Unanimous vote approves the forming of new ‘Super League’
Representatives from the North Coast Section and each of its member schools struck a blow for competitive equity at a meeting on Aug. 23, voting unanimously to approve a sweeping realignment of leagues to take effect in the 2018/19 school year.
The meeting was a continuation of a discussion started months ago which had considered several options to realign NCS leagues following the addition of Napa, American Canyon and Vintage High Schools from the San Joaquin Section.
On Wednesday, officials from each participating school voted 25-0 on “Ukiah Proposal #1” – the formation of three new leagues – including one which combines teams from the Sonoma County and North Bay League.
“It was the first proposal to vote on and there were no other motions for any of the other 16 proposals, so it was a quick meeting,” reported Windsor High School Athletic Director Jeff Hardie. “Although not the best of plans for our NBL colleague Casa Grande, we stuck together and voted for this proposal and will work towards the next cycle in two years.”
A day later, the proposal cleared another hurdle when it was approved by the NCS Alignment Committee. It will need a final stamp of approval by the NCS Board of Managers on Oct. 3 before becoming official.
Dubbed a “Super League,” the new configuration includes Analy, El Molino, Cardinal Newman, Elsie Allen, Healdsburg, Maria Carrillo, Montgomery, Piner, Rancho Cotate, Santa Rosa, Ukiah and Windsor.
In an effort to achieve competitive balance, a key component to the new alignment is the formation of two six-school divisions within each 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 would be reconfigured every two years.
As an example, Analy might compete in the “A” division in football, basketball and baseball, while competing in the “B” division in less competitive sports.
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.
