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Posts Tagged ‘2B vs 1B’

La Conner debates football future

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , , , on February 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville High School football coach Bennett Richter is losing one of his two league rivals. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

As the schedule for Coupeville High School’s 2024 football season begins to take shape, new names are appearing, and an old one is vanishing.

While things are still in flux, a partial schedule on the Northwest 2B/1B League web site shows the Wolves picking up home games next fall with Annie Wright and Winlock.

But what’s missing is La Conner, as the Braves gridiron program faces tough times.

With declining enrollment in the school overall and a sharp decrease in the number of athletes playing football, school officials petitioned the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to play eight-man football in the 1B classification.

La Conner would have remained a 2B school in every other sport.

While schools can play “up” in Washington state, football is the only athletic pursuit in which they can play “down.”

But only with WIAA approval, which La Conner did not get.

Now, La Conner officials are holding a community meeting Feb. 20 to seek input on the best way to proceed.

In a presentation to the school board Monday, Athletic Director Christine Tripp outlined three possibilities.

One, kill the football program and focus on other fall sports such as soccer, as league mate Orcas Island did several years ago.

Two, play eight-man football as an independent school. Under that scenario, the Braves have no opportunity to play in the postseason.

Or three, combine with 2A Anacortes, and send whatever players they have off to join the defending state champs. Just not in a Braves uniform.

Tripp told La Conner’s school board the plan is to make a decision by mid-March.

The group making that call will include the athletic director, a district rep, a coach, and a board member.

With La Conner unlikely to be playing 11-man football any time soon, that leaves Coupeville and Friday Harbor as the only 2B schools in the seven-team NWL to be doing so.

Mount Vernon Christian and Orcas move up from 1B to 2B next fall, but neither have a football program, while Concrete and Darrington are 1B schools already playing the eight-man game.

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La Conner appeals to play 1B football

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on January 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Wolf fans keep an eye on all the gossip from La Conner. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The twists and turns keep coming.

With the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association currently conducting the process to classify schools for sports competition between 2024-2028, the Northwest 2B/1B League will likely look different next fall.

Not necessarily in terms of schools being added or subtracted, but in how the current occupants line up.

Projected numbers indicate Mount Vernon Christian and Orcas Island will move up from 1B to 2B, joining Coupeville, Friday Harbor, and La Conner, while Concrete and Darrington will remain at 1B.

Going from a 3-4 lineup to a 5-2 one helps 2B schools as it increases playoff opportunities in most sports.

Now, though, there’s another quirk, as La Conner has appealed to play down for football.

The Braves, who are a traditional gridiron powerhouse, have struggled in recent seasons, both in terms of wins and losses and roster numbers.

Schools can opt to play above their classification in any sport, but can play down only in football, and only if approved by the WIAA.

La Conner’s bid to move its pigskin program to 1B was confirmed by Coupeville High School Athletic Director Willie Smith, who is the President of the NWL.

Appeals will be heard Jan. 18-19, with the WIAA approving the full 2024-2028 plan Jan. 21.

After that leagues can set schedules, add or subtract schools, and get all their various plans hashed out ahead of the start of the 2024-2025 school year in August.

If La Conner’s appeal to play as a 1B football program is successful, it will leave Coupeville and Friday Harbor as the only 2B schools playing the sport in the current NWL lineup.

While Orcas and MVC are slated to move up, neither field a gridiron team, opting to focus on boys’ soccer instead.

With three 2B teams playing football previously, one earned a ticket to the state tourney. That will remain in effect, barring the NWL adding any other 2B football-playing members to its current lineup.

Darrington and Concrete, the league’s remaining 1B schools, play eight-man football. If La Conner is approved to join them, it’s likely the Braves will also pull three players from the field for future games.

How that would affect the status of future games with Coupeville is unknown at this time.

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More 2B, less 1B?

Posted in Classification, tagged , , , , on December 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »

All these Coupeville students will play their high school athletic days in the 2B classification. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Nothing is official yet, but it looks like the Northwest 2B/1B League is shifting from a conference led by 1B schools to one dominated by 2B institutions.

If so, that’s a win for Coupeville.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association reclassifies schools every four years, with the next cycle covering 2024-2028.

The first numbers were released Tuesday, and they show Coupeville, Friday Harbor, and La Conner remaining as 2B schools, with the latter barely squeaking through.

At the same time, Mount Vernon Christian and Orcas Island will likely move up from 1B to 2B, leaving just Darrington and Concrete as 1B schools.

With the NWL going from a 3-4 setup to a 5-2 setup in favor of its larger schools, that creates increased playoff opportunities for the 2B schools.

The state’s classifications place schools with 1-104 students in 1B, and 105-224 in 2B.

To determine classification, the WIAA takes average enrollment, then applies what it calls “Direct Certification” to account for the number of students in a district eligible for free or reduced lunch.

Two of seven NWL schools — La Conner and Concrete — have a high enough “Direct Certification” number to have their enrollment reduced.

That made it close for La Conner, as, once the reduction was added, it finished just four-and-a-half students above the cutoff for 1B.

La Conner can appeal its classification or petition to play down in football only, and that deadline is Dec. 22.

LHS Athletic Director Christine Tripp declined comment on whether the Braves will opt to go that route.

Appeals will be heard Jan. 18-19, with classification numbers officially approved by the WIAA Executive Board Jan. 21.

The official classification cycle begins Aug. 1, 2024, and covers the next four school years.

Oh, and any hopes of South Whidbey’s enrollment sliding far enough to give it a chance to join Coupeville in the NWL seems like a no-go.

Current numbers have the Langley folks at 273.63 students, which would keep SWHS as one of the smaller 1A schools in the state and likely bound together with rivals like King’s, Granite Falls, and Cedar Park Christian.

And the big school to the North? Oak Harbor is at 1,179.88 students, which keeps it firmly in 3A.

 

Average enrollment for NWL schools as of Dec. 5:

Coupeville — 192.50
Friday Harbor — 185.63
Mount Vernon Christian — 134.63
Orcas Island — 123.00
La Conner — 108.36 (129.00 pre adjustment)
Concrete — 87.31 (93.88 pre adjustment)
Darrington — 85.38

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