North Dakota Preps

For the most part, having good athletes goes in cycles.  Of course, you see some small schools that are tough year after year----and coaching, which of course makes a difference... Valley City would NOT be a powerhouse at the Class B level, they'd be middle of the road at best.  Look at Minot High and their girl's programs.  They wouldn't be a powerhouse at the Class B level either.  Their volleyball team got beat by Tioga this year in a tournament...Tioga has what? 30 girls in grades 9-12, while Minot High has probably twice that many just in their volleyball program.  It just came down to the fact that Tioga had way better athletes.  Look at Dickinson high in the early 90s...just plain awful.  Dickinson Trinity was poor when the first dropped down the class B.  Shanley and St. Mary's have had their own big runs at times.  Braddock and their good girl's basketball teams in the late 80s/early 90s, Newburg and their boys' teams.  I can go on and on and on.  Think how bad it looks when Valley City girl's teams play in Class B tournaments against schools 1/8th their size and they're getting creamed.  They wouldn't be competitive anywhere.

The 3 class system will get shot down! It all comes down to money and the state B tournament.

If they do switch they should not go with Beulah's proposal.  It favors them drastically.  Class 2A would be the same teams as Class A.  And Beulah would be the biggest school in 1A. 

I like the Class A proposal.  It favors a lot of teams.  It is time for St. Mary's, Valley City, and Shanley to step down a level.  They would fit a lot better in 1A.  St. Mary's could renew its rivalries with Trinity and Ryan and renew a very heated rivalry with Beulah. 

vballfan06 wrote:For the most part, having good athletes goes in cycles.  Of course, you see some small schools that are tough year after year----and coaching, which of course makes a difference... Valley City would NOT be a powerhouse at the Class B level, they'd be middle of the road at best.  Look at Minot High and their girl's programs.  They wouldn't be a powerhouse at the Class B level either.  Their volleyball team got beat by Tioga this year in a tournament...Tioga has what? 30 girls in grades 9-12, while Minot High has probably twice that many just in their volleyball program.  It just came down to the fact that Tioga had way better athletes.  Look at Dickinson high in the early 90s...just plain awful.  Dickinson Trinity was poor when the first dropped down the class B.  Shanley and St. Mary's have had their own big runs at times.  Braddock and their good girl's basketball teams in the late 80s/early 90s, Newburg and their boys' teams.  I can go on and on and on.  Think how bad it looks when Valley City girl's teams play in Class B tournaments against schools 1/8th their size and they're getting creamed.  They wouldn't be competitive anywhere.

The 3 class system will get shot down! It all comes down to money and the state B tournament.

Very good point. Athletes do run in cycles. There used to be a tournament held at St. Marys back in the early 80s. I think it was the St. Marys Holiday Tournament, and I believe it hosted both class A and class B teams. I think class B won a couple of them.

Framework for N.D. plan created
[url=mailto:epeterson@forumcomm.com]Eric Peterson[/url], The Forum
Published Friday, January 12, 2007

The North Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association has a framework for a three-class system in high school basketball and volleyball.At a special meeting that ended Thursday in Mandan, the NDIAAA board of directors created preliminary enrollment levels to separate the three divisions.

The top division would be schools with enrollments of 450 and higher. The middle division would be enrollments between 150 and 449. The lower division would be schools with enrollments of 149 or less.

“I really feel that we accomplished something worthwhile for the time we put into this,â€Â

Boys and girls state tournaments from the same division would be played on the same weekend.

because that has worked out so well for the attendance of the class a tournaments.

 

[align=center]Three classes a bad idea[/align]
By Scott Throlson, Jamestown Sun

Haven’t we heard this one before?



The North Dakota High School Athletic Association is taking another look at a three-class basketball system.

This time around, the culprits are from Class A, where apparently the small-market franchises are looking for some smaller opponents to beat up on.

It’s a terrible idea. And it just keeps coming back.

The last time (well, make that most-recent, since it just keeps coming back and back and back ...) this idea was floated came in 2004, when member schools voted it down by a mere 120-49.

When an idea has gained that much traction over the years, it’s no wonder we’re in a rush to try it again.

While I have no doubt that the people who keep pushing this scheme have the best of intentions, in the end, the justification always comes down to one thing â€â€

[quote="rep"]
[align=center]Three classes a bad idea[/align]
By Scott Throlson, Jamestown Sun

Haven’t we heard this one before?



The North Dakota High School Athletic Association is taking another look at a three-class basketball system.

This time around, the culprits are from Class A, where apparently the small-market franchises are looking for some smaller opponents to beat up on.

It’s a terrible idea. And it just keeps coming back.

The last time (well, make that most-recent, since it just keeps coming back and back and back ...) this idea was floated came in 2004, when member schools voted it down by a mere 120-49.

When an idea has gained that much traction over the years, it’s no wonder we’re in a rush to try it again.

While I have no doubt that the people who keep pushing this scheme have the best of intentions, in the end, the justification always comes down to one thing â€â€

[quote="baller01"][quote="rep"]

[align=center]Three classes a bad idea[/align]
By Scott Throlson, Jamestown Sun

Haven’t we heard this one before?



