Area Schools Face More VHSL Changes

Posted: September 17, 2014
By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — The road through the Virginia High School League postseason will look a little different for some local schools for the two-year cycle beginning in 2015-16, and the reason for that proposed change is to help some schools spend less time literally traveling on roads.

The VHSL Executive Committee will meet today to discuss the VHSL Alignment Committee’s final recommended conference and district plans for 2015-16 and 2016-17, and local athletic officials expect the Executive Committee to approve a plan that will make the region that includes Handley, James Wood, Millbrook and Sherando the only one in the entire state with five conferences. (The initial conference alignment plan released in March already included one notable change. Handley, which is currently in a different conference from the Frederick County schools, is slated to be in the same conference as them.)

Currently, the VHSL is divided into six classifications. Each of those classifications is divided into two regions, and each of those regions is divided into four conferences. In the sports of volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and tennis, the two teams that advance to the conference championship game automatically earn spots in their respective region tournament. Two teams advancing out of each conference creates an eight-team region bracket.

But the current 4A North Region — which would be renamed the 4A West Region in the proposed change — is willing to go to five conferences (and create a 10-team playoff bracket) in order to help some of the schools in the region with their travel costs. Group 4A is looking to group schools based on an East-West model as opposed to the current North-South model to help with travel.

The current conference alignment is not an issue for Winchester-Frederick County schools, nor was the initial proposed alignment that was released in March going to be a problem for them — the longest trip is about an hour away.

But schools like Fauquier — which under the initial alignment plan would have been grouped with Jefferson Forest (2 hours and 40 minutes away), E.C. Glass (2:30) and Amherst (2:10) — could have been looking at major road time if Group 4A wasn’t willing to make some changes. Fauquier is not grouped with any of those schools in the Alignment Committee’s final plan — the Falcons are paired with John Champe, Freedom, Kettle Run and Liberty (Bealeton) in Conference 22.

“The VHSL has a really tough job, because anything you do is not going to please everybody,” James Wood activities coordinator Craig Woshner said. “They try to make it the best situation they can for as many schools as possible.

“With the switch to a six-classification system, it solved some problems as far as competitive balance, but it created more problems as far as travel. When you had three classifications and Group AA had regions I, II, III and IV, it worked out almost perfect, but six classifications spread things out a lot. Some schools don’t have schools of the same size anywhere close to them in their conference.”

The three Frederick County schools are currently in Conference 21 with Loudoun County, Dominion, Heritage, Park View and Woodgrove.

In the Alignment Committee’s recommended plan, the three Frederick County schools and Woodgrove will now be in the six-team “Conference 21A” with Handley and Harrisonburg. (Conference 21 is divided into ‘A’ and ‘B’ in order to not throw off the numeric ordering system for the entire state.) Both Handley and Harrisonburg are currently in Conference 23. Loudoun County, Dominion, Heritage and Park View are being shifted to “Conference 21B” in a six-team conference.

In addition to Harrisonburg, Handley is also currently grouped in Conference 23 with Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa and Amherst. Basically, the Judges have the potential to travel a lot more than the Frederick County schools currently do.

But Judges director of student activities Rick Lilly said travel really wasn’t much of an issue for the Judges last year because they were able to host most of their playoff events by virtue of earning high seeds for the conference tournaments. That being said, Lilly said he likes the prospect of being grouped with the local teams.

“Conference 23 has been good for us, but it’s good to be grouped with those teams we have historic rivalries with,” Lilly said.

Lilly said when the 4A North Region met in July, schools were unanimous in going to five conferences. (Conference 23 will feature Amherst, Charlottesville, E.C. Glass, Jefferson Forest and George Washington, and Conference 24 will have Bassett, William Byrd, Carroll County, William Fleming, Pulaski and Salem.) There will be 28 teams in the region, the same number of teams currently in the region.

Woshner said he wasn’t sure if the VHSL would feel the same way, but when the region’s plan was presented for the Alignment Committee in November, they were all for it. The proposal passed 12-0 in favor of it.

“I was surprised at how easily it went through the alignment committee,” Woshner said. “I thought there was a 50-50 chance, leaning toward under 50. I got the impression that the VHSL wanted to keep the four-conference format for each region, but it passed unanimously.”

Sherando coordinator of student activities Jason Barbe said less travel is better for students.

“The most important thing is what’s best for the students,” Barbe said. “If you can get them home earlier and have them spend less time on the road, that’s a good thing.”

With a 10-team regional, four teams will have to play in to the quarterfinals. If the Alignment Committee’s final plan is approved, Lilly said the 4A West will begin looking into how teams would be paired up in such a scenario.

Currently, region matchups are predetermined. Last year, conference champions hosting conference runners-up in the quarterfinal matches, with Conference 21 teams taking on Conference 22 teams and Conference 23 teams taking on Conference 24 teams.

Woshner said the eight-team bracket was straightforward, so he’s not crazy about the 10-team bracket. But for the good of all the schools in the region, they’ll do it to make travel easier at the conference level.

“It is ridiculous for schools to have to travel three hours for a conference game,” Woshner said. “You expect that at the region or state level, but not at the start of the postseason.”

Barbe said he doesn’t think the expanded bracket necessarily makes advancing to the state tournament more difficult. Theoretically, those that win their conference tournament likely won’t have to play an extra game anyway.

“The cream will rise to the top,” Barbe said.

As for Clarke County, the Eagles are still in Conference 35 under the Alignment Committee’s final recommended plan. Some of the teams they will be competing against will change. Madison County, George Mason and Strasburg are still in Conference 35, but Stonewall Jackson, Luray and Page County are not. The only new member is Central (Woodstock).

As for the final recommended district plan, the Northwestern District would remain unchanged and feature Handley, James Wood, Millbrook, Sherando and Skyline. The nine-team Bull Run District would lose Manassas Park to the Evergreen District, but Clarke County would still be grouped with Madison County, George Mason, Strasburg, Central, William Monroe, Warren County and Rappahannock County. Districts have been maintained to help with regular-season scheduling and do not effect the postseason.

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