[SuperJon]

I don't think this topic will draw too much interest from anyone other than Fumble and a few others, but I wanted to throw it out there anyways.


In North Carolina, we're going through realignment right now for the 2009-2012 school years. We have four classifications. The big trend in this realignment is creating split conferences, with half of the schools from one classification and half from another. Their reasoning for this is to cut down travel costs and keep the conferences closer geographically.

Anyone else been around this before? We've had a couple in NC for years, but never a bunch of them like they're proposing for this one. What do you guys who follow high school sports think of this?

[Fumblerooskies]

Virginia has been fighting this for years...many schools wanting to go to 4 classes...because of size disparities. However, the travel which would actually increase for many of the larger schools have kept it from happening. Every couple of years, the VHSL does re-align the districts...and some schools on the enrollment bubbles may move up or down a level...and some regions get re-aligned. It sounds like the NC association is proposing some radical re-alignment. I do recall in Asheville the MAC is split into the MAC-3A and the MAC-4A.

[ATrain]

Yep, it happens here in VA...the Dogwood used to consist of A and AA schools, no idea what it is now though.

And of course, the whole public/private school thing comes up every couple of years.

[Fumblerooskies]

Dogwood is strictly Single A now...with Appomattox dropping down from AA this past year.

[SuperJon]

It sounds like the NC association is proposing some radical re-alignment. I do recall in Asheville the MAC is split into the MAC-3A and the MAC-4A.

Nothing radical, just different. We're still four classifications (eight for football) but instead of six team conferences in one classification (which was the trend last realignment) they're doing eight team conferences over two classifications. For example, here's where I live and the surrounding counties:



Here are the schools:

2A
West Stokes
South Stokes
Forbush (Yadkin Co)
Starmount (Yadkin Co)
Surry Central
North Surry
Wilkes Central
Ashe County

1A
North Stokes
East Surry
Mt. Airy (Surry Co)
Elkin (Surry Co)
North Wilkes
East Wilkes
West Wilkes
Allegheny

In the past, you would've had two eight team conferences with those schools being in the same conference. One they're doing, is taking half from each league and creating split conferences.

Conference One
West Stokes
South Stokes
North Stokes
East Surry
North Surry
Forbush
Mt. Airy
Bishop McGuiness (private school 30 minutes away from the closest school, we're the only legit conference for them though)

Conference Two
Surry Central
Starmount
Elkin
East Wilkes
West Wilkes
Wilkes Central
North Wilkes
Allegheny
Ashe

Hopefully that made sense. Most people probably don't care, but it's an interesting discussion for people who follow high school sports.