Climbers move up

North Mason High School appeal also denied

Justin Johnson | Jan 25, 20240

Meet the new leagues, same as the old leagues.

As Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s quadrennial process of reclassification of its member schools came to a close over the weekend, not much changed on the surface for Mason County’s three sports-playing high schools.

After four years in 2A as a member of the Evergreen Conference, Shelton High School was returned to 3A despite an appeal to remain at the lower level, but the change will only affect the Highclimbers when postseason rolls around.

Shelton will remain a member of the Evergreen Conference and compete against Aberdeen, Black Hills, Centralia, Tumwater and W.F. West. The league has also invited Kelso High School to join and the Longwood-area school is expected to make a decision Feb. 6.

The only other change to the 2A Evergreen Conference involved Rochester High School. The Warriors’ declining enrollment dropped the school into 1A. It will likely join the 1A Evergreen Conference, which includes Elma, Montesano and Hoquiam.

Shelton’s student enrollment when factoring in free and reduced-price meals was 87 students over the 2A cutoff limit according to district athletic director Scott Chamberlain. That margin is just slightly more than it was during the previous cycle when the Climbers successfully appealed to 2A for the 2020-2024 cycle.

The primary basis for Shelton’s appeal this time around was that the school didn’t have a full four years competing at 2A because of interruptions from the COVID pandemic.

“You look at our programs collectively, and there are still some programs that we’re not successful at 2A,” Chamberlain said.

Chamberlain said he hopes Shelton High School can provide a positive experience for all the student athletes; being competitive is more important than playoff berths, he said.

North Mason High School in Belfair also appealed its classification, but was denied despite being one of the smallest schools in the classification. The Bulldogs enrollment of 495 is 46 students over the 1A range of 225 to 449.

“As a rural poor district, our student-athletes have some large hurdles to overcome to reach an equal playing field with some of our more affluent and better-resourced suburban neighbors,” North Mason Athletic Director Ray Bonnell said in an email. “The nearest highly competitive club sports are largely outside the financial and time constraints for most of our families. My own daughter has to commute 40+ minutes to Gig Harbor to compete in a high-level soccer program. We have many student-athletes who are working full time, and a surprising number who are the primary household income earner in their homes. Our McKinney-Vento numbers are three times the state average and the direct certification number which WIAA is using to adjust for resources simply does not reflect our population which is built of a growing migrant population reluctant to sign up for government services.”

Bonnell said the Bulldogs appealed their classification decision on the grounds that its numbers aren’t accurately reflected in the WIAA’s methodology and the school “simply lacks the resources of most 2A programs.”

“Our recent competitive imbalance is a reflection of that lack of resources,” Bonnell said. “COVID and inflation have amplified those imbalances. In denying our appeal, the district directors saw other options as more viable than reclassification, such as participating in 1A Nisqually League as a 2A school and qualifying for the post-season as a 2A school, much like Bainbridge did this recent cycle as a 3A school in the 2A Olympic League. We do not see that as an option for our program.”

The Bulldogs will remain a member of the Olympic League.

Bonnell added that while the school is disappointed in the denial, it’s adopted “Rise Above” as its mantra.

“We are challenging our student-athletes, coaches, and community to take on this challenge for the betterment of our region,” Bonnell wrote. “I am working hard to develop our coaches and bring in new talent which will inspire our youth to rise above whatever their current station might be. We are adopting mindset training in our athletic programs to build buy-in for a growth-mindset approach to athletics and life.”

The Highclimbers and Bulldogs will have the option to appeal their classification again in two years.

Chamberlain, who is also a member of the WIAA’s executive board representing District 4, said that this cycle’s numbers aren’t due to a harder student population cap.

According to the WIAA website, direct certification has replaced free-and-reduced lunch as the socioeconomic factor for the classification process. A school with a direct certification rate greater than the statewide average (34%) had its enrollment number reduced for each percent that they exceeded the statewide average. The maximum a school’s enrollment could be adjusted was capped at 40%.

■ Reporter Gordon Weeks contributed to this report