Things in the Greater Lewis County sports scene will look a little bit different next year.
Not the players, necessarily. Not the coaches, the colors, or the courts.
The leagues, though, are going to be something new.
With the WIAA’s 2010-2012 classification ranges finalized, every local high school will have a slightly different league schedule.
The biggest change will be Winlock, where the Cardinals drop from being one of the smallest 1A schools to one of the biggest 2B school. The enrollment in grades 10-12 is 194.25 students, just below the 207 cut-off between 1A and 2B. Onalaska, in comparison, is one of the smaller 1A schools (which range from 208 to 512 students), while Rochester is on the upper end of the 1A scale (431).
The change, Winlock athletic director Gary Viggers is hoping, will bring more kids on to the playing field — especially in body-heavy sports like football.
“You’re playing teams like Montesano, and they have like 77 kids, and we have like 80 boys in our school,” Viggers said. “We suited up 17 against their 77. What’s going to make a freshman come out and play football?”
Winlock, now, will play in the Central 2B League against Adna, Mossyrock, Pe Ell, Napavine, Toutle Lake, Wahkiakum, and Morton/White Pass (the East End districts will be combining in all sports next year). Vancouver Christian may also rejoin the C2BL for the 2010-11 year.
“I know the football coaches are excited,” Viggers said. “For pure numbers, all the coaches are somewhat happy, but they also know it’s a tough, difficult league.”
Winlock moving in, and the addition of Morton’s athletes to White Pass teams, across the board, will be the only notable changes in the Central 2B League. Pe Ell, with a 10-12 enrollment of just 75 students, is below the 93-student entry line to the 2B ranks, but has decided to opt up for another three-year enrollment cycle. Willapa Valley and Naselle, in the Pacific 2B League, are the two closest opt-up schools, with enrollments of 75 and 82, respectively.
The SWW 1A League’s Evergreen Division will be losing two teams (Winlock and Toledo) and gaining two former Evergreen 2A Conference teams in Hoquiam (493 students) and Elma (512 students) to keep the size of the league at eight teams. The SWW 1A League’s Trico Division — against whom the Evergreen competes in crossover games and District IV tournaments — will be gaining Toledo and 2A drop-down Ridgefield (471 students) to become an eight-team league and balance the SWW 1A League.
Adding games with a 500-student school was a big question for Onalaska, according to athletic director Dennis Bower.
“What we tried to do is balance the schedule out, so we’re not playing head-to-head, week-to-week,” Bower said, of designing a gridiron season in which smaller Evergreen Division schools — like Ony, or Rainier (256) — won’t end up with Hoquiam and Elma on back-to-back weeks.
The general concern about playing the larger schools is, of course, safety.
“When you’re 228, squaring off with a school that’s 512... We, the WIAA member schools, have got to figure out a better system,” Bower said. “It’s kind of scary that Toledo and Onalaska could actually combine sports programs and be a 1A school, so we do have some concerns.”
In the 2A ranks, the Evergreen 2A Conference will drop from an eight-team establishment to just seven, with Hoquiam and Elma dropping down to 1A and North Thurston — with an enrollment of 1063 students — dropping down from the 3A ranks.
The Rams lost to W.F. West 14-7 and beat River Ridge 36-13 during the 2009 football season, and lost to Tumwater and Black Hills, while beating W.F. West, in boys basketball action this season.
Notes: Winlock and Toledo will keep the Battle of the Cowlitz football game on the schedule, according to Viggers. ... Athletic directors in the Central 2B League will meet next week to discuss whether or not Vancouver Christian will be back on the C2BL. The Light are participating in the Columbia Valley League this year.
League Alignments
Prep Sports Leagues
Projected for the 2010-11 School Year
Evergreen 2A Conference
North Thurston
Tumwater
River Ridge
Aberdeen
Centralia
W.F. West
Black Hills
SWW 1A League Evergreen
Hoquiam
Elma
Rochester
Rainier
Tenino
Onalaska
Forks
Montesano
SWW 1A League Trico
Toledo
Kalama
La Center
Ilwaco
Castle Rock
Stevenson
Columbia (White Salmon)
Ridgefield
Central 2B League
Morton/White Pass
Pe Ell
Winlock
Adna
Napavine
Mossyrock
Toutle Lake
Wahkiakum
Vancouver Chr.*
*Vancouver Christian may or may not enter the C2BL in the 2010-2011 season. A decision will be made in early February.
