High school sports: Realignment is done, but debate still simmers

MIDVALE — Traditional rivalries were impacted, and schools were officially moved into new regions and classifications by the Utah High School Activities Association's board of trustees on Tuesday afternoon.

The alignment for the school years 2009-13 was finalized, and as expected, Cottonwood, Cyprus, Granger, Murray, West and Roy were officially moved up from 4A to 5A. Those schools were included in 5A in previous realignment drafts made by the board of trustees.

Other schools officially changing classifications from their current situations are Lehi, Timpanogos and Spanish Fork from 5A to 4A, Logan, Ogden and Uintah from 3A to 4A, Juab, Manti, American Leadership and Richfield from 2A to 3A, and Waterford from 3A to 2A.

Motions were made at Tuesday's final realignment meeting regarding Bonneville, Skyline, Roy, Murray, Hillcrest, Uintah, Ogden and the St. George schools. The ones involving Bonneville (dropping the Lakers back down to 4A after they were included in 5A in the second draft proposal) and Skyline (keeping the Eagles in 5A after they had been included in 4A in previous draft proposals) passed.

Failed motions involving Murray and the St. George schools generated the most debate and friction among board members. Murray Principal Scott Bushnell showed at a realignment hearing in May that his school's enrollment numbers were incorrect because students attending an alternative school housed on the Murray campus were included in the total. Without those students, Murray was well below the 1,500-student cutoff between 4A and 5A.

Region 8 representative David Taylor argued against Murray, saying the board didn't know how many schools in the state had the same issue. Riverton Principal Steve Park pointed out all schools had opportunities to present their issues at the realignment hearings and Murray did so. He said the alternative school that enrolls former Riverton students in his area, Valley High, hasn't had one athlete play for a program at Riverton High in his six years at the school.

"For the Murray thing to fail is just amazing to me," said Region 4 representative Guy Fugal.

Equally amazed was Region 9 representative Wes Christiansen. He made a motion to have Dixie, Pine View and Snow Canyon drop down to 3A. He said with the addition of Desert Hills High, and because the boundaries will be redrawn in the Washington School District, Dixie, Pine View and Snow Canyon will each have fewer than 1,000 students during the 2009-13 alignment.

His motion received 12 of the necessary 17 votes to pass. Only the Murray motion (15 votes) came closer to being passed.