Just thought I would get everyone's opinion of the new changes to the 1A conferences for this season after the realignment...
As most already know, only 2 1A conferences in the state saw NO changes to their membership after realignment, and both of those conferences are in the West as both the Smoky Mountain(7) and the Split-Class Mountain Valley(8) Conferences are unchanged after the realignment....However, that is not the case with the remaining 1A schools and Conferences throughout the state....
There are 75 total 1A teams in the state this year, and the balance between the East(39) and West(36) has never been this close in a very long time....Of course, the new playoff format which begins this season, means that there will only be 48 of those 75 teams that qualify for the playoffs this season for the first time since the inception of the split-class playoffs which began in 2001....Meaning, there will be 24 1A and 24 1AA playoff teams with the top 8 teams in each playoff bracket receiving a first round BYE for the first time, and most feel this is a welcome change to the playoff format as teams who win less than 5 games will have a more difficult time qualifying for postseason play as used to be the case before the split-class playoffs began in 2001 that included a total of 64 qualified playoff teams with 32 each in the 1A and 1AA playoffs....
Anyway, let's take a look at the Western Conference changes first, and as always, your opinions are welcomed....
West
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SMC(7 members)-Preseason favorite is the defending state champs from Murphy with both Cherokee and Swain County as possible challengers....Perennial powerhouse Robbinsville is always capable of pulling a surprise when nobody expects it, but may have trouble breaking into the top 3 of the conference this year?....Andrews, Hayesville and Rosman should all be very competitive with each other, but will have a tough time breaking into the top 4 of the conference?...Overall, the Conference should be very competitive this year, but is likely to be top-heavy as has been the case most seasons in the SMC when teams return a lot of experience which is the case with Murphy,Cherokee and Swain County this year!
1A/2A MVC(8 Members)-The MVC has a perfect balance of 4 1A schools(Elkin,Alleghany,Starmount and East Wilkes) along with 2A foes(Wilkes Central, Ashe County, West and North Wilkes)....Preseason favorite is likely Wilkes Central with East Wilkes likely the main challenger, but 1A Starmount and 2A Ashe County are always a threat to pull an upset in conference play....Both West and North Wilkes will likely be improved, while Alleghany and Elkin may have a tougher time this year?
1A/2A WHC(6 Members)-Polk County moves back down to the 1A class this season, while 2A Hendersonville departs, so the WHC will have a perfect balance between 1A and 2A members this year for the first time since it's inception with 1A conference favorite Mitchell County and Avery County joining Polk as the 3 1A members along with 2A foes Madison Co, Mountain Heritage and Owen making up the 2A membership....2A Mountain Heritage and 1A Mitchell County will probably battle for the top spot in the conference this season?
NWC(6 Members)-The NWC loses both Atkins and Walkertown to the 2A class, but 2A South Stokes returns to the 1A class this year to create the 6 team 1A NWC(East Surry,Bishop McGuinness, North Stokes, South Stokes, WS-Prep and Mount Airy)....As has been the case the last several years, Surry County rivals Mount Airy and East Surry are likely to battle for the top spot in the conference, but perhaps the biggest question heading into the season is whether or not North Stokes will field a Varisty Football team this season?
SPC(8 Members)-The Southern Piedmont Conference retains all it's previous membership after realignment, but adds the Union Academy from the YVC to create the 8-team 1A conference....Mountain Island Charter will likely be the preseason favorite with Thomas Jefferson the main Challenger, but Bessemer City, Pine Lake Prep and Community School of Davidson have all had good seasons in the SPC since it's creation a few years ago.....One of the questions is whether or not Cherryville or Highland Tech can be competitive in conference play?...The Rams have had a very difficult time winning games since they first applied for 1A membership, and you've got to wonder at this point if they ever will be competitive in the 1A class....Cherryville has also had a tough time in the new SPC, but has won a few games aganist their rival Bessemer City who they will play twice this season, so what's your take?
