Big Nine says our way or the highway
As was to be expected, the days of Greater Spokane League 4A regional sweeps of state berths in sports such as volleyball, girls basketball and cross country are over.
Changing demographics of the GSL and new “Big Nine” leagues – and a cynic might say this year’s unprecedented sweep of the state play-in football berths – has seen to that.
The Big Nine holds the upper hand of nearly 2 to 1 in the number of 4A schools beginning in the fall and, therefore, also holds the hammer when dictating regional play.
In this week’s take-it-or-leave-it meeting of Eastern Region activities coordinators, District 8 (Spokane) secretary Randy Ryan said the GSL was told that in years when three teams qualify to state (the Big Nine gets two and GSL one by state allotment), eight-team regional tournaments in selected sports will be weighted 6 to 2 in favor of Districts 5 and 6 (Big Nine schools).
Every other year the region will have four state teams and the Big Nine will have five regional teams to the GSL’s three. The playoffs will be set up to assure that at least one Big Nine team reaches state.
“They offered it and it was either take it or we don’t do regionals,” Ryan said.
When the regional concept began and the two leagues had equal numbers of schools, each was willing to risk its two guaranteed state berths.
“Our philosophy has always been to send the best teams to state,” said Ryan. “We’re still holding to that philosophy and gambling our allocations in 3A even though (Big Nine 3A teams) are in the minority 5 to 3.”
But not the Big Nine, apparently. Mt. Spokane activities coordinator John Miller said he was told by one Big Nine A.D. at the meeting it is about what is best for them.
“They flat-out said they don’t care who has the best teams,” Ryan added.
Who can really blame them?
Even if 11 4A schools (and another coming) compared to the GSL’s six next year already give the Big Nine an advantage, the bottom line is that declining enrollments at Spokane schools are making State 4A qualifying a little bit harder even as 3A prospects improve.
WIAA addresses issues
Friday’s meeting of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association representative assembly will address numerous issues, including an amendment regarding open-enrollment athletic transfers from one high school to another within a district such as Spokane Public Schools.
If passed, such transfers would fall under WIAA purview and be subject to that organization’s transfer by-laws regarding residence, student requirements and waiver requests, instead of leaving it up the individual districts.
There is also a proposed amendment preventing circumvention of eligibility rules when a suspended student moves to another school to play. Another would ease the severity of punishment on a school when a student becomes ineligible through an inadvertent error. The latter came about when Archbishop Murphy in Everett was forced to forfeit its entire football season when a player accidentally let his physical examination lapse.
Other issues the assembly is considering would be to change school classification enrollment count dates, extend the cycle from two to four years, allow two opportunities for opting up and standardize lengths of academic suspensions within a school year.
Also up for discussion is the future of state basketball in Seattle.
GSL track showdown
Undefeated Mead and Lewis and Clark visit defending champion and Pasco Invitational winner Central Valley today to determine the Greater Spokane League boys track champion.
“I think this year is one of the closest, when you look at everybody’s strength compared to their weaknesses,” said Bears coach Chuck Bowden, whose team won its first league title last year, but considers his team the underdog. “It should be a lot of fun.”