As the De Soto High School football team cruises to a perfect 4-0 record through its first month of play, the release of fresh Kansas State High School Activities Association classifications, including an ascension in class by the team, has garnered little attention.

Released biannually in the third week of September and based on the sizes of the freshman, sophomore and junior classes, school football classifications determine which schools will compete in each class for the next two years.

The new classifications have dictated that next year, due to enrollment increases, the DHS football team will make the jump to the 5A class from 4A in which it is currently ranked second in the state.

“I definitely think that the team is ready to take the step up to 5A … It’ll be fun to play against different teams and new competition,” junior tight end Connor Flynn said.

In addition to the new football classification, DHS is also joining the new United Kansas League at the beginning of the 2018-19 school year. While these changes will present unique challenges in the future for the team, the focus has remained grounded in the present, and on the substantial success the team has already had this season.

“There hasn’t been much talk about next year,” Flynn continued. “… I think our team will do just fine though, our team is good at handling adversity.”

Other sports teams have already made the step up to 5A, as football classifications are separate from other classifications for scheduling reasons. The girls’ tennis and volleyball teams have already made their presence well-known in the 5A classification in the two years they have been members of the class.

If the football team’s recent success says anything however, it’s that they may also be able to make a similarly quick adjustment to the new competition.