YVC(8 Members)-The Yadkin Valley Conference loses 1A member Union Academy and East Montgomery who moved to the 2A Class, but they regain former member North Rowan who moves back down this season from 2A to 1A to rejoin the conference....Preseason favorite West Montgomery will likely have a major challenge from the Cavaliers for the top spot in the YVC...The YVC is currently an 8 team Football Conference, but there are still questions as to whether South Davidson will field a Varsity Football team or not this season?...Chatham Central is still a Football member, but will play the other Varsity sports in another conference with 5 other Charter Schools....Questions likely are?...Can any of the holdovers like North Stanly or North Moore challenge the Preseason top 2 teams, and will former powerhouse Albemarle regain some respect in the YVC, and make the playoffs, this year?
East
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The Eastern 1A seen the most change this year with every former 1A conference affected, and the East now has 8 conferences instead of 7 as former Tideland Conference Members(Creswell, Columbia, Cape Hatteras and Mattamuskeet) have rejoined each other in a 5-team football conference that also includes the BearGrass Charter Bears who begin their first full season of Varsity 1A Football, so Good luck to the Bears this season....Preseason favorite will likely be Columbia, but Creswell could challenge?....This new setup will likely benefit all 5 small schools as they will compete for their first Atlantic 6 Conference Football titlle in this new conference, and will benefit by reduced travel for conference games.....
5 of the 8 Eastern 1A Conferences will be exclusively made up of 1A teams with 3 Split-Class Conferences...
Along with the Atlantic 6 which also includes Ocracoke Island(Non-Football Member), the Carolina Conference will now be a 6-team conference(Lakewood,Rosewood,Princeton,Hobbton,North Duplin and Union) as both James Kenan and Spring Creek exit to become 2A members, while former Four County Conference member Union joins the Carolina Conference this year....The Conference should be much more competitive and balanced beginning this season with possibilly North Duplin as a slight favorite?
Tar-Roanoke(7)-I'm not sure if this conference will be called the same or not, but the make up will be considerably different after realignment as former Two Rivers' members North Edgecombe, Northampton, and Rocky Mount Prep join the conference with holdovers SE Halifax, NW Halifax,Kipp Pride and Weldon this season with either Northampton and North Edgecombe as early favorites...
Former TRAC 1A members Granville Central and Louisburg remain 1A teams, but now join 6 2A members(Bunn,J.F.Webb,Northern and Southern Vance, South Granville, Roanoke Rapids and Warren County) in a new split-class conference consisting of 8 teams whose conference name is still uncertain? Both Louisburg and Granville Central may have a tough time fighting for top honors in their new conference as perennial powehouse Bunn is likely the early favorite?
In another big membership shift in the East, Former Two-Rivers conference members Tarboro,Riverside-Martin and South Creek join former Coastal Plains 1A members Southside, Pamlico, Northside-Pinetown and Jones Senior to form a new 7 team 1A conference that will retain the Coastal Plains Conference name... Tarboro is likely the heavy favorite in this newly formed conference?
The former Coastal-10 conference also saw a major shift in membership after realignment as mentioned above with the departure of the 4 small Atlantic 6 Conference foes(Columbia,Creswell,Cape Hatteras and Mattamuskeet), while adding former 2A power Edenton Holmes to holdovers Plymouth,Camden County, Manteo ,Perquimans and Gates County to form a new 6 member 1A conference that will be called the Albermarle Atheletic Conference....The preseason favorite will likely be Holmes with Plymouth as the main challenger for the top spot?
Former Coastal Plains 1A teams Lejeune and East Carteret join former Four County member Pender County as the 3 1A schools in a new split-class 1A conference with 5 other 2A shcools(Croatan,Dixon,Heide Trask,Richlands and SW Onslow) in an 8-team conference whose name I don't know at this time, but East Carteret will likely be one of the conference favorites along with Croatan, Richlands or SW Onslow?
Finally, the former Split-Class Three Rivers' Conference grew after realignment from 8 to 10 teams to become the largest 1A conference in the state as both 2A foes East and West Bladen are now part of the TRC....The 1A membership shrunk by 1 member to 3 as Whiteville moved up to the 2A class with South Robeson, East and West Columbus remaining as the only 3 1A teams in this mega 10-team conference....As for a favorite, 2A foes South Columbus, East Bladen, West Bladen, Whiteville,Red Springs, Saint Pauls or Fairmont will all likely battle for the top spot in the conference with Whiteville, South Columbus and possibilly East Bladen or Fairmont as the early favorites, but that's just a guess on my part?
Opinions and Correct info is always welcomed for discussion, good luck to all the 1A teams this season!
