Staff report

NCHSAA schools will be realigned into eight classifications this fall. The largest 32 schools will be 8A. There will about 58 schools in the other seven classes.

After hearing appeals in early February, the NCHSAA released its third draft for the new conferences on Friday.

The first draft was released on Dec. 18. The second draft was released on Jan. 21, after the realignment committee worked through the responses from member schools.

This third draft is the final proposal from the realignment committee, but it’s still not official. Schools still will have a chance to appeal to the NCHSAA Board of Directors before conferences are approved.

 

Third draft

North Rowan’s league now would have six basic members, plus some additions for football.

The proposed league has 1A, 2A and 3A teams.

Bonnie Cone (1A), Mountain Island Charter (2A) and Thomas Jefferson (2A) would be in the league only for football.

Bonnie Cone is in Huntersville, Mountain Island Charter is in Mount Holly and Thomas Jefferson is in Rutherford County, so that would mean more travel miles for the Cavaliers.

North Stanly and (Monroe) Union Academy are the 3As in the league. Albemarle, Gray Stone, South Stanly and North Rowan would be the 2As.

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The South Piedmont Conference is still mostly intact, with Central Cabarrus moving up and out and Salisbury coming in.

The big change from Draft 2 to Draft 3 was shifting Lake Norman Charter out of the league to play in a league with other charter schools such as Lincoln Charter and Pine Lake Prep.

Lake Norman Charter’s girls have generally ruled the SPC in a number of sports. Both Lake Norman Charter teams recently won swim state championships.

Lake Norman Charter competes in football but has not been playing a South Piedmont Conference schedule.

The eight-team SPC would include Concord, Robinson, Northwest Cabarrus, West Rowan, East Rowan, Carson, South Rowan and Salisbury,

South Rowan and Salisbury would be the only 4As in the league. The other six schools would be 5As.

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A.L. Brown’s proposed conference is a 6A/7A league with four schools in each classification.

Central Cabarrus and Charlotte schools Olympic, Berry Academy and Harding would be the 6As.

A.L. Brown, West Cabarrus, Cox Mill and Hickory Ridge would be the  7As.

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Mooresville’s latest proposed conference is a six-team 6A/7A league with North Iredell and Statesville as 6As, and Mooresville, Davie, South Iredell and Lake Norman as 7As.

Davie has been bouncing aound. Draft 2 had Davie with the Winston-Salem schools.