Elvis Presley made the song “All Shook Up” famous.
Fast forward to February 2017 and the CIF Sac Joaquin and North Coast Sections won’t need a stage at the Grand Ole Opry to be all shook up but such a sentiment could resonate in Northern California.
The Napa Valley Unified School District has requested for Napa, Vintage and American Canyon high Schools to move from the SJS to the NCS. The news has become public-like official -- as in for three news organizations (Vacaville Reporter, Napa Valley Register and Santa Rosa Press Democrat).
The Register reported that the move is pending approval from the SJS Board of Managers and would not take effect until the 2018-2019 school year. While the move is speculative, I would lay odds that it will happen. The SJS’s realignment committee voted 9-0 in favor of the move. Realignment cycles come every four years and the current one ends after the 2017-2018 school year. The Register also added that the SJS Board of Managers could vote on the NVUSD request as early as April. Will DeBoard, who is the director of Communications for the SJS, offered his assessment to Register senior sports reporter Marty James:
DeBoard said: “From the Napa standpoint, nothing groundbreaking happened (Thursday). It’s the fact that they are trying to leave in the middle of our realignment process. It means that they have to plan as though they could potentially be leaving. We have to plan on the chance that they are not there. This is just strictly our realignment committee trying to move forward as though they are not there. I think eventually they’ll be leaving. It just didn’t happen (Thursday).”
Napa and Vintage play in the Monticello Empire League while American Canyon competes in the Solano County athletic Conference.
The vote on Thursday was to remove NVUSD schools from any of the SJS leagues for 2018-19. Napa and Vintage currently play in the Monticello Empire League. American Canyon plays in the Solano County Athletic Conference.
The move would return Napa and Vintage to its roots in the NCS, which both vacated following the 1975-1976 school year. Both schools played in the North Bay League. The SJS has been all American Canyon has known since opening its doors in 2010.
The back story to this news is that American Canyon, specifically former principal Mark Brewer and former football head coach Ian MacMillan, expressed desire to go to the NCS not long after the school opened.
Where the move to the NCS makes the most sense is travel and competitive balance. In my former career as a sports reporter, I covered mostly St. Helena and Calistoga but also had a taste of covering the aforementioned Napa schools, including Justin-Siena. Though the Upvalley schools make long and arduous drives to Lake and Mendocino Counties and Sonoma County on occasion, traffic is seldom an issue. However, driving to Sacramento, Elk Grove, Grass Valley or anywhere in the Central Valley, traffic is a crapshoot. You could either get smooth sailing on Interstate 80 or traffic could be a hot mess.
On the flip side, however, travelling to play league opponents has been significantly shorter but a move to the NCS would involve longer trips to Sonoma County for league contests, which would mean an increase in travel budgets.
As far as competitive equity, the challenge that Napa, Vintage and American Canyon face is that the Sacramento and Central Valley schools continue to grow. American Canyon (whose enrollment is about 1,400 plus or minus a few) is projected to grow to about 1,600 or so but will have its limits. Napa and Vintage, however, are projected to see their enrollments of about 2,000 decline.
To add further perspective, Napa and Vintage have combined to win just 18 SJS titles (12 for Vintage and six for Napa). However, only four have come in the two revenue generating sports of football and basketball. By no means is that meant as a slight against the other sports. I am all about celebrating success of section titles whether it is football or badminton. However, let’s be honest, section titles in football move the needle and to some extent so do ones in basketball and volleyball.
The move would be a win-win, the aforementioned Napa schools would add competition on the field and money at the gate. Napa, Vintage and American Canyon fans have demonstrated that they will travel.
The only questions remaining would be, which league the Napa schools fit? And would all three go to one league? The three possibilities: North Bay League, Sonoma County League or Marin County Athletic League.
The last time Napa County schools moved to out of the SJS and into the NCS was 2000. Justin went to the MCAL and St. Helena returned to the North Central League I. The former won six NCS titles in football since moving to there. The latter has benefited from much more competitive equity in the NCL I. Both teams competed in the since disbanded Superior California Athletic League, where St. Helena was like goldfish swimming in the ocean most of the time.
The other remaining layer is what happens to the MEL and the SCAC? Vallejo and Bethel reportedly desire a move to the NCS but would likely play in a league with West Contra Costa County Schools. Vacaville could potentially move to the Delta League. The remaining MEL and SCAC teams would be Benicia, Vanden, Wood, Armijo and Fairfield with the sixth team potentially being Dixon.
Confused yet? That makes two of us. I’ll take sifting through this kind of rubble over the August 2014 version.
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