Bainbridge seals move to 2A as reclassification cycle spins forward

The playoff picture for Bainbridge High School sports teams will be a whole lot clearer starting in the 2024-25 school year, when the Spartans will compete in the Olympic League as a 2A school.

That's the one major change in West Sound now that the planning period for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association's 2024-28 reclassification cycle is entering the home stretch.

"It's really what was best for our kids and our community," Bainbridge Island School District athletic director Luke Ande said during Thursday's school board meeting.

Here's the rundown: Every four years, the WIAA and all its member schools undergo reclassification. High schools across the state are separated into 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, 2B and 1B groupings — called classifications — based on enrollment counts for grades 9-11. The goal is to maintain competitive balance and ensure like-sized schools are competing against each other in the postseason.

In 2020-24, classifications for West Sound schools were, from largest to smallest: South Kitsap (4A); Bainbridge and Central Kitsap (3A); Bremerton, Kingston, North Kitsap, North Mason and Olympic (2A); Klahowya (1A); and Crosspoint (1B).

The only significant change heading into the 2024-28 cycle will be Bainbridge dropping from 3A to 2A, which will make the eight-team Olympic League a complete 2A league. Bainbridge has competed as a 3A team against the Olympic League's other 2A schools (Bremerton, Kingston, North Kitsap, North Mason, Olympic, Sequim and Port Angeles) ever since it left the Metro League in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Being the lone 3A team in a 2A league has been problematic for Bainbridge in the postseason, where the Spartans have often dealt with atypical qualification processes, such as competing in district play-in (loser-out) games against teams from other 3A leagues.

"That was not the best scenario for our kids being a 3A school in a 2A league," Ande said. "Now being a 2A school in a 2A league, it's a much better model."

There was some discussion about a potential return to the Seattle-centric Metro League, where the Spartans competed for roughly two decades prior to 2021. Travel concerns expressed by Metro League schools made that return a no-go.

"I've had conversations with people from that league," Ande said. "The interest on the other side was lacking, to say the least."

Another possibility for Bainbridge would have been potentially joining a new 3A league in the South Sound (Tacoma) region, but again, travel concerns arose.

"Our current average trip in the Olympic League is 35 miles," Ande said. "That trip would have been 55 miles. It's a substantial difference."

Kingston, North Mason appeals to join 1A denied

Two potential moves involving Kingston and North Mason moving from 2A to 1A failed to materialize earlier this month. But that doesn't mean its status quo for the Buccaneers and Bulldogs moving forward.

Kingston, which missed the 1A cutoff by less than four students, saw its appeal to move down from 2A to 1A for football unanimously rejected by the WIAA's district directors. As the smallest school in the Olympic League, the Buccaneers haven't posted a winning season in football since 2013.

"This was disappointing on many levels, but mostly due to the emphasis that I had placed on student-athlete safety," Kingston athletic director Ed Call said. "Each of the past two years, we have seen 20 or more concussion injuries suffered by our players. Each of the past two years, we have also suffered 20 or more physical injuries that caused athletes to miss two or more games."

Among the WIAA's recommendations for Kingston's football team were playing a junior varsity schedule, finding a different league, or playing an independent varsity schedule. Call said the Buccaneers are in the process of seeking admission into the Nisqually League 1A for football.

"We hope that we can be written into their existing schedule on each of the Nisqually League team's bye weeks (they currently have 7 teams, so one team each week is on their bye week)," Call said. "We are hopeful that this would give us two years of a solid seven-game schedule, home and away balance, and more competitive balance than we currently experience in the Olympic League with their large and powerful programs."

Should joining the Nisqually League not come to fruition, Call said the Buccaneers would seek to play an independent schedule.

"I have been very transparent with the other seven Olympic League ADs about our intentions and my focus on student-athlete safety and competitive balance," Call said. "In those conversations, my colleagues have been openly supportive of this process as we seek to rebuild our program."

The WIAA also rejected North Mason's appeal to go from 2A to 1A in all sports. The Bulldogs are the second smallest school in the Olympic League and, like Kingston, often find themselves toward the bottom of the standings in most sports.

