouping. Richmond Hill High School was initially slated to move up to classification 7A but will retain its current 6A categorization. The schools’ appeals were based largely on lengthy travel and the associated loss of instructional time. Bryan County Schools extends a thank you to GHSA for upholding its stated objective for ‘the promotion of education in Georgia.’”

The new region alignments take effect in the fall of 2020.

The Georgia High School Association reclassifies schools based on enrollment every two years.