Return of the 4A NPSL: Proposed high school sports league to likely spark domino effect for others

The North Puget Sound League hasn’t been a thing in 26 years.

But it will return with 14 high schools split into two divisions by the start of the 2016-17 school year, the first of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s newly implemented four-year classification cycle.

Multiple area athletic directors confirmed the NPSL’s creation.

The proposed league is slated to include the four schools in the Kent School District (Kent-Meridian, Kentlake, Kentridge and Kentwood), the four from the Federal Way School District (Decatur, Federal Way, Thomas Jefferson and Todd Beamer), Tahoma, Mt. Rainier, Kennedy Catholic as well as the three schools from the Auburn School District (Auburn, Auburn Mountainview and Auburn Riverside). The original NPSL was disbanded in 1990.

The three Auburn schools are slated to opt up to the 4A classification, with the school district citing travel costs as a reason. But it could rescind that by Wednesday — the WIAA’s opt-up deadline.

The Auburn schools are currently in the 3A South Puget Sound League. Kennedy Catholic, a member of the 3A Seamount, is the lone remaining projected NPSL school not currently in the 4A SPSL Northeast or Northwest.

But Auburn’s opt-ups started what is expected to be a mass domino effect for other leagues in the West Central District. What will happen to what is currently the 4A SPSL South, the 4A Narrows, 3A Narrows and the 3A SPSL?

The Narrows League might not even exist by next fall.

Sumner, a 3A SPSL school, on Thursday was accepted into 4A SPSL, said Sumner School District athletic director Tim Thomsen. The 4A SPSL would be separate from the 4A NPSL.

“With the addition of Sumner, Auburn, Auburn Riverside, Auburn Mountainview and Kennedy as 4A schools, the (4A) SPSL would swell to 22 schools,” Auburn School District athletic director Rob Swaim wrote in an email to SPSL principals and athletic directors. The email was obtained by The News Tribune.

“Many of the athletic directors feel 22 schools is unmanageable and would negatively impact the WCD #3 tournament formatting and/or League tournament formatting,” the email said.

With Sumner and the Auburn schools exiting the 3A SPSL, it would be left with four schools — Bonney Lake, Enumclaw, Lakes and Peninsula.

But the five Tacoma public high schools of the Narrows League have applied to the SPSL — Lincoln, Mount Tahoma, Stadium and Wilson as 3A schools (though Stadium is currently 4A) and Foss as a 2A, said Tacoma School District athletic director Sam Reed. So has Gig Harbor, according to multiple ADs.

Timberline and North Thurston both applied to the SPSL as 3A schools, North Thurston School District AD Rich Yelenich told The Olympian. River Ridge (also in the North Thurston district) is currently a member of the 2A SPSL.

Of the 4A Narrows, that leaves Bellarmine Prep, Olympia, South Kitsap and Yelm, though Yelm is slated to move to 3A based on the most recent enrollment figures (grades 9-11).

A three-team league is not a viable option. Bellarmine Prep athletic director Ed Ploof said his school is in the process of applying to the SPSL, but that athletic directors tried to keep the 4A Narrows together.

“People are working together to do what is best for not only their own schools, but what’s best for the district,” Ploof said.

Of the 3A Narrows, that would leave Capital, Shelton and Central Kitsap.

The SPSL can approve or deny the teams that have applied. So there are many moving parts in play until next week’s opt-up deadline.

Spanaway Lake and Bethel are currently slated to opt up to 4A, said Bethel School District athletic director Bryan Streleski. But he said they might rescind that and, citing travel costs, join the 3A SPSL if the remains of the 4A Narrows League were to join the 4A SPSL.

So there’s a scenario, however unlikely, where the 3A SPSL becomes a super league comprised of 17 schools with East and West divisions. But it appears more likely that the SPSL accepts either the Tacoma or North Thurston schools or neither.

And the 4A SPSL (no longer split into three division) then could have nine schools — Bellarmine Prep, Curtis, Emerald Ridge, Graham-Kapowsin, Olympia, Rogers, Puyallup, Sumner and South Kitsap.

Eatonville, a member of the 1A Evergreen, applied and was accepted into the 2A SPSL for next year, Thomsen said.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 7:15 PM with the headline "Return of the 4A NPSL: Proposed high school sports league to likely spark domino effect for others."