Bismarck, North Dakota News

" I'm glad to see that somebody else in the state is upset with the NDHSAA and their decisions pertaining to Class B sports. I posted yesterday to the ND preps blogs site aboout Watford City and their posssible new district 14. I forgot to mention on that blog about travel issues with this new district. Let's say you are from Hebron and are playing Watford City in Watford City. When Class B schools play each other in bassketball there are normally 3 games played(C-squad, B-squad and a varsity game) and the c-squad starts at 4:15 PM CST. If you are from Hebron or Richardton that means it starts at 3:15 MST, and you probably should arrive at least 45 min early for the game, so you will have to leave at least by 12:30 PM MST to play that game(with good driving conditions). I think that also the NDHSAA should publish what it makes from each of the sports and activities during the year from each Class. It should also allow Class B to keep what it makes separate from Class A and stop trying to ruin the Class B tournaments and make them into a Super Tournament. It is just not profitable. "

" Absolutely wrong. The top schools in the 80 school division will compete with the top schools in the 40 team division. To think otherwise is ignorance. Three classes is ridiculous and it will take the luster off the best tournament atmosphere ND HS Athletics has, the Boys Class B. In an every other year format you could have small school vs big school in the first round and then all bigs on one side of the bracket and all smalls on the other side of the bracket guaranteeing a small vs big title game at least every other year. Don't be so blind to see the success many small schools (80 team division) have had in the B over the years. While not as many titles, definitely quality competition and top 4 finishes. Three classes in ND would be an absolute joke, talk about watered down. Why not give everyone a state championship trophy at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year if they don't think they deserved it, they can send it back. (An old hs fb coach said that one time and sadly that is the direction we are moving.) "

" The 80-40 plan will give four small schools "pity" berths in the State B tournament. I doubt any school wants to be in that position. What happens when those four small schools play the four large schools at the state tourney? I'm guessing you'll be seeing some major blow-outs. Don't we want the eight best teams possible to be playing in the state tourney? Ready to reconsider the three-class system? "

" I don't think any of the Class B schools are going to have to worry that much about Valley City. Just because they were Class A doesn't mean that the talent level is necessarily different. They just have a little bigger school (a lot bigger in some cases). Class B people are arguing all the time about how much better they are or at the very least, they are just as good as Class A. Now that they are presented with this situation, it is cry for me ND. Put in the time to be better, don't just sit back and take it. "

" One last thing... If I'm going to complain, I better at least offer a solution:

Put New Salem in District 14 and shuffe some other schools around. New Salem is 25 interstate miles from Glen Ullin, 40 miles from Haen, 45 interstate miles from Richardton, 50 miles from Beulah, and 65 interstate miles from Dickinson Trinity. They woud be a great fit. Watford City's CLOSEST trip within the district would be 60 highway miles to Killdeer. Heck, Mandaree is closer to the rest of the District 14 teams than Watford City. To me, it looks like the NDHSAA loaded all the big class B schools into one district on purpose. They sure didn't do it based on proximity. "

" PS - You don't even need the 40-80 plan if you're just going to load up all the big schools into a couple districts. "

" Valley City gets put in a district full of small class B schools. Meanwhile, Watford City gets shifted to the already tough District 14.

Watford City, Beulah, Hazen, and Dickinson Trinity all in the same district??? You have got to be kidding me. How would you like to be Watford. Better yet... how would you like to be Richardton-Taylor, Killdeer, or Glen Ullin-Hebron (the smallest schools in the district)?

Valley City got some home cookin' from the NDHSAA, no doubt about it. "

" I have a great idea. Why don't you just present Valley City with the state championship award and save the state and all the other schools all that money that is spend on tournaments. With an enrollment of 375, there is no way a school of under 100 can possibly compete with them, and that would include most of the class B schools in North Dakota. How ridiculous.
Tony "

" It is very unfortunate the Valley City transition to Class B was ram-rodded through by circumventing the proper rules and procedures associated with the NDHSAA Constitution.

It takes Valley City from being on one end of the spectrum and seems to appease them by putting them on the opposite end of the spectrum in a different class. It takes their current perceived problems and simply transfers them to the smaller Class B schools in VC's new district. Interesting Valley City is ok with that, but thought it was unfair for them to be in the exact same situation in Class A. That is fair or right? I don't think so, it is the tail wagging the dog.

However, since it seems Valley City is going to be accommodated by the board, the only fair scenario left is to utilize the 40-80 option. This is the only right thing that can be done for those schools who remain in Class B and at the same time retain the integrity of the Class B Basketball Tournament. At least the smallest 80 schools can still fight for 4 spots in the tournament. This avoids a three class system and at the same time provides an opprotunity for less of an enrollment discrepency in competition for state tournament berths.

It seems to be the best and right thing to do, but as the board has already demonstrated, doing what's best for Class B is taking a back seat to doing what's best for Valley City. Knowing that, the 40-80 plan is the right way to go. "