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Draughn and East Burke seeking out of SMAC

So to recap schools who whined about being in a conference because of travel ( so they say) during the first proposed alignment want to join now after winning a few games in the SMAC. Draughn wants to go from playing 2a/3a schools to playing 2a/1a schools. And now both want to join the SD7 as the best proposal.

So I ask- is there anything, anything that ever satisfies eastern burke county including the total debacle about schools and the school board from a few years ago? Seems like it is always something on that side of the county. Fact is they know they cannot compete in the SMAC with any of the schools but Chase in football and the other sports are not in the picture.

Fact- opening two schools made them all weak except Freedom. If they are allowed to reconference before the next alignment it will lead to a floodgate of future proposals. They should have accepted the first proposal. Can't believe the NCHSAA is even having this meeting after giving in the first time.
 
Normally, I don't think too highly of the NCHSAA but there's a part of me that would gain a little respect if they just told East Burke and Draughn..."This is the bed that you made, so go lay in it!"


The part in the end of the story is also just as concerning because it sounds like Burke County is going to push to have all four of its schools in one league next realignment. So we're talking a 2A/3A league with Hibriten and West Caldwell?...or will it be with the Catawba County 3A members (Hickory, Foard, St Stephens)?

That would create a major domino effect across the rest of the region...where would South Caldwell and Watauga (4A schools) play if Burke and Catawba Counties made a league?
 
I see these two schools are stirrin' the roller derby-ish antics of a " split conference * " past it's already laughable , make up our own rules as we go selves. So, Draughn is worrying about travel, huh ? And they want in a 2-A/ 1-A " split conference * " with the likes of Hendersonville, Avery County, and Polk County ? Maybe some of these dudes should purchase a Rand McNally map. I've never heard of such in my entire life. If they desired to go into their little 1-A conference to maybe win a game here and there NEXT alignment, it would still be ridiculous, but not totally unexpected with " split conference * " genes floatin' around in their DNA. But to attempt to bail with two years to go, they should be fined for even asking.
 
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Got to agree with GSO, about distances. I doubt it would save time and money driving from draughn High in Valdese to the mountain locations if that's one of their concerns but they'll decide that for themselves. hasn't been but a couple years ago that Draughn had a pretty good team. I wish them and east Burke well.
This post was edited on 11/18 10:26 PM by Lincolnton
 
I only seen a few times in my years of a school leaving a conference and one of those was in the 1970's with old Madison Mayodan. They left the Guilford/Forsyth 4A league to come back to the Northwest 3A with us because they got destroyed every week. A lot like these two. It made us a 10 team league with 10 weeks in the season, everyone hated it.

East will benefit the most here. The SD 7 is natural to them and they like playing the schools. Plus SD 7 getting Brown back would boost the conference. But due to SD 7 having 8 teams Draughn is screwed regardless. They would be a good fit for the Mountain Valley but Ashe and Alleghany are too far away to go to Valdeese travel wise.

They will probably stay put in SMAC for the last 2 years but who knows..
 
Takes more gas in a bus to travel up a hill. Smh. Gotta consider other sports too, I've heard Draughn does pretty good in baseball in this conf. East Burke does or did decent in basketball, no excuses really as much as it may suck. Gotta ride it out. North lincoln, there was a post on them bout getting out of their conf but they gotta ride it out too. They carry 2a numbers an was only made 3a cause of one year were they JUST slightly spilled over to 3a numbers, just by a handful of kids, sucks but they gotta ride it out an EB an Draughn will too
 
Originally posted by Burkeforreal:
...They carry 2a numbers an was only made 3a cause of one year were they JUST slightly spilled over to 3a numbers, just by a handful of kids, sucks but they gotta ride it out an EB an Draughn will too
The NCHSAA could help solve this problem by following the lead of many other states (SC is one) and realigning every two years.

Converse to Draughn's situation, Monroe ended up playing 1A with 2A numbers for 3 years after being just below the cutoff in the first year of the 2009-2012 realignment. Walkertown's in a like situation in the current realignment.

School enrollments fluctuate, and with the advent of charters and early college schools, this type situation is going to happen more often now..
 
The Valdese folks wanted their own school..... they got it. Now they
are trying to figure out how to win. Give em about 12 more years and they should figure it out.
Close the school and merge back with East Burke and they might get to .500
 
Funny how the school was built three minutes from the chairman of the school board around that time.
 
