Realignment has brought eight new schools into the three conferences in the Post coverage area. A school will be profiled on Fridays.

Today: West Stokes.

When Salisbury football fans tell each other that their team is playing a new school tonight, they won’t just be referring to a new school in the Central Carolina Conference.

West Stokes is a new school — period.

Exuding a clean, fresh smell when you walk down the halls, West Stokes is still in the infant stages. Opened in 1999, the purple and yellow Wildcats are finally getting an identity, according to athletic director Dan Spainhour.

Because of it, the South Stokes Sauras are apparently losing theirs.

South Stokes was once a 4A school, located between Walnut Cove and King. Remember when South Rowan and Davie County had to make those arduous drives way up toward the Sauratown mountains? It wasn’t fun but usually, it meant a victory for the War Eagles and Raiders. The Sauras never won much.

Then, the county decided to build another school, closer to King. Students were given the choice: you can stay at South or go to the new school, West Stokes.

Making a long story short, South Stokes is now a 1A school. Some of the rising seniors stayed but the halls became empty very quickly. The lure of a new school, new administration, new coaches — new everything — took most of the students west.

“It’s a true community school,” said the 6-foot-6 Spainhour, who doubles as boys basketball coach. “You’re either West Stokes or South Stokes. There is no in-between. And that’s a good thing.”

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Spainhour sits in his office a bit more relaxed, in this, the third year of the school. But he’ll never forget starting from scratch.

“It was a lot more challenging than I thought,” he said.

In 1998, Spainhour, 20 years after he graduated from South Stokes, he was working for Leonard Hamilton at the University of Miami. His parents still lived in Stokes County and he inquired about the West Stokes opening. He had athletic director experience from his days at Bishop McGuinness, a private school in Winston-Salem.

He was hired. Along with the principal, he was the only other hire at that time.

His job: get equipment, get coaches, get facilities ready, get in a conference, raise money ....

“Our county struggles financially,” Spainhour sighed. “I don’t think anybody denies that. We started a school and athletic program with very little money. We had to fundraise everything, from golf tournaments to membership drives.”

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When West Stokes opened, he had to walk everyone into the new building, holding their hands.

“No one had ever been here,” he said, “so coaches would run to me for everything. They didn’t know the building and they didn’t know what was expected of them. The booster club had no tradition and didn’t know what was expected. ”

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Spainhour met with Charlie Adams and Dick Knox of the state association. In 1998, North Carolina was in the middle of its four-year realignment plan. Based on enrollment projections, West Stokes was first placed in a league far, far away that included Hibriten, Ashe County and West Caldwell. Finally, it was put in a talented 3A Tri-County Conference.

Spainhour didn’t expect much at first and he didn’t get much. Softball made the playoffs (but Stokes County has always been a softball power) and Spainhour’s team made the postseason (“that was a big morale booster,” he said).

But the growing pains are over in its third year.

“We are now seeing the benefits of those first two years,” Spainhour said. “The middle school is just through the woods and those kids don’t know anything about going to South Stokes.”

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This fortress of a school is perched up on a hill with Pilot Mountain on one side and the mountain range on the other. It will have the most prestegious softball field in the CCC. The football field will rival any of the schools.

And then, there is the purple and yellow gym.

At first, Spainhour frowned when he saw it. There are bleachers only on one side.

“At first, I didn’t like it,” he said. “Now, I love it. We sit on the side with no fans behind us and our locker rooms are on that side.”

And he can’t wait to show off the facilities to the rest of the curious Central Carolina Conference.

Spainhour is very content with the new league, despite being on the northern end of it. The Wildcats take I-40 everywhere.

“We’re happy with it,” he said. “The coaches who have been making trips this fall said going to Salisbury wasn’t bad. And we’ve been meeting with people. The athletic directors seem like a good group of guys too.”

In fact, West is one of the largest 2A schools in the state with 952 students, much larger than Salisbury or North Rowan.

“The big mistake people make is, just because of a lower classification, they think we’ll automatically be better. But this is a good league.”

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Take away the CCC and West Stokes still has a money-making, built-in rivalry with South Stokes, just 20 minutes from its doors.

It has already beaten the Sauras in football and basketball can be an adventure too in the 1,100-seat venue.

“Last year, we had to shut the doors because it was packed,” Spainhour said. “And we had no problems.

“What we found out was, we had more problems at their place because their fans were facing our fans. They were yelling back and forth.

“Here, they’re side-by-side so if you have a few officers in between, you’re OK.”

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Spainhour is a very satisfied athletic director right now. His coaches and students are upbeat. The fans are showing up, the conference is welcoming him with open arms and hey, there’s even enough equipment and money for all sports.

“The program runs itself now,” he said. “Ihad some long days. Now, it’s back to regular long days that all ADs have.”

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Contact Ronnie Gallagher at 704-797-4256 or rgallagher@salisburypost.com .