Minimum proposals for area schools
STOCKTON — Five Lodi area high schools could see minimal changes in their leagues for athletics come summer 2018.
One other, Elliot Christian, could find itself in a new league.
At the Sac-Joaquin Section’s first public meeting of league realignment for the 2018-22 cycle met Wednesday at the banquet room at The Reserve at Spanos Park. The section presented to the committee, of which Lodi High Athletic Director Erin Aitken is a member, the first proposal for seven divisions, including a new league in the Sacramento area.
Lodi and Tokay, which are part of the Tri-City Athletic League, a Division I group that includes St. Mary’s, Lincoln, Tracy and West, could see Modesto Christian join — but only for boys and girls basketball. Currently, Modesto Christian plays in the Modesto Metro Conference, which is D-II for hoops but in the Trans-Valley League, D-V, for all other sports.
St. Mary’s, a powerhouse in girls basketball, plays an independent schedule in place of TCAL games. The Rams’ boys hoops program still plays league games.
“I think everybody has a concern whenever this is another strong team that comes in,” Aitken said.
But Aitken wants competitive equity, across the board, for all high schools in the section.
“We want to make sure everyone has an equal opportunity,” Aitken said.
The thought of having two private schools playing hoops in the TCAL surprised Tokay Athletic Director Michael Holst, who is also the school’s football coach. “The addition of Modesto Christian is an eye opener,” Holst said. “That is a solid (boys and girls basketball) program.”
But during the public forum session of the 4 1/2 hour meeting, Modesto Christian Athletic Director
Greg Pearce told the section and the league realignment committee that his school would be better off playing in a competitive league. He pointed out that the Valley Oak League, which is D-III, would be a good fit.
“If I’m being honest, looking at that (proposal), If you look at the last two to three years, the TCAL, on the boys side, their success has not been very good at all,” Pearce said. “If you look at the girls, and remove the anomaly, St. Mary’s, it has not been good. In my opinion, the most competitive league is the VOL.”
Holst added, “I think the VOL is the best destination for them.”
The TCAL, under the proposal, would remain in its current state with Lodi, Tokay, Lincoln, St. Mary’s, Tracy and West, for all sports for 2018-22.
“We’re fine with where we are,” Holst said. “We play in a tough league.”
Galt and Liberty Ranch are part of the Sierra Valley Conference, a six-school league that includes Cordova, Rosemont, El Dorado and Union Mine that is currently D-IV. Under the section’s proposal, the SVC would be demoted to D-V.
On top of that, the proposal has Cordova leaving the SVC for a new D-IV league that includes Laguna Creek of Elk Grove, Florin, Johnson, Valley and West Campus, all in Sacramento. Cordova has an enrollment of 1,700-plus at its campus.
Taking Cordova’s place would be Bradshaw Christian of Elk Grove, which is currently in the Sierra Delta League that is D-VI.
John Williams, the SVC’s commissioner and a Galt resident, favors of the change.
“I think the proposal is a good proposal,” Williams said. “I think Bradshaw a competitive school ... and they fit by location. I don’t see another place for Bradshaw Christian right now. They are too strong for the SDL. I think they will be a good competitive member of the league.”
The SVC formed in 1996 and was D-II until 2010 when it was pushed down to D-IV, and has had only one private school in its conference, Christian Brothers, during most of the 2000s.
Elliot Christian, which plays in the Central California Athletic Alliance, has been proposed to join the Mountain Valley League. Both leagues would then be D-VII (the CCAA is D-VI right now). Elliot would join Lodi Academy, plus ABLE Charter, Delta Charter, Don Pedro, Holt Academy, Hughes Academy, Mountain Oaks, Stockton Christian and Tioga for a 10school league. But not all schools in the MVL, which has its members hovering around 100 student enrollment at each campus, field athletic teams.
The move to the MVL makes sense, Elliot Christian Athletic Director Jason Hitt noted.
“For transportation purposes, it’s a lot better,” Hitt said.
In recent years, Elliot, which has a student enrollment of 78 this school year, has produced winning teams in boys basketball, baseball and softball in recent years. The Eagles had a varsity football team that captured the section’s D-VII crown in 2014. But Elliot fielded only a junior varsity grid team in 2015, and didn’t field a squad this past season.
“The CCAA is more about football,” Hitt said. “This helps our school. (In boys basketball) we can always opt up (tp higher division) for playoffs.”
Hitt credits the section’s office, Aitken and the league realignment committee for trying to figure out the pieces of the puzzle of league realignment, which runs in four-year cycles.
“Those are some hard decisions to make,” Hitt said. “As athletic director, you have to adjust all the time. You want your schools to be as local as possible. I think (the section) is doing a great job. No one is going to have their ideal situation.”
There are four more scheduled meetings; two in January, and one in February and March. The next meeting, which is also open to the public, is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 12.
For more information on Wednesday’s meeting, visit the section’s Website — cifsjs.org.