Pomeroy okay with change to 1B athletics

Assignment to the 1B classification for the next two sports years came as a bit of a surprise for Pomeroy, but the district decided in advance to accept the change if it happened. Pomeroy landed in the 1B division, which will mean a switch to eight man football, after the Washington Interscholastic Activities Associations made its cuts following a Dec. 16 deadline.

“I’ve been watching this since last spring,” Pomeroy Athletic Director Tim Burt said. He added he expected Pomeroy would be just over the maximum for 1B and be assigned for 2B for the coming two years.

Pomeroy, which had a count of 92 for the top three grades, will be the largest school in the 1B classification. They qualified for the 1B class because other schools around the state, who would have been assigned to 1B, opted to play up in the 2B classification for the two-year span. DeSales, which has traditionally played over their classification, was among schools that opted to move up.

As more schools opted into 2B, the cutoff point for 1B increased because the WIAA policy aims at having the same number of schools in each division.

Burt said accepting the change had been discussed at Pomeroy school board sessions, and students at the school have been asked for their input.

“I think the determining factor was the kids,” Burt said, noting most Pomeroy students favored dropping down to the 1B division.

Enrollment projections over several years at Pomeroy show a decline in the number of students. Burt anticipates Pomeroy will actually have an enrollment in the high 80s when they begin their 1B assignment next September.

Another factor was the potential for saving on bus miles.

A SE District meeting was scheduled for Wednesday to work out league assignments. Pomeroy is expected to become part of the Whitman League.

Bob Kirk, former Pomeroy AD who is now an SE League administrator, said he looks for the SE to form a 1B and 2B league.

For the past two years, schools in the WIAA district played during the regular season in SE-North and SE-South leagues made up of 2B and 1B schools on each side. Pomeroy and Asotin played with Whitman County Schools in the SE-North.

The teams broke out into the separate classifications for the playoffs and the end of each sports season.

Pomeroy’s change to 1B next year will put an end to the long-standing Pomeroy-Colfax non-league football game which normally started the sports season for each side.

Burt noted the Pirates also will miss the Pomeroy-Asotin rivalry which developed in the SE. Asotin will remain in the 1B class.

“We’re just going to have to find some new rivals,” Burt commented.

Loss of Pomeroy means another gap to fill in the Colfax football schedule. Last season, Colfax had to recruit foes for two football games when Republic and Selkirk dropped out of 11-man competition because of a lack of players.