I know that Billy Haun mentioned that he wants to focus on regional balance. Per the VHSL website, the regions for Class 4 are out of whack again for the final two years of the current four year cycle. The number of schools in each region under the current proposed plan for two years beginning in 2025 is:
Region A: 11
Region B: 18
Region C: 9
Region D: 15
This is what I would do since it appears that we don't have any monumental changes in terms of structure coming down the pipe in order to help even up the regions a little better. I keep a running total in parentheses as I go down my little list.
Move Eastern View, Caroline, Chancellor, Courtland, King George, and Spotsylvania from Region B to Region D. (This would give Region B 12 schools and Region D 21 schools.)
Move Handley, James Wood, Liberty (Bealeton), Millbrook, and Sherando from Region D to Region C. (This would give Region D 16 schools and Region C 14 schools.)
Move Charlottesville, Orange County from Region D to Region B. (This would give Region D 14 schools and give Region B 14 schools.)
There you go. This keeps district schools together (I think). And the regions are now as follows in size:
Region A: 11
Region B: 14
Region C: 14
Region D: 14
Here's some of my rationale.
I moved the Battlefield schools out west because for years, Halifax County, George Washington, and the larger Roanoke area schools had to come to Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and Stafford County for regional play. And vice versa of course. The drives really aren't that bad overall (King George and Caroline have a little extra hike but nothing not manageable when it comes to regional play).
And someone has to be paired with the western schools. This time around, I think the Battlefield schools should be the ones under the current system we have. The distances between the schools I just mentioned above are actually a little further than the Battlefield schools (except for maybe King George and Caroline which may be closer to what they were before).
The five schools I moved from Region D to Region C just makes sense because it keeps all of those schools together in Northern Virginia.
Also, moving Charlottesville and Orange County from Region D to Region B also allows them to join Louisa County in regional play at Louisa County drops back down to Class 4 next year. Plus, they all get the best of both worlds being affiliated with and playing both the Charlottesville and Richmond schools.
I don't think the Battlefield schools overall click with the Richmond area schools so that was another (yet smaller) reason why I moved them out west. And before anyone complains (because they take hypotheticals so personal), I didn't move your team because I had some type of vendetta against them. I've been a long time Battlefield guy and went to a Battlefield school so I thought this would be the best option under the current system we are in.
Barring some drastic realignment (such as what I have proposed on this board several times), I think these are probably the best compromises.
