PORT ANGELES — Class 2B or not 2B has been the enrollment question hanging over the athletic departments at Forks and Chimacum high schools during the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s (WIAA) months-long re-classification process for the 2020-24 school years.
Classifications are based on monthly school enrollment numbers in grades nine through 11 tracked from January through May of this year and again in October and November.
For the WIAA’s 2020-24 enrollment cycle classifications are set as: 1,300 or more students in ninth through 11th grades for Class 4A, 900-1,299 for 3A, 450-899 for 2A, 225-449 for 1A, 105-224 for 2B and 1-104 for 1B.
Schools can still choose to opt-up in classification. And schools that have a certain threshold of their student population receiving free or reduced school lunches will have a percentage of their enrollment (10 percent in most cases) taken off the top of head counts — an effort to achieve a more equitable playing field.
Because the classifications will be imbalanced, the number of state playoff berths for each classification could change, based on a 4-to-1 (25 percent) ratio of schools per classification.
Sequim’s Jayla Julmist, left, vies for the opening tip during a girls basketball game against Klahowya earlier this season. Sequim will stay a Class 2A member of the Olympic League, while Klahowya’s classification status is up in the air for the 2020-2024 prep seasons. (Conor Dowley/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Some classifications could have more berths to state than others. For example, 80 schools in a classification equals 20 schools in a state tournament, 48 schools would have a 12-team state tournament.
As a result of those counts, Forks and Chimacum, currently Class 1A schools, will be re-classified as Class 2B schools for the WIAA’s 2020-24 enrollment cycle. And that means goodbye to the Olympic League’s Class 1A Division and Forks’ participation in the 1A Evergreen League beginning next season.
Forks athletic director Kyle Weakley confirmed the Spartans move to 2B during a Quillayute Valley School Board meeting Oct. 14.
“Based on the data — Forks is going to reclassify in a different position — we will classify as a 2B school,” Weakley said. “Not because of poverty, but because of enrollment. If we drop down to a 2B, it would not be because I feel we do not believe in our students or coaches can perform at the 1A level.”
Chimacum’s student count averaged 182 students in those three grades through October — and November’s count was even lower — putting the Cowboys at an average of 174 students in grades 9-11, well within the 2B populace, according to a league document obtained by the Peninsula Daily News.
The WIAA Executive Board is prepared to finalize classifications for 2020-2024 on Jan. 26. Schools have until Jan. 10 to opt up in classification or to appeal classification for all sports or on a football only basis.
So prep athletics on the North Olympic Peninsula will have a decidedly different look — and an extra classification to keep track of — beginning next fall.
Forks in 2B
Forks will exit the Evergreen League 1A and cease playing league games against Hoquiam, Montesano, Elma and Tenino. The Spartans are instead likely to enter the Central 2B League — a powerhouse of its own that currently houses the state football champions (Onalaska); state softball champs (Adna) and two girls soccer squads that advanced to the semifinals this fall.
Forks football coach Trevor Highfield is excited to potentially join a larger league after spending his first season as head coach playing a four-game Evergreen League slate.
“I’ve looked at a lot of those teams, tough football, very good football,” Highfield said during the football season.”I don’t know if we will see any kind of dropoff. My excitement about 2B is not playing games that don’t mean anything. My biggest issue for this season is we played a lot of games that didn’t mean anything [nonleague]. We could say, hey we are 3-1 but it really doesn’t matter. Then you play Montesano in a league game and go 0-1 and that’s really what it is. That’s a tough thing, to keep bouncing between league and nonleague games.”
The Spartans boys soccer team will likely opt up to compete in 1A, as boys soccer is a fall sport in 2B.
Chimacum in 2B
Chimacum is still searching for a new league home and are exploring potential parent and fan preferences through a survey that posits four potential paths: playing an independent schedule; joining the Northwest 2B/1B League and competing against teams such as La Conner, Orcas Island and Friday Harbor; heading south to play in the Pacific 2B League against schools such as Pe Ell, South Bend, Raymond and Ocosta (Westport); or competing as a 2B school in the 1A Nisqually League.
PT in Nisqually League
Schools must formally apply and be voted into a league – the process Port Townsend has followed as it moves from the Olympic League 1A Division back to a familiar home — the Nisqually League. It is unknown whether Chimacum has formally applied to join a new league.
“We already play and compete with those schools in football, nonleague games in other sports and in the postseason,” Redhawks athletic director Lysa Falge said. “We petitioned the Nisqually League and [recently] I had an interview with all the ADs from the Nisqually League. They took back recommendations to their own schools, so we did receive that letter of approval to join the league and we got school board approval for the move.
“We keep bouncing back and forth between them. We’ve been there before.”
The Redhawks have pogoed between the Olympic and Nisqually Leagues for the better part of five decades even if the league’s teams have ridden enrollment surges and troughs.
Port Townsend, Chimacum and Klahowya all have competed in the Nisqually for football in recent seasons, so the changes won’t be monumental for the Redhawks’ student athletes, coaches and fans.
“It’s not that much more extra travel for us,” Falge said. “We fill our schedules with some of the [Olympic League] 2A schools, but not that many.
“Port Townsend will continue to stay in the Olympic League for swimming. Class 1A/2A are combined at district and state, so no differences there. There are some other considerations for our co-opting with Chimacum [for sports the Cowboys or Redhawks don’t offer] and how does that work now that we are in two different classifications.”
“I’m excited to have a full schedule, to be honest. I view it as an extreme positive for us. Over the last few years I think we’ve had a good working relationship with the Nisqually League. Of course there are private schools in the league, but we have to get past them in the district playoffs as it stands now.”
Klahowya is an interesting case — their average enrollment number sits at 449 — exactly the upper limit for 1A. It is believed that Central Kitsap School District wishes to keep its high schools competing in separate classifications (Central Kitsap 3A, Olympic 2A, Klahowya 1A), so that may impact the final classification for the Eagles.
PA, Sequim static
As for Port Angeles and Sequim and the current Olympic League 2A Division construction? Not much change is expected.
The Roughriders (795) and Wolves (630) enrollment totals are firmly within the 2A limits — the same for Olympic (887), Bremerton (867), North Kitsap (786) and North Mason (555).
There have been rumors that Bainbridge (1,023), currently a Class 3A Metro League school, has put out feelers to the Olympic League, but the Spartans’ enrollment number is still at the 3A level and there are long-standing concerns that Bainbridge’s population is more suited to a city league than the Spartans’ long-time home in the Olympic League.
1B stays same
In the Class 1B ranks, no movement is expected for North Olympic League schools Neah Bay (89), Crescent (54), Clallam Bay (22) or Chief Kitsap (45). Ditto for Quilcene in the SeaTac League.
“I don’t know the exact numbers but we are clearly 1B and we won’t be changing or moving leagues,” Rangers athletic director and SeaTac League president Mark Thompson said.” It looks like Seattle Lutheran and Crosspoint will move down to 1B. Auburn Adventist is making decisions on whether to stay as the only 2B school in the league.
“As of now, I haven’t heard anything from any other schools wishing to join our league, they need to contact me by next month.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