East Burke has a better case. Draughn, you should have been more careful what you wished for. I hope this is rejected. It would be chaos for the remaining 7 SMAC teams trying to find 2 additional nonconference opponents. Especially the Cleveland County football schools.

If anyone is added to the SD7 it should be West Iredell or North Lincoln. They have a case to move down to 2A early. I can't ever remember the NCHSAA approving a conference switch mid-alignment period without a change in classification. Which is why I think Draughn and East Burke will be stuck in the SMAC for 2 more years.

This post was edited on 11/19 12:13 PM by burnsbulldogtweeter
 
A rumor I heard about 9 months ago was that East Burke had successfully solicited membership through each of the current SD-7 schools.While the NCHSAA had agreed to the switch they required approval from the Burke County Board of Education, which said if East Burke switches conferences so does Draughn. Well that was turned down by the SD-7 according to the rumor I heard. Again, I considered the story to be rumor although I heard parts of it from a couple of reliable people.

I would be surprised if the NCHSAA allowed this change now,but stranger things have happened.
 
Think about the scheduling chaos that this move would result in...

Lets say they approve East Burke to the SD7 and Draughn to the WHC...first off, all schools in both leagues would have to drop a non-conf game. Second by doing that, all schedules will have to match up just right to where those dropped games would be replaced by the new league member. Adjustments would likely be done across the board.

Third, for East Burke and Draughn, they'll have to drop a non-conf of their own so they can play each other (per Burke County policy)
 
My answer is that they have to stay put for the next two years and then seek out other alternatives.
 
Originally posted by TitanDan2001:
Think about the scheduling chaos that this move would result in...

Lets say they approve East Burke to the SD7 and Draughn to the WHC...first off, all schools in both leagues would have to drop a non-conf game. Second by doing that, all schedules will have to match up just right to where those dropped games would be replaced by the new league member. Adjustments would likely be done across the board.

Third, for East Burke and Draughn, they'll have to drop a non-conf of their own so they can play each other (per Burke County policy)
Well, for the WHC, they can just insert Draughn in the conference bye slot. It wouldn't be as hard on the SD7 either. And East Burke and Draughn are already in the same conference. But yeah, it would be chaos for the 7 remaining SMAC teams.
 
Yes. The SMAC would be scrambling for games. The domino effect would go beyond all three conferences. All those non conference teams would all need new games. I doubt this will get approval.
 
Pretty sure this is going no where. SD 7 has no motivation to accept East Burke. We already have 8 members and adding another is far from ideal.
 
The picking up of non-conference games is not the issue. Schools can't sign contracts until after the winter meetings are finished, and this is the renewel year. So nothing is official at this point for any schools non conference schedule. The biggest problem for these two schools getting out to say is that they essentially choose to be in the SMAC by not wanting to be apart of previous proposals. Also adminstration didn't pursue other options for the county as a whole. But the worst enemy to these schools was gaston county who wanted there own conference and got it, so don't be looking for a Cleveland gaston super conference to ever form. What the state decides will come to be and schools will adjust accordingly. There are other models used in different states that might suit the nchsaa to look into before the next realignment. The sc 2 year realignment plus a regional schedule that emphasizes a regional championship and play in games for the playoffs like used in Georgia.
 
Originally posted by TitanDan2001:
Normally, I don't think too highly of the NCHSAA but there's a part of me that would gain a little respect if they just told East Burke and Draughn..."This is the bed that you made, so go lay in it!"


The part in the end of the story is also just as concerning because it sounds like Burke County is going to push to have all four of its schools in one league next realignment. So we're talking a 2A/3A league with Hibriten and West Caldwell?...or will it be with the Catawba County 3A members (Hickory, Foard, St Stephens)?

That would create a major domino effect across the rest of the region...where would South Caldwell and Watauga (4A schools) play if Burke and Catawba Counties made a league?
South Caldwell and Watauga (assuming they stay 4A, their numbers may send them down next time) would reunite with McDowell and form a 3A/4A split with Buncombe County.
 
I have also heard Brevard is trying to get in the WHC as well. That would be a long ride from Draughn to Brevard if both get in the conference.
 
Two more years in the SMAC getting smacked. Is there anything that would satisfy eastern burke county? Answer is: NO
 
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