Even the most ardent Star Valley fan who would like to forget about who they’re playing and just lace it up and play the game.  However, with the continuing discussion regarding the Cowboy State’s classifications and how they affect schools, Star Valley is still firmly in the discussion;  whether they want to be or not.

Tomorrow, officials from around the state will gather in Casper to discuss the future of the sports classifications in Wyoming.  This year’s votes are the biggest they’ve been in years as huge changes may be in the horizon for many schools.  Regardless of how the votes turn out, Star Valley’s schedules will change at least a little next year.

Much of the discussion centers on the amount of travel, and the last school year and this school year have only confirmed what perhaps some other schools did not want to believe:  Star Valley is nobody’s neighbor.

The main items up for vote include new classifications for football, and another vote for the remainder of the sports except soccer.

So far as the latter item is concerned, the final tally will determine whether Cody and Jackson will be brought up to the 4A ranks and help form a new 4A West while pushing Natrona and Kelly Walsh to the East.  A contingency plan had already been put in place in the event that the vote fails, moving Kelly Walsh to the East and Riverton to the West.

Obviously there has been little support for the move from Cody and Jackson.

The vote that concerns football would see classifications renamed, putting Star Valley back under a 3A umbrella, while moving Riverton down to the 3A East.  The top ten teams in the state would then be considered 4A and would have a wide open schedule.  Some opponents of this plan have argued that traditional conference rivalries may be adversely affected.

In a district votes recently, the football proposal was passed in all four, while the Cody/Jackson proposal failed in a very close final tally.  Wednesday, October 1, will determine whether anyone has changed their minds.

Several WHSAA board members have already started yet another contingency in the event that the vote fails, by proposing three, four-team conferences in Class 4A.

The WHSAA discusses enrollment and possible classification changes every two years, but the classes remained relatively unchanged from 1992-2006.

At a Glance:

If the proposal requiring Cody and Jackson to form a 14-team 4A Class, the following would be the respective classes.
4A West: Star Valley, Jackson, Cody, Evanston, Green River, Riverton & Rock Springs,

4A East: Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, Gillette, Natrona County, Kelly Walsh, Laramie & Sheridan.

If the vote fails as it did in district meetings, the 4A will look like the following:

4A West: Star Valley, Evanston, Green River, Natrona County, Riverton &  Rock Springs.

4A East: Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, Gillette, Kelly Walsh, Laramie & Sheridan.

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