First draft at realignment could impact Eastern Plains Conference

The N.C. High School Athletic Association has unveiled its first attempt at conference realignment for the four-year period beginning in the fall of 2013.

Before I comment further on this scenario, let me say that the process usually involves several steps and won't be finalized until May, 2012. Let's hope that changes are made because the first draft means big changes for the 2-A Eastern Plains Conference. The EPC currently has Beddingfield, Greene Central, Farmville Central, Kinston, North Pitt, SouthWest Edgecombe and Tarboro as members. But Tarboro is destined for the 1-A ranks so the Vikings will likely join what is now the 1-A Tar-Roanoke Conference and be North Edgecombe's main rival.

The biggest change, however, involves sending Greene Central and Kinston to a new conference with Ayden-Grifton, Goldsboro, Midway, North Lenoir and South Lenoir. The four remaining EPC schools — Beddingfield, North Pitt, Farmville Central and SW Edgecombe — would be joined by Cleveland, North Johnston and Washington. However, now it appears that Cleveland will remain a 3-A school, per an announcement by the NCHSAA on Friday, so that would probably mean North Johnston wouldn't be shunted off to the EPC without a nearby rival.

If that happens, I don't see Greene Central leaving the EPC. My guess is that there will be a lot of lobbying from Snow Hill to keep the Rams in the conference they've belonged since anyone can remember.

The 3-A Big East Conference will not be broken up but will likely add Corinth Holders. Given that Corinth Holders is about 17 miles from Southern Nash, that seems like it will stick. I've been told by sources close to Corinth Holders that would be preferable to joining the 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference, which will look mostly the same with Charles B. Aycock, Eastern Wayne, Southern Wayne, South Johnston and Triton being joined by Smithfield-Selma. Cleveland would be likely to go either back to the ECC or the Big East.

The NCHSAA is trying to do away with split conferences and, as far as eastern North Carolina goes, the classification changes of some schools will help. Bertie and Hertford County will be legitimate 2-A schools and the Northeastern Coastal Conference will no longer be a 2-A/3-A league and just a 2-A one. In Pitt County, South Central and D.H. Conley will move up to the 4-A ranks and join Rose and New Bern. However, the first draft shows Clayton and West Johnston in that league which would mean a lot of travel, especially the grueling Clayton-to-New Bern trek.

There's sure to be lots more discussion on realignment as the game of musical chairs begins. Please add your perspective below because there's no end to the possibilities.

North Johnston gets its realignment wish

It looks like North Johnston will get its wish but Hertford County and Goldsboro will not as the N.C. High School Athletic Association prepares for realignment.

In the first stab at realignment in November, the NCHSAA moved North Johnston from the 1-A Carolina Conference to the 2-A Eastern Plains Conference. Officials at North Johnston realized there was little they could do about the growing school's move to the 2-A ranks but preferred to join the league with Bunn, Louisburg, Warren County, Franklinton, Northwest Halifax and Roanoke Rapids.

This week the NCHSAA released its next round of proposals, which will stay in place while schools appeal the decision. The final conferences will be announced in March but there will be an April 1 deadline for appeals based on procedural errors. In May, the NCHSAA Board of Directors will convene to consider those appeals and make the final decision.

North Johnston was switched to the 2-A Conference No. 4 (yet to be named) with Bunn, Louisburg, Warren County, Franklinton, Northwest Halifax and Roanoke Rapids. The 2-A Conference No. 3, which looks very much like the Eastern Plains Conference, has existing EPC members Farmville Central, Greene Central, North Pitt and Tarboro along with former EPC affiliate SouthWest Edgecombe, which will move back to the 2-A ranks out of the 3-A NEW 6. Finally, 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference refugees Beddingfield and Kinston will complete the new seven-team EPC.

It really was six of one and half dozen of the other for North Johnston. It would be the seventh member of either conference (seven is an odd number for conference membership) and the travel distance probably is a wash, too. Maybe it came down to North Johnston not being eager ton make the move to 2-A by joining a conference with recent 3-A schools like Beddingfield and SouthWest.

Goldsboro is out of the EPC, along with North Lenoir. Goldsboro protested its move to the 1-A ranks, taking North Johnston's place in the 1-A Carolina Conference, but it seems the NCHSAA isn't buying the notion that Goldsboro, once a mighty 4-A school, will increase its enrollment.

North Lenoir is headed to a new 3-A conference that will include former ECC members Charles B. Aycock, Eastern Wayne and Southern Wayne along with Triton and South Johnston.

But what about Hertford County?

Hertford County's wishes to join what was basically the NEW 6, minus SouthWest Edgecombe, was rebuffed by the NCHSAA. Instead, Hertford County and Currituck County will remain with four other 2-A schools in the northeastern corner of the state in a mixed conference.

That completely makes sense given the high price of gas these days. Now Fike and Hunt will join Southern Nash, Northern Nash, Rocky Mount and Nash Central in the old NEW 6, which will probably need a new name like the Newer 6?

As far as I'm concerned, I would prefer to have all eight high schools in The Wilson Daily Times readership area — Fike, Hunt, Beddingfield, Southern Nash, SouthWest Edgecombe, Charles B. Aycock, North Johnston and Greene Central — in one conference. Now it looks like we'll be split up into four conferences with CBA and North Johnston off by themselves.

But the good news is that Fike and Hunt will be reunited with some nearby natural rivals like Southern Nash and Rocky Mount. And Beddingfield will join old friends Greene Central and SouthWest Edgecombe in the EPC.

Unless, of course, the NCHSAA changes its mind again — which it has been known to do.