The preliminary draft of realignment for N.C. High School Athletic Association

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The preliminary draft of realignment for N.C. High School Athletic Association member schools would create radical changes in the conference structure for Cumberland County.

The new plan, which would take effect in 2013, would break the 10 Cumberland County Schools into three conference and in some cases feature extreme travel for regular season games.

In one of the biggest changes, longtime 4-A school Terry Sanford would drop to 3-A and join Gray's Creek and Westover in a league with South Brunswick, West Brunswick and Topsail.

At the 4-A level, the current seven county 4-A schools would be shifted into two conferences with Overhills High School, which is moving up to 4-A, and some former members of the Southeastern 4-A Conference.

Another major shift would involve two region 4-A schools, Lumberton and Purnell Swett. They would be put into a league with Wilmington schools Ashley, Hoggard, Laney and New Hanover.

Leon Mack is student activities director for the Cumberland County Schools and a member of the N.C. High School Athletic Association board of directors. The full board will get its first look at the proposal at its winter meeting in Chapel Hill next week.

The plan was drawn up by computer models form a firm called SAS.

"I'm quite sure there is going to be discussion,'' Mack said. "This belongs to the realignment committee and they have not had the opportunity to look at this and provide input.''

Mack said the plan appears to put a premium on conferences composed of only six to eight members with no so-called split conferences which include schools from different size classifications.

"Travel distance wasn't taken into consideration when you're talking about West and South Brunswick and Topsail,'' Mack said. "You're talking over 100 miles.''

South View principal Brian Edkins is one of Region 4's two representatives to the realignment committee. "This is the first inning of the whole thing,'' Edkins said. "We'll sit down and look at it and do what's in the best interest of all schools involved.''

WEBCALL Scholastic sports editor Earl Vaughan Jr. can be reached at vaughane@fayobserver.com or 486-3519.

Here are the preliminary conference alignments for Cape Fear region schools for the realignment period from 2013-17. The plan was proposed by computer models requested by the N.C. High School Athletic Association

1-A

Conference 12

Hobbton, Neuse Charter, North Duplin, Princeton, Rosewood, Spring Creek

Conference 13

Jones Senior, James Kenan, Lakewood, Lejeune, Union, Wallace-Rose Hill

Conference 14

East Columbus, Pender, South Robeson, Trask, West Columbus, Whiteville

2-A

Conference 12

Ayden-Grifton, Goldsboro, Greene Central, Kinston, Midway, North Lenoir, South Lenoir

Conference 13

East Bladen, Fairmont, North Brunswick, Red Springs, South Columbus, St. Pauls, West Bladen

Conference 14

Clinton, Croatan, Dixon, East Duplin, Jacksonville Northside, Southwest Onslow

3-A

Conference 11

Cardinal Gibbons, Lee County, Northwood, Southern Lee, Union Pines, Western Harnett

Conference 13

C.B. Aycock, Eastern Wayne, Smithfield-Selma, South Johnston, Southern Wayne, Triton

Conference 14

Gray's Creek, Terry Sanford, South Brunswick, Topsail, West Brunswick, Westover

4-A

Conference 12

Apex, Raleigh Athens Drive, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Harnett Central, Holly Springs, Middle Creek

Conference 13

Douglas Byrd, Cape Fear, Overhills, Pine Forest, E.E. Smith, South View

Conference 14

Jack Britt, Hoke County, Pinecrest, Richmond Senior, Scotland, Seventy-First

Conference 15

Wilmington Ashley, Wilmington Hoggard, Wilmington Laney, Lumberton, Wilmington New Hanover, Purnell Swett.