Intrigue surrounding the Kansas State High School Activities Assn. shuffling football district assignments and classifications in the end had no effect on Lawrence High or Free State.

This week, the association released assignments and classifications for the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 school years. As expected, Free State and Lawrence High will both stay in Class 6A, which pools the 32 largest schools in Kansas based on enrollment.

Also, both city schools will stay in District 4, which means the Lions and Firebirds will continue to play Topeka High and Washburn Rural at the end of the regular season.

Overall, LHS coach Dirk Wedd is pleased seeing the Topeka schools on the schedule.

“I like the change of pace,” Wedd said of playing the Topeka schools. “We play six or seven Sunflower League games a year, so it’s good to see some non-league teams in there.”

Several other schools will have different regional assignments during the next two seasons. The most striking is Olathe North, which will drop to 5A for football the next two years. The Eagles, winners of six of the last seven 6A state titles, saw enrollment plummet with the opening of Olathe Northwest this fall. O-North missed the 6A cut by about 25 students.

While the Eagles dropped to 5A, two area teams, Ottawa and Mill Valley, will move up to 5A starting next year.

Ottawa, which also will be switching from the Huron to the Frontier League, has been a 5A team before, causing Cyclones coach Pat Boeh to shrug the shuffle off.

“As far as making the move, it really doesn’t matter,” Boeh said. “We’re going to have quality opponents wherever we go.”

• Tough luck: Mill Valley drew perhaps the toughest straw in Class 5A, being assigned to District 4 and having to take on Olathe North, Olathe Northwest and Tecumseh Shawnee Heights starting next year. O-Northwest is playing a JV football schedule this fall.

• Area matchups: For the first time, Eudora and Baldwin will lock horns in district play, both drawing Class 4A, District 4. Santa Fe Trail also is in that district. Spring Hill is the other assignee. De Soto, Perry-Lecompton and Tonganoxie will all play each other in Class 4A, District 5 starting next year, along with Bonner Springs.

• See ya: McLouth and Oskaloosa will both see different teams in Class 3A districts the next two years. McLouth will face Pleasant Ridge, Atchison Maur Hill and Leavenworth Immaculata, while Oskaloosa will have Osage City, Pomona and Silver Lake.