"We appealed our classification on the grounds our numbers aren't accurately reflected, and we simply lack the resources of most 2A programs," said North Mason athletic director Ray Bonnell, who noted that the many students within the district work full-time and don't have nearby access to club sports teams. "Our recent competitive imbalance is a reflection of that lack of resources. COVID and inflation have amplified those imbalances."

Bonnell said North Mason isn't looking to switch leagues or seek alternative scheduling options at this time. Instead, he plans to spearhead an effort to work with district and local leadership to increase recreational opportunities for students in Belfair.

"There certainly is a disappointment in the denial of our appeal," Bonnell said. "We've adopted 'Rise Above' as our mantra at North Mason and we are challenging our student-athletes, coaches, and community to take on this challenge for the betterment of our region. I am working hard to develop our coaches and bring in new talent, which will inspire our youth to rise above whatever their current station might be. We are adopting mindset training in our athletic programs to build buy in for a growth-mindset approach to athletics and life."

South Kitsap, Central Kitsap leagues taking shape

The two largest high schools in West Sound, South Kitsap and Central Kitsap, aren't moving anywhere from their current classifications. South Kitsap remains one of the largest schools in the state's largest classification, 4A, while Central Kitsap remains in the top half size-wise in 3A.

South Kitsap High School athletic director Lindsey Foster met with fellow South Puget Sound League ADs last week to discuss changes to the league, which currently has 10 teams: South Kitsap, Bellarmine, Bethel, Curtis, Emerald Ridge, Graham-Kapowsin, Olympia, Puyallup, Rogers and Sumner.

New teams joining the SPSL mix could be Bonney Lake, Spanaway Lake, Stadium and Yelm, which are all moving up from 3A to 4A. Yet those additions are still being finalized. Bellamine will be departing since the Lions are dropping down to 3A.

"We talked about divisions," Foster said. "None of that can be decided until we know how many and who?"

It appears Central Kitsap's league, the South Sound Conference, is headed for a merger with the Pierce County League. The News Tribune reported last week that the new league would likely include Central Kitsap, Peninsula, Gig Harbor, Bellarmine, Mount Tahoma, Silas, Lincoln, Lakes, North Thurston, Timberline and River Ridge.

Klahowya, which is the sixth-largest school in 1A, will stay as a member of the nine-team Nisqually League. All the other eight teams in the league (Annie Wright, Bellevue Christian, Cascade Christian, Charles Wright, East Jefferson, Life Christian, Seattle Christian and Vashon Island) remain 1A schools. The only significant change for the league would be if Kingston joins for football.

Crosspoint is staying put as the fifth-largest school in 1B and will continue in the Sea-Tac League, which features a mix of 2B/1B teams: Auburn Adventist, Concordia Christian, Evergreen Lutheran, Muckleshoot Tribal, Northwest Christian, Northwest Yeshiva, Pacific Christian, Puget Sound Adventist, Quilcene, Rainier Christian, Sound Christian and Summit Classical Christian.

Crosspoint athletic director Jenny Kuske said two more schools, Forest Ridge and Summit Atlas, will be joining the Sea-Tac, making it a 16-team league.

WIAA 2024-28 Classification for West Sound

CLASS 4A (60 total schools, enrollment 1,201+)

South Kitsap: 1,793.50*

CLASS 3A (73 total schools, enrollment 900-1,200)

Central Kitsap: 1,145.75

CLASS 2A (63 total schools, enrollment 450-899)

Bainbridge: 885.25

Olympic: 872.75

Bremerton: 784.19

North Kitsap: 771.38

North Mason: 495.13

Kingston: 452.38

CLASS 1A (55 total schools, enrollment 225-449)

Klahowya: 420.75

CLASS 2B (54 total schools, enrollment 105-224)

None

CLASS 1B (105 total schools, enrollment 1-104)

Crosspoint: 99

*enrollment totals for all schools reflect counts for 9th-11th grade

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Bainbridge High School will reclassify to 2A for sports