An article in the Las Vegas Reviews Journal this week by columnist Ron Kantowski noted that interim director of the Nevada Athletic Association suggested that splitting the marquee event into sites at opposite ends of the state, as was done this year, might not be the ideal scenario.
Friday at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas and the COVID-19 pandemic under control to a more reasonable degree, Nelson said, “We’re playing, and that’s No. 1. We’re playing a state championship tournament involving north teams, south teams, east teams, west teams. That’s No. 2.”
The RJ article continued, “While COVID having wiped out last year’s tournament, this was the first season for a state event with a 5A classification. To reduce travel and lodging costs, the tournament was split into northern and southern sites that best aligned with the location of the participants.”
Beginning next year, Kantowski said in his article, “per the current two-year trial, 5A, 4A and 2A will play in the south and 3A and 1A in the north. Beyond that, it mostly depends on what happens during meetings March 2, when northern 5A schools will express wishes to join southern-based 4A; and on March 8, when those wishes are discussed during the next realignment hearing.
“So we’re going to have a good flavor of what the north wants to do and how the south may react and how the realignment committee may look at things all within the next 10 days,” Nelson said.
Kantowski admitted, “It’s a complicated process in which the ultimate goal is to achieve competitive balance in all classifications at both ends of the state while ensuring that each has an acceptable number of schools.
Nelson added, “We’re going to figure (realignment) out, but I’m not sure it’s not going to be another two-year trial. We knew when we started this thing that it was going to take a number of cycles to really get it to where it’s the best for the majority of schools.
“And I can tell you we’re not going to be there just yet.”
