It took longer than usual and after some tense meetings and even some name calling, the NIAA finally set its 5A, 4A and 3A football leagues for the next two school years.
The Southern 5A Division I will feature seven team next fall and will compete on their own for a state champion.
The 5A Division II will include northern teams Bishop Manogue, McQueen, Spanish Springs, Reed, Damonte Ranch and Reno.
Those six schools will compete for a state title with Las Vegas, Green Valley, Foothill, Basic, Sierra Vista, Durango and Faith Lutheran.
The Northern 3A will lose three teams to the new 5A Division III North in North Valleys, Wooster and Hug.
They will join Carson, Galena and Hug. Those schools will compete against another set of 5A schools from Las Vegas for the 5A Division III state championship.
The Northern 3A will move to a single 8-team league for the next two seasons.
Joining Lowry will be Churchill County, Elko, Spring Creek, Fernley, South Tahoe, Truckee and Sparks. There will also be a true North/South state championship game.
2A/3A soccer
combine leagues
The Northern 2A and 3A will combine for one soccer league with two divisions for boys and girls in the next two years.
Lowry, Pershing County and Battle Mountain will be in the same East division and face each other next fall.
Pershing County only has a girls team. Battle Mountain has not played boys soccer the last two years.
The remainder of the East includes West Wendover, White Pine, Spring Creek, Elko, Dayton, Fernley and Churchill County.
The West division for boys soccer includes: Incline, North Tahoe, Sage Ridge, South Tahoe, Truckee, Whittell and Yerington.
The West division for girls will be Incline, North Tahoe, North Valleys, Sage Ridge, South Tahoe, Sparks, Truckee, Whittell, Wooster and Yerington.
Other fall
sports
The only change for girls golf in the Northern 3A is Douglas leaving the league after winning the last two state championships and returning to the 4A. Wooster will replace Douglas in the Northern 3A.
The Northern 3A volleyball league will remain the same as in the past with two, six-team leagues. Lowry, Elko, Spring Creek, Dayton, Churchill County and Fernley in the East and South Tahoe, Truckee, Sparks, North Valleys, Hug and Wooster in the West.
The Northern 3A cross country league is the same as in the past.
Winter
realignment
The NIAA realignment committee held a meeting on Tuesday, March 7, and the Northern 3A will remain the same in boys and girls basketball and wrestling for the next two years, pending NIAA board approval.
Northern 3A basketball will be two, six-team leagues.
Lowry, Elko, Spring Creek, Dayton, Churchill County and Fernley in the East and South Tahoe, Truckee, Sparks, North Valleys, Hug and Wooster in the West.
Wrestling will be one 12-team league.
Northern 5A boys and girls basketball will move to the 4A for the next two years, leaving the Southern 5A as a standalone league, pending board approval. Wrestling will remain in the 5A.