Ashe Mountain Times

The state high school association's realignment committee will gather for a Feb. 15 meeting knowing the 2-A and 1-A schools in the northwestern corner of the state have no major differences with their projected plans.

A pivotal step in the process for assigning the N.C. High School Athletic Association's 396 member schools to conferences was what turned out to be an uneventful regional meeting on Monday in Maiden. The Mountain Valley Conference, of which Ashe County High is a member, has requested its nine-member league stay intact.

After the Feb. 15 realignment committee meeting, a period of time for appeals will be available and the NCHSAA board is expected to give final approval in May. The realignment period begins with fall sports in 2013 and runs through spring 2017.

Marc Payne, Ashe athletics director, and Jason Krider, Ashe principal, attended both the 2-A and 1-A portions of the meetings. Schools or leagues proposing changes to the NCHSAA staff model had the opportunity to share their proposals and contingency plans for other schools affected by their choices.

No proposals were made affecting the Husky programs. The NCHSAA staff model places Ashe within a league that includes all current MVC members with the exception of Forbush, which is grouped in an eight-team league that includes schools from Surry and Stokes counties. Most of the schools are in what is now the 2-A/1-A Northwest Conference.

Each league has eight members. Payne said if it were to change, the likely scenario would be a switch of Forbush and Elkin, which is also in Surry County.

“Mount Airy had a proposal but they didn't make it,” Payne said, saying the school was OK with the split of the 16 schools in the two leagues and desired an equitable split of eight in each conference.

Payne said Pat Mitchell, Forbush's athletics director, would like for the Falcons teams to remain in the MVC.

In the current proposal of the MVC without Forbush, the league would include 2-A schools Ashe, West Wilkes, Wilkes Central, North Wilkes and 1-A schools Alleghany, East Wilkes, Elkin and Starmount. West Wilkes and North Wilkes are currently 1-A, while Starmount is currently 2-A.

Forbush is grouped with what is left of the Northwest Conference, including 2-A schools North Surry, Surry Central, South Stokes, West Stokes and 1-A schools East Surry, Mt. Airy and North Stokes.

A straight switch of Forbush and Elkin would leave the MVC with five 2-A schools and three 1-A schools, while the Northwest would have an even split of four 2-A schools and four 1-A schools.

Keeping Forbush in the MVC, creating a nine-team league and a seven-team league, would leave the MVC with five 2-A schools and four 1-A schools, and the Northwest with four 2-A schools and three 1-A schools.

A computer-created draft of leagues, which had no split classification conferences, was not discussed.