Roar Tigers Roar!
As most already know, only 2 1A conferences in the state saw NO changes to their membership after realignment, and both of those conferences are in the West as both the Smoky Mountain(7) and the Split-Class Mountain Valley(8) Conferences are unchanged after the realignment....However, that is not the case with the remaining 1A schools and Conferences throughout the state....
There are 75 total 1A teams in the state this year, and the balance between the East(39) and West(36) has never been this close in a very long time....Of course, the new playoff format which begins this season, means that there will only be 48 of those 75 teams that qualify for the playoffs this season for the first time since the inception of the split-class playoffs which began in 2001....Meaning, there will be 24 1A and 24 1AA playoff teams with the top 8 teams in each playoff bracket receiving a first round BYE for the first time, and most feel this is a welcome change to the playoff format as teams who win less than 5 games will have a more difficult time qualifying for postseason play as used to be the case before the split-class playoffs began in 2001 that included a total of 64 qualified playoff teams with 32 each in the 1A and 1AA playoffs....
Anyway, let's take a look at the Western Conference changes first, and as always, your opinions are welcomed....
West
-------
SMC(7 members)-Preseason favorite is the defending state champs from Murphy with both Cherokee and Swain County as possible challengers....Perennial powerhouse Robbinsville is always capable of pulling a surprise when nobody expects it, but may have trouble breaking into the top 3 of the conference this year?....Andrews, Hayesville and Rosman should all be very competitive with each other, but will have a tough time breaking into the top 4 of the conference?...Overall, the Conference should be very competitive this year, but is likely to be top-heavy as has been the case most seasons in the SMC when teams return a lot of experience which is the case with Murphy,Cherokee and Swain County this year!
1A/2A MVC(8 Members)-The MVC has a perfect balance of 4 1A schools(Elkin,Alleghany,Starmount and East Wilkes) along with 2A foes(Wilkes Central, Ashe County, West and North Wilkes)....Preseason favorite is likely Wilkes Central with East Wilkes likely the main challenger, but 1A Starmount and 2A Ashe County are always a threat to pull an upset in conference play....Both West and North Wilkes will likely be improved, while Alleghany and Elkin may have a tougher time this year?
1A/2A WHC(6 Members)-Polk County moves back down to the 1A class this season, while 2A Hendersonville departs, so the WHC will have a perfect balance between 1A and 2A members this year for the first time since it's inception with 1A conference favorite Mitchell County and Avery County joining Polk as the 3 1A members along with 2A foes Madison Co, Mountain Heritage and Owen making up the 2A membership....2A Mountain Heritage and 1A Mitchell County will probably battle for the top spot in the conference this season?
NWC(6 Members)-The NWC loses both Atkins and Walkertown to the 2A class, but 2A South Stokes returns to the 1A class this year to create the 6 team 1A NWC(East Surry,Bishop McGuinness, North Stokes, South Stokes, WS-Prep and Mount Airy)....As has been the case the last several years, Surry County rivals Mount Airy and East Surry are likely to battle for the top spot in the conference, but perhaps the biggest question heading into the season is whether or not North Stokes will field a Varisty Football team this season?
SPC(8 Members)-The Southern Piedmont Conference retains all it's previous membership after realignment, but adds the Union Academy from the YVC to create the 8-team 1A conference....Mountain Island Charter will likely be the preseason favorite with Thomas Jefferson the main Challenger, but Bessemer City, Pine Lake Prep and Community School of Davidson have all had good seasons in the SPC since it's creation a few years ago.....One of the questions is whether or not Cherryville or Highland Tech can be competitive in conference play?...The Rams have had a very difficult time winning games since they first applied for 1A membership, and you've got to wonder at this point if they ever will be competitive in the 1A class....Cherryville has also had a tough time in the new SPC, but has won a few games aganist their rival Bessemer City who they will play twice this season, so what's your take?
YVC(8 Members)-The Yadkin Valley Conference loses 1A member Union Academy and East Montgomery who moved to the 2A Class, but they regain former member North Rowan who moves back down this season from 2A to 1A to rejoin the conference....Preseason favorite West Montgomery will likely have a major challenge from the Cavaliers for the top spot in the YVC...The YVC is currently an 8 team Football Conference, but there are still questions as to whether South Davidson will field a Varsity Football team or not this season?...Chatham Central is still a Football member, but will play the other Varsity sports in another conference with 5 other Charter Schools....Questions likely are?...Can any of the holdovers like North Stanly or North Moore challenge the Preseason top 2 teams, and will former powerhouse Albemarle regain some respect in the YVC, and make the playoffs, this year?
