By Sheldon Shealer

Just when you think everything is in order regarding Maryland high school classifications, guess again!

MDVarsity.com confirmed that three schools -- all in Baltimore City -- will be reassigned classifications due to recent reorganized in the city school system. The affected schools are Lake Clifton, Maritime Academy (previously Samuel Banks) and Institute for Business and Entrepreneurship (previously Walbrook).

As reported earlier by MDVarsity.com, Samuel Banks and Walbrook no longer exist. Those schools will be replaced by Maritime Academy and Institute for Business and Entrepreneurship (IBE).

In the previously reported MPSSAA classifications, Banks and Walbrook were 2A schools and Lake Clifton was a 1A school. The MPSSAA confirmed Tuesday that Lake Clifton's enrollment increased by 300 students due to the shift, sending Lake Clifton to Class 2A. Meanwhile, the former Banks (now Maritime Academy) and the former Walbrook (now IBE), are moving from Class 2A to 1A. Both schools will be in Class 1A South for playoff purposes for all sports.

For record-keeping purposes, Maritime and IBE will be recognized as new schools. That is an easy call in Banks' situation, since that school was closed and Maritime with a completely new staff opened in the same location. IBE formerly was part of Walbrook. However, the decision to consider this a new school instead of a name change is based on the fact that the Walbrook building will be closed and IBE is opening in a new location.

By Sheldon Shealer

Walbrook High School, which opened in 1971, is closing at the end of this school year, according to sources at the Maryland state association.

This is the second Baltimore City public high school ordered to close this year. Samuel Banks also is getting shut down.

Like Banks, Walbrook's athletic schedule will be inherited by a new Baltimore City public school, this one known as the Institute of Business & Entreprenuership. Maritime Academy is taking over for Samuel Banks.

What remains in question is the enrollment and classification of these schools for the fall football season.

A third city public high school, this one called Masonville Cove Military Academy, is scheduled to open this fall in Baltimore City and expects to play only a junior varsity schedule.

By Sheldon Shealer

Walbrook and Northwestern-Balt. are on the way up, Carver and Lake Clifton are heading down in the latest Baltimore City football alignments set for next season.

The City plays a two-division system with the top teams in Division I and the rest in Division II, regardless of school sizeFollowing each season, the bottom Division I team(s) are dropped and replaced by the top-finishing Division II teams. 

In many cases, the move to Division I is shortlived for these teams because often the players who helped a squad reach the top of Division II graduate. Such is the case with Northwestern. The program is coming off its first playoff appearance ever and a 9-1 regular season. However, the team graduates star running back Terrence West, who rushed for more than 5,500 career yards.