Region realignment sees local schools drop to 5A
Feb 06, 2023 02:11PM ● By Greg James
Both Kearns and Taylorsville will move to 5A for the next two years. (File photos City Journals)
It is not set in stone yet, but teams in the Utah High School Activities Association’s Region 2 could become the new Region 4 in 5A.
Every two years the UHSAA adjusts its school's region placement. The changes are scheduled to take effect for the 2023-24 school year.
“I am excited about the proposed region alignment,” Hunter boys soccer coach Brett Solberg said. “It is our best fit. An ideal region should consist of schools that are similar.”
A public hearing was held on Dec. 14, 2022 to receive feedback from districts and schools. The new alignment was adopted on Dec. 15 and approved by the Board of Trustees. Schools wishing to move up or down in classification had the opportunity to petition the board in its Jan. 19 meeting.
“The board is going to reconsider the current realignment based on the petitions of a few schools,” Copper Hills Athletic Director Ben Morley said prior to the Jan. 19 meeting. “I am not convinced the proposed realignment will remain as such a few weeks from now. Many schools are upset at the uneven regions at the 6A level.”
Morley was proven correct. Originally, Copper Hills was placed in 6A Region 2 with Bingham, Lehi, Herriman, Mountain Ridge, Riverton and Westlake. But Lehi and Westlake were moved to 6A Region 3 after the Jan. 19 meeting, with Corner Canyon joining Copper Hills in the new Region 2. The change was to keep schools within their own counties.
West Jordan High School was moved to 5A Region 4 with Cyprus, Hunter, Granger, Taylorsville and Kearns.
The move to 5A may indicate a drop in enrollment and the competitiveness of the region.
Region 2 teams have not had much state competition success recently but have amassed 132 football playoff wins. Granger High School began playing football in 1958 and Taylorsville in 1981. The schools have many former players with NFL and NCAA experience
“Playing Kearns and Hunter is good for us,” Cyprus head basketball coach Tre Smith said. “These are our rivals, but at the end of the day, we want them all to be successful. We want our neighbor schools on the westside to be successful and reach their goals.”
The high school association administers and supervises all interschool activities. These activities are a significant educational force for students to develop skills to become contributing members of the community.
The board of trustees takes into account the opportunity to promote fair competition in its activities. Some of the things the board considers include enrollment, demographics, time out of school, rivalries and competitive success.
“It is more fun to play our rivals. We know each other and may talk a little more trash in those games,” Cyprus guard Quentin Meza said.
One of the new factors the board of trustees has been considering is the elimination of regions. The RPI system has diminished the importance of regions. If regions are eliminated the coaches could arrange their schedules in whatever manner they wished. Schools could play a demanding or easier schedule depending on what the administrative staff wished.
“You can’t have your feet in both, one in RPI and one in regions. Maybe it's the learning lesson of this realignment year,” Board of Trustees Chair Jerre Holmes said.
“Trying to have our cake and eat it too can’t sustain regions and RPI. We are working against ourselves,” Wasatch Superintendent Paul Sweat said.
If the changes stand, current Region 2 teams will have new schools to compete against.