Most Windsor teams stacked in competitive Oak Division
The most comprehensive high school sports realignment in years will be implemented this fall when the North Bay League and Sonoma County League merge into a common league with two divisions.
The new configuration will include Windsor, Analy, El Molino, Cardinal Newman, Elsie Allen, Healdsburg, Maria Carrillo, Montgomery, Piner, Rancho Cotate, Santa Rosa and Ukiah.
The NCS realignment also calls for Casa Grande, Petaluma and Sonoma Valley high schools to join a new “Southern Sonoma/Napa League” with American Canyon, Justin Siena, Napa and Vintage. The Marin County Athletic League would remain unchanged with the exception of the loss of Justin Siena.
In an effort to achieve competitive balance, a key component to the new alignment is the formation of two six-school divisions within the league, based on the strength and track record of teams in each sport. Divisions will be assigned on a sport by sport basis and school rankings will be reconfigured every two years.
The new league will consist of a competitive Oak Division, while the Redwood Division is comprised of less competitive teams.
As an example, Windsor will compete in the Oak Division in football and basketball, while competing in the Redwood Division in baseball and track.
The vast majority of Windsor teams will be in the Oak Division, outnumbering the Redwood Division 13-3.
Other WHS teams placed in the inaugural Oak Division are girls soccer, boys soccer, volleyball, girls basketball, girls tennis, swimming, softball, boys tennis, boys golf, wrestling and badminton.
Jag teams in the Redwood Division will be cross-country, baseball, girls golf and track and field.
“We might take some lumps next year because we’ll be young, but we have a strong ninth grade class coming in,” girls basketball coach Joe Passalacqua said when asked about the newly configured league. “I think the future is bright for girls basketball at Windsor High School.”
Not all coaches were happy with the new alignment, as is the case with the Windsor baseball team, which is now looking at revamping their pre-league schedule.
“I thought we took big steps this year to compete with everyone that will be in the Oak Division,” head coach Dave Avila said. “But I do feel we’ll be in the Oak Division the next time they realign the leagues. Being a Division 2 school, the Redwood Division is made up of primarily D-3 schools. We’ll have to schedule some Oak Division opponents in the preseason along with other D-2 schools.”
For other WHS programs like softball, very little will change with the new configuration. “I think it will be about the same,” softball coach Morgan Rasmason noted. “It’s just putting the top teams from the NBL together with the best team in the SCL. We’ll just have to be on our game every game because there will be no easy wins. It’s going to be a battle but that’s what makes things more interesting.”
