Schools, leagues await final reclassification numbers

It is a big day for the immediate future of high school sports in the state as the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association is set to release the final tally for reclassification that will be in play for the next four school years.

The numbers are expected to be released Thursday morning, but that does not necessarily mean that reclassification for Washington’s high school sports programs is final.

Schools will have the option to appeal enrollment numbers up until the WIAA’s executive board meeting Jan. 24-25.

Interestingly, as of Wednesday morning, there were still schools deciding whether to opt-up, which would lead to other schools dropping from a higher classification to a lower class.

In previous years, for example, local leagues have had a pretty good idea what to expect in the final weeks of reclassification. That is not the case this year.

“I’m not even doing any more work until I see the final numbers,” said Rory Oster, Camas’ athletic director and the president of the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League.

Evergreen, traditionally a Class 4A program, appears to be headed to 3A after a number of 3A teams from around the state opted up to 4A. That was a surprise to area athletic directors when they received the updated opt-up numbers last week.

Schools had to the end of business Wednesday to announce their intentions. From Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, three more teams had opted to move up in classification.

“We’re going to wait and see what happens,” Oster said.

The number of teams in the 4A, 3A, and 2A GSHLs will be determined by reclassification, but not necessarily this week. It is possible that a school or schools in Southwest Washington could appeal enrollment numbers if those schools believe they should be in a different classification after Thursday’s numbers are released.

The goal of reclassification is to have roughly the same number of schools in each classification. However, a WIAA spokesman said that after Thursday’s numbers are released, if a school does win an appeal and changes classification, that would not change any other school’s classification.

If Evergreen does drop to 3A, it appears the 3A GSHL would become a five-team league with Prairie, Kelso, Fort Vancouver, and Hudson’s Bay, moving up from 2A. Columbia River is expected to drop from a 3A to a 2A program.

But again, it all can change depending on the opt-ups throughout the state.

High school sports administrators, coaches, fans, and media will get a better idea on Thursday, but nothing will be official until after the WIAA board meets Jan. 24-25.