New WIAA classification ranges announced

RENTON — On Jan. 24 the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Executive Board will finalize the 2010-2012 classifications.

But already the classification ranges have been decided and for most Columbia Basin schools life will go on as usual.

However, Warden and Columbia Basin Secondary will find new lives while going in different directions.

Warden will move from 1A to 2B and will be joined at their new classification by Columbia Basin Secondary who moves up there from the 1B ranks.

Loren Sandhop, who is not only an WIAA Executive Board member representing Region Six but the athletic director for Moses Lake High School and Columbia Basin Secondary, sees the small school’s new home as a potential snag.

Having moved from the 1B ranks and more localized travel, The Phoenix could be making trips far enough north to see Canada from their bus.

“Its too far to go,” Sandhop said. “You’re looking at going to Lake Roosevelt or Oroville and those are some long trips compared to Wilson Creek and even Thorp, which is far but along I-90. We’re just a start-up program and to put it in a higher classification means stiffer competition as one of the smaller schools in 2B. We’re going to be six schools over the limit. That’s a tough pill to swallow.”

Enrollment increases and falls ultimately effect a school’s class but so do other factors such as the maintaining of traditional rivalries, travel issues, and competitive considerations.

“This has been an ongoing dilemma with member schools on whether they think we should have equal number of schools in each classification or no school should compete with any school that is twice their size,” Sandhop said. “When you look at the number of schools in each classification there are an equal number of teams playing for state competition.”

Classes 4A-1A each consist of 17 percent of the possible schools that are involved in athletic competition. The 2B and 1B levels each are home to 16 percent of the state’s competing high schools.

“If you look at it and how it shook out, there are some schools that were in certain districts or leagues that had to make the change,” Sandhop said. “Look at Warden for example. Warden has to ask a league for a new membership to a league to create a master schedule.”

Gary Brandt, Warden’s Athletic Director said the Cougars are now trying to decide which league to approach after years being in the South Central Athletic Conference (SCAC).

“We kind of had the attitude that we are going to go where we fall,” Brandt said. “We were 2B years ago so we aren’t totally foreign to that. Bad thing about it is that we have a good relationship with the SCAC so we hate to lose that. We’ll have to start from scratch again.”

Warden’s options are to join the 2B North Central featuring teams such as Soap Lake, Kittitas, Bridgeport, and Waterville or move over to the 2B Bi-County, which is home to Lind-Ritzville, Colfax, Davenport, and Northwest Christian.

The Cougars’ drop is not attributed to declining enrollment.

“Our enrollment isn’t very much different to what it was,” Brandt said. “We’ve been one of the smallest 1A schools so it just takes one or two teams to opt up and that kind of bumps everyone down and that’s what happened to us.”

Long-time wrestling coach Rick Bowers says that the Cougars will carry on and aim for continued success.

“The new classification is best for our school, but I will miss the teams and programs that we have wrestled for the past thirty years,” Bowers said. “I would prefer to be in the A classification because it is a 16-man bracket and the center of attention (for wrestling) but we will continue to strive for excellence regardless of who we compete with.”

Some teams opting up may also affect local schools.

“I don’t think we can complain about where the numbers put us since we’re squarely a 1B school now,” Moses Lake Christian Academy girls basketball coach Bryce McPartland said. “With the opting-up of Pateros and Entiat, the loss damages our league’s competitiveness on a state-wide scale. The other schools, MLCA included, will need to improve markedly in order to maintain credibility as an ongoing concern.”

Moses Lake High School remains a 4A school, Ephrata, Othello, and Quincy are still 2A schools, Royal stays home at the 1A level, Soap Lake stays puts amongst the 2B ranks, and Moses Lake Christian Academy, Wilson Creek, and Almira/Coulee-Hartline are all still members of 1B.

Schools wishing to appeal their classification must notify the WIAA office by Jan. 15 and their cases will be heard there on Jan. 24

An appeal can be applied toward a request for a school to opt-up in class. Schools can not appeal to go down.