Talk of realignment the highlight of NCHSAA winter meeting.
North Carolina high schools sports realignment and classification were part of the main talking points at the NCHSAA winter board meeting on Thursday.
The state could move from four high school classifications to five. But fans, coaches and administrators who want clarity on when or if it will happen will have to wait. NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker told the media after the board meeting not to expect any changes with classifications for a while. Typically, conference realignment occurs every four years.
To get a better idea of how schools in the high school association feel about revising the current model of classifications, Tucker will send a ballot to each member of the association.
“During the 2020-2021 school year the realignment process has to be undertaken, completed and approved.” Tucker told the media. “Then we will start the new alignment in August of 2021. That’s your timeline. The membership has to vote if it changes.”
The board approved moving forward on the amendment request that was received from the membership. To be approved, three quarters of the 418 member schools have to vote “yes.”
Tucker did say the process will involve moving to five classes or staying at four. Tucker added that change has to be determined between January 2020 and when the board meets for their spring meeting.
Committee will meet in January to discuss realignment
A committee selected by NCHSAA president Brad Craddock will meet sometime in January to discuss the realignment/classification issues. Tucker did not anticipate the ballots would be released before the start of the new year considering the NCHSAA is preparing for football state championship weekend.
Tucker also has to deal with the drafting of the language and run it by the NCHSAA legal department before it can be sent out.
If the NCHSAA got enough votes in the affirmative, the process to move forward with realignment or adding a classification would include an emergency meeting to receive the realignment report and to approve it and move it forward.
The approval could come in the spring, which could leave teams scrambling, especially in football, to readjust their schedules by the fall. That’s a concern for all parties involved.
“I’m concerned,” Tucker said. “And we shared that with the membership last May and some of them were concerned that was really tight. It can be done. Is it ideal? Absolutely not, but with technology the way it is, it is easier.”
More from the NCHSAA board meeting
Other ideas of note discussed or presented to the board at the meeting:
New member school: Two new schools, West Cabarrus and Southern Wake Academy, were accepted into the NCHSAA.
It was approved that a gameday administrator be present for 7-on-7 events.
The board denied removing penalty kicks stipulation for games that ended in a tie during the regular season. Soccer coaches made a request that if a game ends in a tie at the end of regulation that there be two 10 minute overtime periods. If the game is still tied after the two overtime periods it should be ruled a draw.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Talk of realignment the highlight of NCHSAA winter meeting.."
