Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Nearly 60 years after the last basketball season under three divisions in North Dakota went into the history books, and over several decades of speculation and debate on the topic, a three-class system will be returning in 2023-24.
The North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) Board of Directors, on a unanimous 10-0 vote, agreed to implement the plan that would create Divisions AA, A and B for basketball in the state.
An amended motion to the plan, which states that the new system starts next season, passed on an 8-2 vote, with board members Dave Schoch and Paul Jundt dissenting.
Division AA will consist of schools with enrollments above 650 students, and includes several schools below the threshold who have chosen to opt up into the higher class.
The new Division A comprises schools with enrollments from 162 to 649 students, along with several schools in Division AA-sized school districts with enrollments from 100 to 399 students. Division B will consist of all schools under 162 students that do not qualify for Division A under the aforementioned exception.
Enrollment numbers were derived from the grades 9-12 average from fall 2021 and 2022 for member schools.
Both Divisions A and B will have four regions, with Division B subdividing each region into two districts.
Carrington now moves to Division A - Region 2, and will compete alongside Devils Lake, Four Winds/Minnewaukan, Grafton, Hillsboro/Central Valley and Thompson.
In other moves affecting area schools, M-P-B has been placed in Division B - Region 1, District 2 with Edgeley-Kulm/Montpelier, Ellendale, Kidder County, LaMoure/Litchville-Marion, Linton-HMB, Napoleon/Gackle-Streeter, South Border and Strasburg-Zeeland.
Griggs/Midkota, along with NR-S, moves to Division B - Region 2, District 4, and has been placed with Benson County, Dakota Prairie (boys), Hatton-Northwood, Lakota (boys), Larimore, May-Port-CG and Warwick. Nelson County (Dakota Prairie/Lakota) is a girls’ basketball co-op.
HWC moves to Division B - Region 4, District 8 with Bishop Ryan, Drake-Anamoose, Glenburn, Lewis & Clark-Berthold, M-L-S (Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood), Our Redeemer’s, Surrey, TGU (Towner-Granville-Upham), Velva and Westhope/Newburg.
Regional tournament winners will advance to the state tournament, but the new plan incorporates post-regional challenge games pitting runner-up teams from Regions 1-2 (eastern) and 3-4 (western) against the third place team in the opposite region. The winners of those four games will also earn tournament berths.
State tournament sites and dates will be February 29-March 2 (girls) and March 14-16 (boys), and the girls’ tournaments will be held in Minot (Division A) and Jamestown (Division B). The boys’ tournament sites are Fargo (Division A) and Minot (Division B).
The last time the state had three classes of basketball was the 1962-63 school year, which was the final year of the Consolidated Class “C” League.