NCHSAA gives final approval to realignment plan for high school conferences

The N.C. High School Athletic Association on Monday evening approved a major overhaul of the state’s size classifications and conference realignments.

NCHSAA board members, in a 16-1 vote, supported the plan that will double the number of size classifications, from four to eight, and realign conferences.

The approval followed a 10-hour meeting, during which the board heard — and in most cases denied — about 30 appeals from schools around the state. South Mecklenburg was among several Charlotte-area schools whose appeals were turned down.

Still to be completed is a plan for postseason play in all sports.

Several of those making appeals Monday said their concerns were the result, in part, of not knowing how the NCHSAA will determine which schools get into the playoffs.

NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker has said the playoff plan will be handled once the realignment has been completed. Board members said finalizing the realignment had to come first.

“I know this will help schools set their nonconference schedules,” said NCHSAA Board President Stephen Gainey, the superintendent of Randolph County Schools.

The realignment will go into effect at the start of the 2025-26 academic year in August. It is the result of a push from NCHSAA members to expand the number of size classifications.

While the NCHSAA has tried classifying schools by a combination of size and record of success in playoffs, the new plan is based strictly on enrollment, or the Average Daily Membership (ADM) figures. Only one or two exceptions to that ADM rule were allowed.

A committee, chaired by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Athletics Director Ericia Turner, spent about three months dividing the state’s schools into conferences. Nearly all conferences will have multiple size classifications. The plan approved Monday was, with a few exceptions, the third draft from Turner’s committee.

Monday’s approval followed many hours of appeals from school officials and deliberation by board members.

One of the appeals came from South Mecklenburg, which asked to be moved from a 7A-8A conference with schools from across Mecklenburg County to a 7A-8A league composed mostly of schools from the southern part of the county.

South Mecklenburg Principal Marc Angerer asked the NCHSAA board suggested his school and East Mecklenburg could swap places in the two conferences.

The plan approved Monday placed the Sabres in 7A-8A Conference D, with Hopewell, West Mecklenburg, Garinger, Hough and Myers Park.

East Mecklenburg is in 7A-8A Conference E, with Ballantyne Ridge, Rocky River, Ardrey Kell, Palisades and Providence.

Angerer told the board that moving the Sabres would significantly cut travel time for student-athletes, because team buses would not have to cross Charlotte to reach the north-side schools. He also said moving East Mecklenburg would have little effect on that school’s travel and time.

“We think this would add to fan and student participation in our athletics program,” Angerer said.

East Mecklenburg was not part of the appeal, and under questioning from board members, Angerer said he understood that the Eagles opposed the swap.

In voting 18-0 to deny the appeal, NCHSAA board members did not give a reason. However, several members discussed East Mecklenburg’s apparent opposition to the idea.

Among other appeal denials Monday, the board said no to:

▪ An appeal from Cherryville to remove Burns and Shelby from 2A-3A-4A Conference C, of which Cherryville would be a member, and place them in a 3A-4A conference with schools from Rutherford and Burke counties. Cherryville officials had suggested that Mountain Island Charter take the place of the two Cleveland County schools.

▪ A request from Mountain Island Charter to play football in a conference with schools from Gaston, Cleveland and Lincoln counties. Instead, the Raptors and Thomas Jefferson Academy will compete in a football conference with teams from Union, Cabarrus, Stanly and Rowan counties. In all other sports, their conference opposition will involve much less driving time.

▪ Requests from Piedmont and Sun Valley high schools in Union County to be moved to other conferences. Piedmont asked to be placed in a 6A-7A conference with teams from Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties. Sun Valley asked to be placed in a 4A-5A league with schools from Union, Anson and Cabarrus counties. Instead, the NCHSAA voted to keep Piedmont and Sun Valley in a 6A-7A conference with Charlotte Catholic, Cuthbertson, Marvin Ridge, Porter Ridge and Weddington.