The North Dakota High School Athletic Association is taking another look at a three-class basketball system.

This time around, the culprits are from Class A, where apparently the small-market franchises are looking for some smaller opponents to beat up on.

It’s a terrible idea. And it just keeps coming back.

The last time (well, make that most-recent, since it just keeps coming back and back and back ...) this idea was floated came in 2004, when member schools voted it down by a mere 120-49.

When an idea has gained that much traction over the years, it’s no wonder we’re in a rush to try it again.

While I have no doubt that the people who keep pushing this scheme have the best of intentions, in the end, the justification always comes down to one thing â€â€

the only prob with that article is when he says bigger B schools like trinity. Trinity has a hs enrollment of under 190 kids in case u didnt know.

You may be partly right about Trinity, but they also have a larger city to draw kids from. In other words, the supply is large enough for the demand. My problem with this article is what about a few years down the road when some of those potential Class A schools like beulah, Hazen and such begin to decline in enrollment?? You will be back to the same problem. This isn't something that is 10 years down the road, this is something 2-3 years away. If you continue to set a different bar every few years, you begin to  lose the continuity and strength of basketball. This is a task without a solution that will be good for all schools involved. I don't have the answer, but I don't think the articles suggestion is quite right either.

Our projections at Trinity show we will fall below 150 students within three to five years.  The biggest drawback to the three class system in my mind is the travel expenses.  They would soar for teams in the middle class.  I realize the large schools have further to travel, but remember both in the East and the West half the schools are in one area (Bismarck/Mandan, Fargo/West Fargo)...That would not be the case in the middle class if we go to a  three class system....

thank u scruffy and ndbfan. both great points and i agree with you. this new system wuld b a short term solution and we wuld have the same if not a bigger problem in 3 years.

lol how about they just put all the teams into one class.....divide up the class a schools with the class b and just have a bigger tourny....do like they do with the college championship....yes this would be unfair....but we'd get to see some pritty cool upsets i bet.

lol der. ya good idea

There was a letter to the editor in the Sunday Williston Herald that questioned the 3 class idea. His idea is to take the top 2 teams from each region instead of just 1. Then add a day to the state tournament. Sounds like an idea that would work.

[user=431]Fritoman[/user] wrote:

There was a letter to the editor in the Sunday Williston Herald that questioned the 3 class idea. His idea is to take the top 2 teams from each region instead of just 1. Then add a day to the state tournament. Sounds like an idea that would work.

I think that would be the last thing they would do is add a extra day too the state tournament. JMO. The complaint is coming from the real small schools that are in last or bottom of there district every year and can't compete with the MPCG, Trinitys, and whoever else. This debate will keep going and going and going and going and going and going and going even when something else is done.

region1 football wrote:lol how about they just put all the teams into one class.....divide up the class a schools with the class b and just have a bigger tourny....do like they do with the college championship....yes this would be unfair....but we'd get to see some pritty cool upsets i bet.

like Oak Grove and Central Cass beating Valley City in boys hoops

well idk if beating vc counts:P...sure they are class A....but they are horrible...and didnt they try to go class be this year?

I know but would the private schools be automatically put up higher like it was said before trinity isn't very big and I shiloh has just over or just under 100 students plus the 2-class system is pretty cool because you get your 4-winds getting a good team and getting your town pretty excited and you get watford city getting a good team most likely theses teams won't be competing for a state slot year in and year out so its what makes it so exciting

Honus355 wrote:The Beulah proposal comes at an interesting time. Beulah just moved back down to class B and in their first year they are proposing a third system...hm... I am just looking at the facts and the irony with their timing, but it is interesting to note that only one team goes to state out of their region (which includes Dix Trinity). However, it would make sense that in a class with 24 teams, more than one team per region would qualify for the tournament, because it would make most sense to have 4 regions of 6 teams or 2 of 12...either way, multiple teams would qualify.

I find this interesting you would say this. Beulah wanted a 3 class system when they went to class A and were the bad guys for that. Now when they are in class "B" they want to stay away from playing the small schools because it is not fair but they are the bad guys for that also. What is the answer for schools this size? These schools don't want to play smaller schools any better than the small schools want to play them but when Hazen/Beulah and shcools this size try to find an equitable alternative they are chastized for it.

 

Roseau, enrollement around 300 just won the Minnesota Hockey tourney, competing against schools with over 2000 students.  It was Roseau's 7th title.

IMO, just keep the two class system.  It's the best show in town or I mean North Dakota High School sports.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/article ... m?id=54237

So are we closer to a 3 class system happening??

ndfan wrote:http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=54237

So are we closer to a 3 class system happening??

without question

It will happen soon.  It's gonna become a revolving door now just like football .The landscape in high school sports will be vastly different in ten years because of sharp declines in enrollment.  Until the state realizes we have to many SCHOOLS in the state and close many down, there's not going to be any right answer.

If they want to ruin the best [size=2]in ND, then the NDHSAA is dumber than I thought they were.  Going and watching the class B boys basketball tourney is one of the most exciting things any person can do.   [/size]