WINNEMUCCA - The always changing landscape in northern Nevada high school athletics may be changing once again.
North Valleys High School, situated in north Reno, came before the NIAA Board of Control earlier in the week to present a proposal to drop from the Division I North to the Division I-A North. The school has an enrollment of 2,124, which is 900 students more than the threshold of 1,200 set forth by the NIAA.
At the moment, it is just a discussion item that will likely be moved forward to the January board meeting for a possible vote by the board members. Right now, leagues are in the second year of scheduling and games are done in two-year blocks.
If the move is approved, there could be a chance that North Valleys can make the move for the 2013-14 school year, when the scheduling block starts over. The switch over could take place for the 2014-15 school year but then schedules would have to be redone to fit the Panthers in.
Currently, the North Valleys football team is 1-4 on the season with a win over Reno. The Panthers have struggled to compete on the gridiron since the school opened, but they made the regional playoffs in 2010. The girls basketball and softball teams qualified for their respective regional tournaments in 2011.
Large schools in Division I-A are now common place but not in northern Nevada. The 2012-13 school year brought a handful of large Las Vegas schools into the league that Lowry plays in.
The Buckaroo boys played one of their best basketball games of the season in the state tournament last year in Las Vegas but fell short to Desert Pines, a school with more nearly three times the enrollment of Lowry. Elko was in the same boat when they played Clark.
Apparently, the Division I schools have given North Valleys its blessing to make the move. Athletic directors in the Division I-A are not ready to jump on the band wagon at the moment
In meetings held on Monday, administrators voted 9-0 against the move. They want to here more from North Valleys on why they think it's a good move.
If the move is approved that would bring the number of teams to 10 in the Division I-A North (11 for football). Wooster plays football in Division I-A and are a Division I school in everything else.
My suggestion is you force Wooster to make a decision on where they want to play. Make the Reno school play all sports in either league. If they drop down to Division I-A, bring Hug along with them and that creates a 12-team conference.
With 12 teams you could create two six-team leagues and name it whatever you want. How about the Sierra and Ruby leagues.
The Ruby League would consist of Lowry, Elko, Spring Creek, Churchill County, Dayton and Fernley. The Sierra League would be made up of South Tahoe, Truckee, Sparks, Hug, Wooster and North Valleys.
For basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball and softball, you play each other in your league twice and crossover and play the six other teams once.
Boys and girls golf could split into two leagues if need be and wrestling, swimming, track and cross country can continue doing their own thing.
Scheduling football would be a taller task among the 12-team league. You would play the five other teams in your league and four others from the opposite league. That leaves an opening to play a Hall of Fame Game. For Lowry, it could keep its series with Battle Mountain going.
A rotation would be needed since you would not be playing two teams in the league. For instance, if you are Lowry you play Elko, Spring Creek, Churchill County, Dayton and Fernley. For the first two years the Buckaroos can play North Valleys, Hug, Wooster and Truckee. After the two years are complete, Sparks and South Tahoe come on and maybe Wooster and North Valleys comes off the schedule.
The question has also come up with the possibility of holding separate state championships for the Division I and I-A North and South.
I am not sure what the point of that is, except for saving money. I am all for keeping the North vs. South rivalry going.
So at the end of the season you go hooray we won the Northern State Championship. Isn't that what the regional championships are for?
Winnemucca Publishing sports editor Tony Erquiaga can be reached via email at t.erquiaga@winnemuccapublishing.net.[[In-content Ad]]
