Section proposal seeks realignment
By ZACH EWING Ccalifornian staff writer zewing@bakersfield.com
Kern County high school sports are in line for another league realignment, according to a proposal Central Section athletic directors will review later this month.
The proposal, which wouldn’t be finalized until the spring, seems designed to put schools of equal competitive history together. If approved, the proposal would go into effect for the 2014-15 school year.
Under the proposal, the Southwest Yosemite League — the so-called “power league” from the last realignment — would drop Independence, making the SWYL a five-team league comprised of schools with nearly all of their sports in Division I: Bakersfield, Centennial, Frontier, Liberty and Stockdale.
The Falcons, who have struggled in many of the SWYL’s flagship sports, would enter a new league with Garces, Golden Valley, Ridgeview, Tehachapi and West. All those schools play their sports primarily in Divisions II or III, with some, like Garces volleyball and West boys soccer, in Division I.
The third city league would contain East, Foothill, Mira Monte, Highland, North and South. Those schools play most sports in Divisions III and IV.
The current system aligns non-SWYL schools geographically between the South Yosemite League and the Southeast Yosemite League.
The proposal will be reviewed Nov. 28, where minor tweaks and suggestions will be heard. The next step is the section’s Board of Managers meeting Jan. 30.
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