Beginning this fall, the Nevada Interscholastic Association (NIAA) has voted to not divide the larger members of the NIAA in Clark County into a new 5A classification.
Regarding Class 2A and 1A, Assistant NIAA Director Donnie Nelson said no changes will be made in Class 2A other than adding Coral Academy of Reno to the North, while the South division will be able to add charter schools that later might qualify for 2A status.
Class 1A is again being divided into four regions, a Northern East and West as exists now, but creating again in the Southern region a Central league and South league for volleyball and basketball. The Central and South leagues existed before, but were combined into just one South league in 2008.
Nelson said changes for baseball and softball, if any, will be decided later.
Nelson said the reasons for going to the four 1A divisions was “because of travel and facilitating equal leagues. Also, the West was getting so big. Eleven schools there, only five in the East, and they weren’t getting playoff representation, plus anywhere between five and eight teams in the South.”
Playoff structures in Class 1A are not developed yet, as Nelson noted. “But it won’t always be Central versus South, as it was 10 years or so ago. It’s not really like it had been, a simple North and South region.”
He added, “What I can see happening, although I’m not sure it will, is that one year you could have the West play the East in a particular sport and the South play the Central. But the next year, you might have the West play the Central and the South play the East.”
Two additional changes for 2018-20 will move 1A schools Coleville, Smith Valley and Mineral County from the Northwest league to the South’s Central league.
For football in the North, the 1A West league will include Excel Christian, Pyramid Lake, Sierra Lutheran, Virginia City, and Whittell. The 1A east league will have Carlin, Eureka, Independence, McDermitt, Owyhee, and Wells. Jackpot does not play football, but does play basketball.
