Central Plains League unanimously votes out Wichita Independent, citing ‘ethics’ concerns

In a unanimous decision made late last month, the nine other members of the Central Plains League voted to expel Wichita Independent from the league following the 2024-25 school year.

CPL president Greg Rosenhagen, the principal of Cheney, confirmed to The Eagle that a motion was made, seconded and passed unanimously during an April 24 meeting.

Other members of the Central Plains League are Belle Plaine, Chaparral, Cheney, Conway Springs, Douglass, Garden Plain, Kingman, Medicine Lodge and Trinity Academy.

“The concerns are mostly about ethics and the lack of cooperation regarding league expectations,” Rosenhagen wrote to The Eagle. “We believe that in too many situations that Wichita Independent has failed to meet certain expected standards. They were made aware in advance of multiple concerns.”

Independent, a private school located in Wichita, has been a member of the league since the 2003-04 season. The decision, which did not involve the Kansas State High School Activities Association, is considered final.

“The Independent School is looking forward to the opportunities that will arise with membership in a new league in the future,” the school said in an official statement sent to The Eagle. “As school leaders we accept the decision made by the CPL and the CPMSL but would point out that no evidence of wrongdoing was provided and no violations are on file with KSHSAA.

“Our focus remains on our students’ bright future. We’re dedicated to upholding our high academic standards and achieving our vision: to be the premier private college preparatory school in Kansas, where we strive for excellence in academics, activities and athletics.”

Why was Wichita Independent voted out of the CPL?

While Rosenhagen declined to discuss specifics about the league expectations Independent failed to meet, Terrell Davis, the Head of School at Independent, claimed the root cause for the dismissal were allegations of recruiting in athletics.

Since joining the CPL in 2004, Independent has won a total of 13 state championships, which is second-most during that time-span behind Garden Plain (16) and one more than Trinity Academy (12). It is not about the overwhelming success of all athletic programs, Davis said, rather one in particular: girls basketball.

Before the recent hiring of girls basketball coach E.J. Garnes, a successful AAU coach, Independent had essentially no history of success at the state tournament.

This past season Independent was dominant in its march to a Class 2A state championship, which included a 26.2 average margin of victory against the 20 KSHSAA-sponsored teams and a 19-point win in the state finals against Riverside. The Panthers also won by an average of 32.2 points against CPL competition.

Garnes told The Eagle last season that he hoped Independent could gain “respect on a national level” and become comparable to the Sunrise Christian Academy boys team, which has become one of the nation’s elite prep programs but is not a KSHSAA member school.

That level of dominance from a private school in Wichita competing against mostly rural, small-town public-school communities ruffled feathers, Davis said.

“A lot of those same girls played volleyball (Independent finished 9-24) or ran cross country in the fall, but there were no concerns raised then,” Davis said. “The concerns came the moment we started winning basketball games.

“Our band and our choir have grown, our Scholars Bowl team got runner-up at state this year. So we have seen growth across our campus, not just in one specific sport. We’re seeing improvements in other areas, but the league’s concern seems to just be basketball.”

According to the KSHSAA’s 2023-24 enrollment count, Independent actually has four fewer students (111) than last year and is now the third-smallest school in the 64-school Class 2A division.

While there has certainly been an influx of talent recently on the girls basketball team, Davis said Independent has filed all of the necessary paperwork, followed all of the applicable rules and not faced any penalties or sanctions from the KSHSAA.

A source inside the KSHSAA confirmed Independent has not had any ineligible transfers this season.

“If we’ve done everything right under the KSHSAA regulations,” Davis said, “it amazes me that accusations can be made and they can take action as a league.”

The success of the Independent girls basketball team created a “hostile and unfriendly environment” at league meetings, according to Davis. He added that no coach or administrator from the league reached out or congratulated Independent following its championship season. He also said the school voiced its concerns over racial remarks directed at their basketball players during road games, but felt like nothing was ever done to address the issue.

In the end, Davis said his biggest grievance is that he feels like Independent never had a “fair and due process.”

There doesn’t appear to be a precedent for a league voting to kick out a member school, so it’s unclear what bylaws the league followed to execute the process. In Rosenhagen’s statement, he noted that Independent was “made aware in advance of multiple concerns.”

“There was never a process of hearing the concerns, when the concerns were made, who made the concerns, the proof of an investigation and evidence that those concerns were true,” Davis said. “At no point have they asked us about our admissions policies and practice. We are open to sharing that with them, but it feels like they are making up the rules as they’re going.”

What happens next for high school sports at Independent?

In the immediate aftermath of the decision, Independent doesn’t know which league it will compete in beginning in the 2025-26 school year.

Straying away from the CPL seemingly won’t impact the majority of the sports teams at Independent. Baseball, softball, girls soccer, track and field, cross country, tennis, swimming and bowling don’t rely heavily on competing against other CPL teams on the schedule.

And the football team competes at the 8-man level, separate from the majority of the other CPL schools, which field 11-man teams.

But volleyball, girls basketball and boys basketball do play a good chunk of their schedules against CPL competition, a sizable void that would need to be figured out before the transition.

A possible destination could be the Heart of America League, which has a similar geographic footprint and school profile (all 2A schools) to the Central Plains League. The KSHSAA also recently placed a pair of tiny Wichita private schools in the league moving forward in Classical (enrollment of 108) and Central Christian Academy (enrollment of 93).

According to a source with knowledge of the process, Independent must first demonstrate proof it has attempted to join a new league before the KSHSAA intervenes and places them in an assigned league. That requires Independent to apply to new leagues, a process that will take at least one year, if not multiple.

“Our kids have a rigorous academic schedule and we strive for excellence in the classroom,” Davis said. “We have adhered to all of the rules and regulations and followed the guidelines of KSHSAA. It’s just sad that we’re not keeping the main thing the main thing, which is providing an opportunity for our kids to play in a high school setting where they can be kids and play the best they can and learn and grow. This shouldn’t be about a personal agenda, a private school-vs.-public school debate. It’s about kids being able to play and be student-athletes.”