The Third Draft of the NCHSAA Realignment Proposal for the 2017-2021 school years was released Thursday morning and it is much better for Bladen County High School Athletics.
The new proposal places East Bladen and West Bladen in a ten-team conference with the Columbus and Robeson County Schools. It will also be a split conference containing seven Class 2A Schools and three Class 1A Schools.
Members of the new conference will be Class 2A schools: West Bladen, East Bladen, Whiteville, South Columbus, Fairmont, Red Springs and St. Pauls and Class 1A Schools: East Columbus, West Columbus and South Robeson.
The first two realignment drafts had the Bladen schools in a conference with schools ranging from East Duplin to Goldsboro to James Kenan and Spring Creek and with current conference members Clinton, Midway and Wallace-Rose Hill. Trips to those schools would have ranged from one hour to close to two hours one way.
“This proposal is much better for travel purposes and students missing less class time,” said East Bladen Athletic Director Patty Evers. “Our student-athletes will get home sooner, and parents will be able to make it to more of the games.”
West Bladen Athletic Director Kim Cain echoed those points and added, “We were looking at having to drop some sports because of the travel expense, but with this conference we will be able to keep those sports.
“It is better for the kids not having to spend so much time traveling,” continued Cain. “It will also hopefully help our gate receipts because more people will be able to attend games.”
Cain had written a proposal to the NCHSAA requesting to join the Robeson/Columbus conference and noted that others had helped as well. “One of our parents, Mike Davis, wrote a letter, and we had support from the Board of Education and Superintendent (Dr. Robert) Taylor.”
The new proposed conference of ten teams will also help simplify non-conference scheduling. “It will be better not to have to find as many non-conference games because it will be a ten-team league,” said Coach Evers.
Any final appeals to the realignment plan must be received in writing by the NCHSAA by April 1. The Realignment Committee will have a final appeal meeting on April 13 then the final draft will be sent to the NCHSAA Board of Directors.
During the May Board meeting the Board of Directors may consider appeals based on procedural errors. The Board will then finalize realignment.
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