New league configuration for high school sports takes big step forward

Wowed by the unanimous conference vote of support Tuesday, the North Coast Section alignment committee OK’d a plan to reconfigure the North Bay, Sonoma County and Marin County Athletic leagues for seasons beginning next fall.

The committee, meeting Thursday at the NCS office in San Ramon, voted 5-0 to forward the plan to the NCS Board of Managers for a final vote Oct. 3.

“I think it’s a great job,” said Richard Graey, chairman of the committee. “If this super league can align properly, we’ve won here.”

The new league configuration will put Sonoma Valley, Petaluma and Casa Grande in a league with NCS newcomers American Canyon, Vintage and Napa, as well as Justin-Siena, which has competed in the Marin County Athletic League.

The MCAL will remain the same other than the loss of Justin-Siena, and the remaining NBL and SCL teams - Analy, Cardinal Newman, El Molino, Elsie Allen, Healdsburg, Maria Carrillo, Montgomery, Piner, Rancho Cotate, Santa Rosa, Windsor and Ukiah - will form a so-called super league.

The as-yet-unnamed league will, if approved, have two tiers of competition that will be structured on a sport by sport basis and determined by competitive equity.

If approved on Oct. 3, the new configuration will go into effect for the 2018-19 school year, just months before the regularly-scheduled realignment debate begins. Those changes will take affect in the fall of 2020.

The changes to league alignment were prompted by a decision in April to accept American Canyon, Vintage and Napa into the section.

You can reach staff columnist Kerry Benefield at 707-526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com, on Twitter @benefield and on Instagram at kerry.benefield.