Longhorn boys’ basketball dropping to C2 this year

    For the 2020-21 basketball season, Chase County’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams will be in different classes.
    Activities Director Troy Hauxwell informed school board members last week the Longhorns boys will compete in C2 this season, while the girls remain in C1.
    Both basketball teams competed in C1 last year.
    The change in classes for the boys team comes as a result of NSAA action that counts boys and girls in the high school separately for determining basketball and volleyball classifications. Previous to about two years ago, Hauxwell said NSAA used a combined count of boys and girls.
    With Chase County’s enrollment at 52 boys and 78 girls, it was enough of a difference for the Longhorn basketball teams to end up in different classes.
    For subdistricts, the Longhorn boys will be in C2-11 along with Dundy Co. Stratton, Hershey, Hitchcock County and Sutherland.
    The girls will compete in the C1-11 subdistrict along with Cozad, Gothenburg and Hershey.
    Chase County’s boys finished last year with a 17-5 record, while the Lady Longhorns were 18-4.
    The Chase County wrestling team will return to Class C as it was last season. However, with COVID-19 concerns, Hauxwell said he’s studying a long list of guidelines issued this week by the NSAA. He’s not sure what the season will be like.
    One of the guidelines, he said, is a suggestion to keep teams invited to tournaments to no more than eight.
    “How do you decide who you will keep?” he asked. “Things keep changing weekly.”
    First official practices for winter sports  will be Monday, Nov. 16. First contests are set for Dec. 3.