Two years may be it for Fort Smith Northside and Fort Smith Southside as members of the 7A-West Conference.
Tentative classification and conference assignments for the 2016-2018 classification cycle were approved by the Arkansas Activities Association board of directors Thursday during the final day of the organization's summer workshop in North Little Rock.
Among the most significant changes was Northside and Southside returning to the 7A-Central Conference following the completion of the current classification cycle.
Both Fort Smith schools previously competed in the 7A/6A-Central during the 2012-2014 cycle before moving to the 7A-West for the 2014-2016 classification. The move to the 7A-West was a return to tradition for Northside and Southside, pitting the schools against traditional rivals such as Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale, and it cut down on travel.
Now, if the 2016-2018 proposals are approved, the Fort Smith schools will head back down Interstate 40 to central Arkansas to compete against 7A-Central members Bryant, Cabot, Conway, Little Rock Catholic, Little Rock Central and North Little Rock.
Southside Coach Jeff Williams said Thursday he wasn't surprised by the proposed assignment.
"It's going to be one of the toughest conferences in the state with us, Northside, Conway, North Little Rock, Central, Cabot and Bryant," Williams said. "I think it's a very tough conference."
Williams said the addition of a second high school in Bentonville, Bentonville West, in August 2016 all but forced Southside and Northside to move out of the 7A-West Conference.
"We hate leaving the West," Williams said. "We have great relationships with those folks. With the growth in Northwest Arkansas, it was a matter of time that we were going to be in the Central conference."
Van Buren, a member the 7A-West during the 2012-2014 cycle, is set to move back to that conference after a two-year run in the 7A/6A-Central. It will join Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, Rogers Heritage, Springdale, Springdale Har-Ber and Bentonville West.
Alma is scheduled to move from Class 6A to Class 5A and will be a member of the 5A-West Conference, where it competed during the 2012-2014 cycle, and Little Rock Christian will move from the 5A-West to the 5A-Central.
Little Rock Parkview, currently in Class 6A, will move to the 5A-Central in 2016 along with Little Rock Christian, Beebe, Little Rock Fair, Little Rock McClellan, Little Rock Mills, Pulaski Academy and Sylvan Hills.
Conference realignment for the 2016-2018 classification cycle for football includes two Class 7A conferences, two Class 6A conferences, four Class 5A conferences and six conferences for Classes 4A, 3A and 2A.
Beginning in 2016-2017, there will be blended conferences for boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer and volleyball but not in football.
Proposals for the 2016 football season call for the top four teams from each conference in Class 7A and Class 6A to advance to the playoffs.
In basketball, baseball and softball, Class 7A schools will only face other Class 7A members in conference play. Class 6A and Class 5A would combine for conference play before splitting into their appropriate classifications for the state playoffs. Classes 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A also would combine for conference play and split into their appropriate classifications for the playoffs.
Schools have until July 20 to appeal conference and/or classification assignments. AAA Executive Director Lance Taylor said he hopes to present a tentative blended conference plan Aug. 5 at the association's governing body meeting in Little Rock.
Sports on 06/12/2015