Locally, Heritage is moving from Class 4A to 3A, and Hudson’s Bay and Fort Vancouver are moving to 2A
The WIAA announced Sunday night it had approved reclassification numbers to be used for the next four academic years beginning in the fall of 2020.
These numbers will mean big changes.
Statewide, Class 3A has grown so much that there likely will be 20-team state tournaments in just about every sport. Class 4A, 2A, and 1A will likely remain at 16-team entries. Class 1A might expand, as well.
(Each tournament will depend on the number of schools that offer each sport in each classification. If 69 or more schools offer a sport, it will be a 20-team tournament. Class 3A, for example, has 79 schools at that level.)
There are 51 Class 4A schools across the state, 62 in 2A, and 60 in 1A. There are 61 Class 2B schools and 85 Class 1B schools.
Locally, the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League will be down to four teams: Battle Ground, Camas, Skyview, and Union. (Battle Ground had tried to opt down for football only, but that request was denied.)
The 3A GSHL will have five teams. Evergreen, Heritage, Kelso, Mountain View, and Prairie. Heritage is moving from 4A to the 3A ranks.
Athletic directors are expected to meet the first week of February to finalize details, such as schedules. There has been speculation of having a combined league in some sports, then splitting up into classifications for the postseason.
Hudson’s Bay and Fort Vancouver have both gone from 3A to 2A and will join the 2A GSHL. (Fort also was moved to 1A for football only. That will not have much of a consequence in the fall of 2020, though. The Trappers still plan to play an independent schedule for at least one more football season.)
This will bring the 2A GSHL to nine teams: Columbia River, Fort Vancouver, Hockinson, Hudson’s Bay, Mark Morris, R.A. Long, Ridgefield, Washougal, and Woodland.
The Trico League is getting smaller, too. The three Clark County teams in the league will remain, though. La Center has 1A numbers, and as expected, King’s Way Christian and Seton Catholic opted up to stay in 1A. Stevenson, however, is moving to Class 2B.
Clark County Today will have more on the effects of reclassification in the coming weeks.
Here is the link to the WIAA’s release, which also includes a link to every school and its classification.
http://wiaa.com/News.aspx?ID=672&Mon=1&Yr=2020
