Of the 12 high schools in Jefferson County that are members of the Missouri State High School Activities Association, only St. Pius X’s athletic programs are classified based on enrollment, plus playoff success.
MSHSAA only uses enrollment to classify public schools, and at its meeting in June, the board of directors approved modifications to its Championship Factor formula for private schools. The changes were submitted by a MSHSAA Ad Hoc Committee on Competitive Equity. Private schools have been classified based on a six-year cycle of postseason success. The new model depreciates those points over time.
“This is a first step toward continuing to examine competitive equity more closely in an effort to be responsive to our member schools,” MSHSAA Executive Director Jennifer Rukstad said in a statement. “Our conversations will continue this fall as we explore additional ways to provide fairness and equity within a diverse membership.”
As an example, a state championship won by a private school during the 2025-2026 school year counts as 10 points. That title depreciates to seven points two years after, to five points in year three and keeps counting as fewer points until year six when it’s worth one point. (See the new points chart in this story).
Previously, private schools were subject to a two-class maximum shift. Regardless of enrollment, private schools could only move up two classes no matter how many points they’d earned. Now they can move up from Class 1 to Class 6 if they score enough points.
Under the new formula, the St. Pius football team has accrued seven points, all coming after last season’s successful run to the Class 2 Show-Me Bowl against Blair Oaks, a public school just south of Jefferson City. Private schools that score between five and 10 points will move up one class. That means the Lancers will compete in Class 3 this year. A public school, Seneca, beat private school Lift for Life Academy to win the Class 3 Show-Me Bowl last season. Lift for Life will move up to Class 4.
Ever since St. Pius was voted out of the Jefferson County Activities Association and I-55 Conference (now the Quad County Conference) in 2024, it’s had to make massive changes to its teams’ schedules. The Lancer football team was part of the I-55; the other sports were in the JCAA.
Since Frank Ray took over as head coach of the St. Pius football team three years ago, he’s taken the Lancers out of state to play top schools, no matter their enrollment. Ray’s purpose was to fill the schedule with a quality of opponents that exceeded the former conference teams. St. Pius started last season 0-3, with losses to a Caruthersville team it later beat in the district final, and Knob Noster (Class 3) and Fort Zumwalt East (Class 5), both with far more students.
“The biggest difference is the depreciation,” Ray said of the new formula.
Despite having to beat schools with larger enrollments in Class 3 once districts begins, St. Pius is positioned to soften the depreciation from finishing second in 2025, to embark on another deep playoff run.
That’s because no other team in the county has ever had a 3,000-yard rusher, much less have one return for their senior year. Ray said Cody Shaver is healthy and ready to add to that historic number.
The Lancers have been scrimmaging this summer in St. Louis against teams from the Public High League. They kick off the season Aug. 28 in Fort Branch, Ind. against Gibson Southern, a Class 3A school that made it to Indiana’s semifinals in 2025. The St. Pius schedule never relents. There’s games against Class 5 schools from Farmington, Mehlville and Vianney. The Lancers play Lutheran St. Charles, the 2021 Class 2 state champions, whose title is depreciating fast because the Cougars haven’t won a district title since then.
“We’re excited about it. Mentally we’ve prepared ourselves for it,” Ray said about the 2026 schedule. “I try not to make size of school matter too much. You can only play 11 at a time. We have to stay healthier than they (opposition) do. One or two injuries, we drop more than a CBC. The other issue is how many kids do we have to play both ways?”
After winning the Class 2 state championship in 2019, the St. Pius girls volleyball team was moved to Class 4. It took the Lancers a couple of years to adjust to playing larger schools, but by 2023 they were second in the state, and in 2024 won their fourth state crown. Private school St. Michael the Archangel beat St. Pius in last season’s state final.
Based on having accumulated 16 points over the last three seasons, the Lancers will be bumped to Class 5, the largest class in the state. Last year’s Class 5 champion, Lafayette, reported an enrollment of 1,259 for 2025-2026. The St. Pius schedule is annually filled with Class 5 powers, including Lafayette (also the Lancers) which beat Pius in straight sets, and 12-time state champion Incarnate Word Academy.
Deb Nicollerat is the new St. Pius volleyball coach. Nicollerat has 499 career victories as a head coach.