Football league races will look different this fall. Here’s what new leagues look like
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High school football preview ’24
The News Tribune will be visiting schools in the area and previewing local leagues as the first week of games approaches.
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League races are going to look different this high school football season. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) has four-year classification cycles, designed to keep schools grouped with other schools of similar student enrollment size. Several South Sound high schools changed classifications ahead of the 2024-28 cycle.
Forgot about all the shuffling pieces while plans were being put into place last school year? Here’s a refresher of which schools are moving up.
- Auburn (4A from 3A)
- Auburn Riverside (4A from 3A)
- Yelm (4A from 3A)
- Bonney Lake (4A from 3A)
- Spanaway Lake (4A from 3A)
- Stadium (4A from 3A)
- Enumclaw (3A from 2A)
- White River (3A from 2A)
- Eatonville (2A from 1A)
Bellarmine Prep, a private school in Tacoma with 2A enrollment, has long opted up to Class 4A. Bellarmine is opting up instead to 3A this time around. Tacoma public schools Silas and Mount Tahoma, which both have 2A enrollment, also are opting up to 3A. Kent-Meridian, which has 4A enrollment this cycle, successfully appealed to 3A. Federal Way, previously in 4A, is moving down to 3A.
After losing a few schools to 4A, the 3A South Sound Conference and 3A Pierce County League merged, creating a new “3A Puget Sound League,” which will have two divisions.
Here’s what the leagues in the South Sound will look like for high school sports this fall.
4A NPSL
Auburn
Auburn Riverside
Kennedy Catholic
Kentridge
Kentwood
Mount Rainier
Stadium
Tahoma
4A SPSL
NORTH DIVISION
Curtis
Emerald Ridge
Puyallup
Rogers
South Kitsap
Sumner
SOUTH DIVISION
Bethel
Bonney Lake
Graham-Kapowsin
Olympia
Spanaway Lake
Yelm
3A NPSL
Auburn Mountainview
Decatur
Enumclaw
Federal Way
Kent-Meridian
Kentlake
Thomas Jefferson
Todd Beamer
White River
3A PUGET SOUND LEAGUE
NARROWS DIVISION
Bellarmine
Central Kitsap
Gig Harbor
Lincoln
Mount Tahoma
Silas
NISQUALLY DIVISION
Capital
Lakes
North Thurston
Peninsula
River Ridge
Timberline
2A SPSL
Clover Park
Eatonville
Fife
Foss
Franklin Pierce
Orting
Steilacoom
Washington
2A EVERGREEN
Aberdeen
Black Hills
Centralia
Tumwater
W.F. West
1A NISQUALLY
Annie Wright
Bellevue Christian
Cascade Christian
Charles Wright
East Jefferson
Klahowya
Life Christian
Seattle Christian
Vashon Island
1A EVERGREEN
Elma
Hoquiam
Montesano
Rochester
Tenino
This story was originally published August 8, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
