JAY DAVIS: Proposed regions would change wrestling landscape

Which teams the Tigers compete against in the postseason usually stays pretty much status quo. The South Dakota High School Athletics Association just released its proposed sports alignments for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. If they stay with the proposal, the wrestling postseason is going to take on a whole new look. The Tigers are competing in the Region 4B Wrestling Tournament in Ft. Pierre next week. They will wrestle against familiar foes in Bennett County, Custer, Harding County, Hill City, Hot Springs, Lead-Deadwood, Lemmon-McIntosh, Lyman, McLaughlin, Newell, Philip Area, Potter County, Red Cloud, St. Thomas More, Stanley County and Sully Buttes. If the proposed realignment sticks, the Tigers will be pointing their bus a completely different direction and join Region 1B. The Tigers will not be alone, as Potter County, Stanley County and Sully Buttes will also make the move. The region will include mainstays Britton-Hecla, Clark/Willow Lake, Faulkton, Groton Area, Ipswich-Edmunds Central, Tiospa Zina, Warner/Northwestern and Webster. Moving in from Region 3B will be Miller/Highmore-Harrold and Wolsey-Wessington. Sisseton will drop from Region 1A to make it a 15-team region. Putting more teams in the region and creating better equality in the four regions is a big part of the movement. Right now, regions 1B and 2B have 12 teams each, while regions 3B and 4B have 16 teams each. The realignment would put 15 teams in 1B, while the other three regions would have 14 teams each. It looks like a pretty solid proposal to me. The only real drawback would be that the Bridge City could be a ways down the line when it comes to the chance to host another regional tournament. Things dont change much in the other sports. In basketball, volleyball and track, Region 6A will gain two schools who are going back to Class A competition in McLaughlin and Stanley County. Winner moving to Region 7A will make it a seven-team region. It will, in fact make it so all eight regions have seven teams. The change in how the SDHSAA is creating a football census wont change much for the Tigers. In the first two years of using male-only school populations, the Tigers will still be 11B and in Region 1. Sisseton, coming down from 11A will enter the region, while Tiospa Zina drops to nine-man football. You might recognize the other teams. They are Aberdeen Roncalli, Crow Creek, Groton Area and Redfield-Doland. Very little will change in cross country. Region 4A will add McLaughlin and Stanley County while losing Wagner. Golfs Region 3A has only Redfield-Doland coming in and Crow Creek leaving. Football has the most dramatic changes for our area teams. No one will face more change than the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Braves. Class 11A is undergoing a complete metamorphosis. The regions will no longer be territorial. The Braves used to be in Region 3A with Chamberlain, Todd County and West Central. They will now be in Region 1A with Belle Fourche, Canton, Dakota Valley and Dell Rapids. Ping pong that across your state map. All four 11A regions will be a mishmash of towns thrown together during a South Dakota windstorm. The proposal does make sense, though. The SDHSAA is trying to create competitive balance. But it looks funny. Region 2A is Hot Springs, Lennox, Madison and Milbank Area. Region 3A is Pine Ridge, Sioux Falls Christian, St. Francis and St. Thomas More. Region 4A is Tea Area, Todd County, Vermillion and West Central. Nine-man football is going to be a different landscape, mostly because there are a lot of schools switching classes. Herreid-Selby Area is going from 9A to 9AA. McLaughlin stays right where it was so Region 4 will be the Wolverines and Midgets along with Gregory, Hill City, Lyman, Rapid City Christian and Stanley County. Eureka-Bowdle moves up a division from 9B to 9A. They will join Region 1 with Potter County, Castlewood/Estelline, Highmore-Harrold, Tri-State, Warner and Waverly-South Shore. Lemmon-McIntosh remains in Region 4, competing against Kadoka Area, New Underwood, Newell, Philip and Sully Buttes. Timber Lake drops from 9A to 9B and joins Region 4 with Bison, Crazy Horse, Edgemont, Faith, Harding County and Wall. Dupree is once again playing football and will be in Region 4, but will not be eligible for postseason play. Class B will see some other changes in regions for other sports, but there will not be much change. The most notable will be out west in basketball and volleyball. With McLaughlin moving up to Class A, Lemmon will be moving to District 15B along with Timber Lake, McIntosh, Dupree, Tiospaye Topa and Wakpala.

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JAY DAVIS: Proposed regions would change wrestling landscape