 | Mark Schremmer is a major contributor to KPREPS.com, a website dedicated to covering Kansas high school football. A Pittsburg native and Pittsburg State University graduate, he is assistant news editor at The Topeka Capital-Journal and has covered sports in Kansas since 2000. |
Sports
2011-09-28 15:24:57
Leaving the league
Q: Columbus and Iola high schools are planning on leaving the Southeast Kansas League. What does that mean for area athletics?
A: Conferences are in flux. Traditions are taking a backseat as individual schools are moving to athletic leagues they feel fit them best.
While this best applies to the current cluster in college athletics, the Big 12, conference realignment is also occurring in local high school athletics.
Iola is set to leave the SEK for the Pioneer League before the 2012-13 school year, and now it appears Columbus will depart the SEK for the Crawford-Neosho-Cherokee League in 2012-13.
This means the SEK will have seven member schools remaining with Pittsburg, Fort Scott, Independence, Chanute, Coffeyville, Labette County and Parsons.
Conference realignment for colleges mainly deals with the almighty dollar and football. The reason for high schools leaving their leagues isn’t quite as simple.
For Columbus, which should find out in the next month whether the CNC school principals approve its application, the move has more to do with trying to reduce travel costs and putting the kids in a more favorable position competitively.
“Our board has been looking at it the past year,” Columbus athletic director Todd Napier said. “They looked at travel costs and the potential savings. And they looked at the potential advantage there would be competitively in some of the sports.”
Fewer 50-mile drives to Coffeyville and more 14-mile drives to Cherokee definitely play a role. The move also means that instead of being the smallest school in the SEK, Columbus will be the CNC’s largest.
However, even those factors aren’t cut and dry. While Columbus should save some money in travel costs by competing in a league with schools of closer proximity, they will still play many of those SEK schools in sports with large schedules like basketball, volleyball and wrestling. The savings is reduced more when you factor in that Columbus will likely have to charge less at the gate for CNC contests to stay consistent with the league.
Competitively, coaches for the individual sports were split on the decision. Some coaches feel playing in the larger SEK prepared the teams for district and regional competition, while others said playing in the CNC will give the teams more confidence as they are likely to have improved regular season records.
Moving to the CNC also means that the Titans won’t be able to compete for a league championship in wrestling, soccer and boys and girls tennis because the other conference schools don’t have those programs.
In the end, the board members decided there were more pros in switching to the CNC.
The result could mean another hiatus in the traditional Coal Bucket football game between Pittsburg and Columbus. However, it could start a new rivalry between the Titans and the St. Mary’s Colgan Panthers if the two schools can work out the scheduling kinks.
The open spots in the schedule also could mean a return of the likes of Webb City, Mo., and Joplin, Mo., on Pittsburg High’s football schedule.
Bottom line, unlike in the Big 12, the fans don’t lose in this decision. Games will remain competitive, and some new rivalries could be kindled.