NCHSAA board members said the requests would leave Charlotte Catholic and the four other Union County schools in a five-team conference, which the board was trying to avoid. Piedmont and Sun Valley officials said their schools are smaller than the others in the 6A-7A conference and would be at a disadvantage.

▪ Requests from North Iredell and West Iredell to move to conferences with smaller schools.

The latest proposal

The latest draft plan from the NCHSAA for realignment (involving Charlotte-area schools):

7A-8A Conference C

Butler (7A)

Independence (7A)

North Mecklenburg (7A)

Chambers (8A)

Mallard Creek (8A)

West Charlotte (8A)

7A-8A Conference D

Hopewell (7A)

West Mecklenburg (7A)

Garinger (8A)

Hough (8A)

Myers Park (8A)

South Mecklenburg (8A)

7A-8A Conference E

Ballantyne Ridge (7A)

Rocky River (7A)

Ardrey Kell (8A)

East Mecklenburg (8A)

Palisades (8A)

Providence (8A)

6A-7A Conference G

Charlotte Catholic (6A)

Piedmont (6A)

Sun Valley (6A)

Cuthbertson (7A)

Marvin Ridge (7A)

Porter Ridge (7A)

Weddington (7A)

6A-7A Conference H

Berry Academy (6A)

Central Cabarrus (6A)

Harding (6A)

Olympic (6A)

A.L. Brown (7A)

Cox Mill (7A)

Hickory Ridge (7A)

West Cabarrus (7A)

6A-7A Conference I

North Iredell (6A)

Statesville (6A)

Davie County (7A)

Lake Norman (7A)

Mooresville (7A)

South Iredell (7A)

5A-6A Conference E

Crest (5A)

Forestview (5A)

Hunter Huss (5A)

North Gaston (5A)

South Point (5A)

Ashbrook (6A)

Kings Mountain (6A)

4A-5A Conference C

Anson County (4A)

Central Academy (4A)

Mount Pleasant (4A)

West Stanly (4A)

Forest Hills (5A)

Monroe (5A)

Parkwood (5A)

4A-5A Conference D

Salisbury (4A)

South Rowan (4A)

Concord (5A)

East Rowan (5A)

Jay M. Robinson (5A)

Jesse Carson (5A)

Northwest Cabarrus (5A)

West Rowan (5A)

4A-5A Conference E

Bandys (4A)

Bunker Hill (4A)

Fred T. Foard (4A)

Maiden (4A)

Newton-Conover (4A)

West Iredell (4A)

East Lincoln (5A)

Hickory (5A)

North Lincoln (5A)

2A-3A-4A Conference B

Bradford Prep (2A)

Christ the King (2A)

Community School of Davidson (2A)

Corvian Community (2A)

Langtree Charter (2A)

Pine Lake Prep (3A)

Lake Norman Charter (4A)

Lincoln Charter (4A)

1A-2A-3A Conference A

Bonnie Cone Leadership (1A) (football only)

Thomas Jefferson Academy (1A) (football only)

Albemarle (2A)

Gray Stone Day (2A)

Mountain Island Charter (2A) (football only)

North Rowan (2A)

South Stanly (2A)

North Stanly (3A)

Union Academy (3A)

1A-2A-3A Conference B

(no football competition)

Bonnie Cone Leadership (1A)

Carolina International (1A)

Jackson Day (1A)

N.C. School of Science & Math/Morganton (1A)

Thomas Jefferson Academy (1A)

Mountain Island Charter (2A)

Queen’s Grant Charter (2A)

Sugar Creek Charter (2A)

Piedmont Community Charter (3A)

2A-3A-4A Conference C

Cherryville (2A)

Highland Tech (2A)

Bessemer City (3A)

Lincolnton (3A)

Shelby (3A)

West Lincoln (3A)

Burns (4A)

East Gaston (4A)

Stuart Cramer (4A)

This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 11:31 AM with the headline "NCHSAA gives final approval to realignment plan for high school conferences."