The numbers are dramatic. Since 2001, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) has crowned 76 state football, basketball, and baseball champions in its two smallest classes, and rural schools have earned only seven of those titles.

In response, a couple of years ago, small rural schools in the state's Panhandle started making noises about leaving the FHSAA. This summer, their voices were heard as the FHSAA approved a new classification for small rural schools, which is slated to begin in 2011-12. The new Division II will be limited to schools with enrollments of 500 or less in rural areas as defined by a state economic development office.

About 60 schools, most of them in the Panhandle, are expected to meet the Division II standards, although schools are free to stay in their current classification. The FHSAA says at least 32 schools will need to sign up for the new division for it to become a reality, and the enrollment cutoff could be raised to help reach that figure.

The rural schools feel they are placed at a competitive disadvantage compared to similar-sized urban schools that draw students from much larger population bases. Florida allows students to choose which high school they want to attend within their county school district, so a rural school may pull from a population of less than 25,000 while an urban school may draw from a population exceeding 1,000,000.

"Kids who are good at a certain sport tend to gravitate toward schools that have good teams in that sport," says Bob West, Athletic Director at Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville, and a member of the FHSAA Urban/Rural Advisory Committee that recommended creation of the division. "So even though the schools are the same size, the ones in urban areas are more likely to get better players. It's really a result of allowing school choice."

The new division will hold state championships in eight team sports--baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, football, boys' and girls' soccer, softball, and girls' volleyball. West says other sports were not included because the number of potential Division II schools fielding teams is not large enough to justify a separate state championship.