The gavel has fallen on the next realignment for N.C. High School Athletic Association members and without much controversy for schools in The Wilson Daily Times readership area.
The NCHSAA Board of Directors met Wednesday in Chapel Hill and approved the final conferences realignment plan. Since there were no appeals made, the decision is final and will take effect with the 2009-10 school year and run through the 2012-13 school year.
What it means for area schools is that Hunt and Fike can resume their rivalry as conference foes while Beddingfield is going back to the 2-A ranks for the second time.
"Got no complaints because us and Hunt are together and that was my main concern from the get-go," Fike athletic director John Gay said. "We kind of knew Beddingfield was too small to stay at the 3-A level."
Warriors athletic director Stevie Hinnant concurred, saying: "That's something that should have been done a long time ago. We shouldn't have been separated."
Hunt will replace SouthWest Edgecombe, also moving back down to 2-A, in the 3-A Conference No. 4, currently known as the 3-A NEW 6 Conference. The rest of the NEW 6 -- Southern Nash, Rocky Mount, Northern Nash and Nash Central -- will not change.
Beddingfield, along with fellow 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference refugee Kinston and SouthWest, will move to the 2-A Conference No. 3, currently the 2-A Eastern Plains Conference. Present EPC members Greene Central, Farmville Central, North Pitt and Tarboro will remain while North Lenoir moves up to the 3-A ranks.
Beddingfield would prefer to stick with its Wilson County rivals, Hunt and Fike, but the issue was moot point with enrollment falling well into the 2-A division.
"We play where they put us and where the numbers fall," Bruins athletic Jody O'Neal said.
Charles B. Aycock will part company with its Wilson mates and move into 3-A Conference No. 5 with current ECC rivals Eastern Wayne and Southern Wayne along with newcomers Triton, South Johnston and North Lenoir.
Finally, North Johnston makes the move up from the 1-A ranks to become the smallest 2-A school in the state and join Louisburg in entering 2-A Conference No. 4, closely resembling what has been called the Northern Carolina Conference with Bunn, Northwest Halifax, Roanoke Rapids, Franklinton and Warren County.
North Johnston was the only area school to have not stuck with the preliminary realignment plan which came out last November. That blueprint had North Johnston going to the EPC but the first revision put Kinston in its place and let the Kenly school move to the NCC, where it preferred to go.
"We are satisfied with things the way they are," assured North Johnston Athletic Director Brent Walston. "That is what we asked for when we went to the January (NCHSAA) meeting."
Obviously, the biggest attraction for Hunt and Fike is being in the same conference after being separated for the first time since Hunt opened its doors in the fall of 1978.
Of course, the schools have continued to play each other but only as non-conference foes. This past fall, the rivals played an unprecedented two regular-season games in football then were rewarded by the NCHSAA with a first-round playoff pairing.
Gay and Hinnant said the plan to play two regular-season football games would hopefully continue.
Naturally, Beddingfield will remain on the schedules of both Hunt and Fike while all three Wilson schools hope to keep Charles B. Aycock on their non-conference schedule.
"Until they tell me they don't want to play us, Aycock's going to be on the non-conference schedule," Gay said.
Hinnant revealed that CBA was already on the Warriors' 2009 football schedule and hoped to add more sports against their soon-to-be former ECC rival.
Turning his attention to his soon-to-be new conference rivals, Hinnant praised the overall strength of the new league.
"It's a pretty good league in all sports," Hinnant said. "It's going to be competitive and short travel distances and that's good for revenue at gates."
However, the name "NEW 6" might not survive, despite Hinnant's insistance that it will be a "new" conference with Hunt replacing SouthWest.
Gay chuckled when told of Hinnant's remark.
"I don't know about that," the Fike athletic director said. "We don't have Edgecombe anymore."
Indeed, SouthWest returns to the EPC where it will be reunited with county rival Tarboro in what could be the strongest 2-A league in the eastern part of the state.
Kinston and Beddingfield have won 3-A state titles in boys and girls basketball, respectively, in the past three years while SouthWest emerged as a 3-A football power.
Beddingfield has played Greene Central and Farmville Central in football the past few years and despite the familiarity with Kinston and SouthWest, realignment will bring a new era to Beddingfield athletics.
"We're looking to making new friendships and new relationships," O'Neal said.
But that's not all that will emerge.
"You kind of wait and see what happens but I think some rivalries will come about," O'Neal said.
paul@wilsontimes.com | 265-7808
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NCHSAA REALIGNMENT FOR 2009
The North Carolina Athletic Association approved last Wednesday the final realignment plan for the four-year period beginning in the fall of 2009.
The conferences affecting teams in The Wilson Daily Times readership are listed below.
Class 3-A
CONFERENCE 4
Fike
Hunt
Nash Central
Northern Nash
Rocky Mount
Southern Nash
CONFERENCE 5
Triton
South Johnston
Southern Wayne
Eastern Wayne
Charles B. Aycock
North Lenoir
Class 2-A
CONFERENCE 3
North Pitt
Tarboro
SouthWest Edgecombe
Beddingfield
Farmville Central
Greene Central
Kinston
CONFERENCE 4
Roanoke Rapids
Northwest Halifax
Warren County
Louisburg
Franklinton
Bunn
North Johnston