East
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The Eastern 1A seen the most change this year with every former 1A conference affected, and the East now has 8 conferences instead of 7 as former Tideland Conference Members(Creswell, Columbia, Cape Hatteras and Mattamuskeet) have rejoined each other in a 5-team football conference that also includes the BearGrass Charter Bears who begin their first full season of Varsity 1A Football, so Good luck to the Bears this season....Preseason favorite will likely be Columbia, but Creswell could challenge?....This new setup will likely benefit all 5 small schools as they will compete for their first Atlantic 6 Conference Football titlle in this new conference, and will benefit by reduced travel for conference games.....
5 of the 8 Eastern 1A Conferences will be exclusively made up of 1A teams with 3 Split-Class Conferences...
Along with the Atlantic 6 which also includes Ocracoke Island(Non-Football Member), the Carolina Conference will now be a 6-team conference(Lakewood,Rosewood,Princeton,Hobbton,North Duplin and Union) as both James Kenan and Spring Creek exit to become 2A members, while former Four County Conference member Union joins the Carolina Conference this year....The Conference should be much more competitive and balanced beginning this season with possibilly North Duplin as a slight favorite?
Tar-Roanoke(7)-I'm not sure if this conference will be called the same or not, but the make up will be considerably different after realignment as former Two Rivers' members North Edgecombe, Northampton, and Rocky Mount Prep join the conference with holdovers SE Halifax, NW Halifax,Kipp Pride and Weldon this season with either Northampton and North Edgecombe as early favorites...
Former TRAC 1A members Granville Central and Louisburg remain 1A teams, but now join 6 2A members(Bunn,J.F.Webb,Northern and Southern Vance, South Granville, Roanoke Rapids and Warren County) in a new split-class conference consisting of 8 teams whose conference name is still uncertain? Both Louisburg and Granville Central may have a tough time fighting for top honors in their new conference as perennial powehouse Bunn is likely the early favorite?
In another big membership shift in the East, Former Two-Rivers conference members Tarboro,Riverside-Martin and South Creek join former Coastal Plains 1A members Southside, Pamlico, Northside-Pinetown and Jones Senior to form a new 7 team 1A conference that will retain the Coastal Plains Conference name... Tarboro is likely the heavy favorite in this newly formed conference?
The former Coastal-10 conference also saw a major shift in membership after realignment as mentioned above with the departure of the 4 small Atlantic 6 Conference foes(Columbia,Creswell,Cape Hatteras and Mattamuskeet), while adding former 2A power Edenton Holmes to holdovers Plymouth,Camden County, Manteo ,Perquimans and Gates County to form a new 6 member 1A conference that will be called the Albermarle Atheletic Conference....The preseason favorite will likely be Holmes with Plymouth as the main challenger for the top spot?
Former Coastal Plains 1A teams Lejeune and East Carteret join former Four County member Pender County as the 3 1A schools in a new split-class 1A conference with 5 other 2A shcools(Croatan,Dixon,Heide Trask,Richlands and SW Onslow) in an 8-team conference whose name I don't know at this time, but East Carteret will likely be one of the conference favorites along with Croatan, Richlands or SW Onslow?
Finally, the former Split-Class Three Rivers' Conference grew after realignment from 8 to 10 teams to become the largest 1A conference in the state as both 2A foes East and West Bladen are now part of the TRC....The 1A membership shrunk by 1 member to 3 as Whiteville moved up to the 2A class with South Robeson, East and West Columbus remaining as the only 3 1A teams in this mega 10-team conference....As for a favorite, 2A foes South Columbus, East Bladen, West Bladen, Whiteville,Red Springs, Saint Pauls or Fairmont will all likely battle for the top spot in the conference with Whiteville, South Columbus and possibilly East Bladen or Fairmont as the early favorites, but that's just a guess on my part?
Opinions and Correct info is always welcomed for discussion, good luck to all the 1A teams this season!
Roar Tigers Roar!
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