The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association released the final numbers for the upcoming 2024-28 classification cycle, and multiple locals schools were confirmed to be reclassified this fall.
After the WIAA approved an amendment to redefine the enrollment numbers for Class 3A and 4A schools last May, an executive board meeting on Jan. 21 confirmed the new 4A floor at 1,201 students, as opposed to 1,300 during the 2020-24 cycle, in an effort to rebalance the two classifications statewide.
The WIAA’s latest classification parameters are set at 900-1,200 for 3A, 450-899 for 2A, 225-449 for 1A, 105-224 for 2B and 1-104 for 1B.
Previous 3A schools Arlington (1,234.1) and Cascade (1,223.5) were both confirmed to move up to the 4A level next school year. The total number of 4A members moved from 51 schools during 2020-24 to 60 schools for the next cycle, while the number of 3A schools dropped from 79 to 73.
Marysville Pilchuck (837.4), which opted up to 3A during the previous cycle, is slated to move down to 2A. Sultan (466) will be moving from 1A to 2A.
Wesco president and Shoreline School District athletic director Don Dalziel said that Wesco athletic directors will meet on Feb. 7 to discuss possible league realignment scenarios.
“We added two 4A schools to our conference, which makes for a more manageable scheduling system for our 4A schools,” Dalziel said. “Like any of our schools, we’re going to go where the numbers say we’re supposed to go. … I don’t know if this is exactly how we anticipated things to go, but we knew we’d have some schools that would move up and we figured we’d have some flexing amongst the existing 2A and 3A schools, and not all of that has settled out yet.”
The moves bring Wesco’s total of 4A schools up to seven from five and drops its number of 3A schools from 14 to 11.
Dalziel added that Wesco athletic directors met a month ago to discuss potential league realignment options, which include a more geographically-driven schedule as well as a multitude of other factors.
“We have not made those decisions on that, but that will certainly be part of our conversation when we meet about what our priority will be,” Dalziel said. “Every school district is in a different spot, and those decisions that schools have to make in that regard should be based on what’s best for their school. And, I think we do a really good job in Wesco and District 1 to also think at the 10,000-foot level about what’s best for our league and for District 1.”
The Turks, who were placed just above the 2A threshold, made an appeal to the WIAA to remain a 1A school before the Jan. 21 deadline but were denied that option.
With Sultan now the singular 2A school in an all-1A Emerald Sound Conference, which is a member of District 2, Turks athletic director Scott Sifferman said the school sent an application to gain entry into KingCo 2A next school year.
Sifferman said that Sultan will present its case to KingCo on Feb. 1, with a site visit scheduled for the following week, adding that the school is still in a wait-and-see situation until a decision is made around mid-February.
Sifferman also said the Turks remain in light conversations to potentially join Wesco but have not turned in a formal application to do so.
When asked about the possibility of remaining a 2A school within the Emerald Sound Conference, Sifferman said that wouldn’t be the school’s top option at this juncture.
“We wanted to be in that league as a 1A school and that would have been fine,” Sifferman said. “That’s not what we are now, so we would prefer to be in a league with other 2A schools.”
The Turks longstanding sports rivalry with Granite Falls, which remained a 1A school during the reclassification process, remains an important priority regardless of league status.
“We would love to continue the Black and Blue Bowl in football and play in as many things as we can nonleague, and the same with South Whidbey,” Sifferman said. “We have every intent to make sure we still have opportunities to compete against them. We haven’t firmed anything up, but we have an understanding that we’re going to find nonleague opportunities to connect and play.”
Cedarcrest, a Wesco member, remains a 2A school. However, The Snoqualmie Valley Journal reported that the Duvall school and Riverview School District announced in an email to parents earlier this month that the school would be seeking membership in KingCo 2A.
A potential move would leave Marysville Pilchuck and Archbishop Murphy as the two remaining 2A schools in Wesco. Cedarcrest athletic director Jason Frederick could not be reached to confirm the Red Wolves’ application status as of Friday afternoon.
Herald reporter Taras McCurdie contributed to this report.
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