The winds of change will almost certainly blow this month in the form of high school athletic realignment, as officials from the North Coast Section will ultimately decide the fate of its member leagues.
In its present form (since the last realignment in 2011), the North Bay League has consisted of Windsor, Cardinal Newman, Ukiah, Santa Rosa, Maria Carrillo, Montgomery, Rancho Cotate and Casa Grande, while the Sonoma County league includes Analy, El Molino, Healdsburg, Petaluma, Sonoma Valley, Piner and Elsie Allen.
In May, local league and section officials met to consider a series of proposals following the transfer of Napa, American Canyon and Vintage High Schools from the San Joaquin Section to the North Coast Section.
Although most proposals were dismissed as unworkable, the NCS will almost certainly make a decision on realignment of the Sonoma County, North Bay and Marin County Athletic (MCAL) leagues when the parties meet again on Aug. 24.
“At our last meeting in May, we voted on two proposals, so my guess is continued discussion,” Windsor High School Athletic Director Jeff Hardie said.
The most popular plan (endorsed by a majority of representatives) at the last meeting was a call for three leagues: the MCAL (minus Justin Siena), the Southern Sonoma/Napa League and a combined “super” league made up of the remaining SCL and NBL schools.
This super league scenario would be one league with two six-school divisions based on competitive equity in each sport. Divisions would be assigned on a sport by sport basis. School rankings in each sport would be reconfigured every two years.
As an example, Windsor, which now resides in the NBL, would be part of a new combined league and compete in the “A” division in soccer, football and basketball, while possibly competing in the “B” division in tennis and other less competitive sports.
Any league changes made by the NCS this month will take effect in the 2018/19 school year.
