Realignment Proposal #3

The third proposal for realignment has been released.  There are not many changes compared to what the leagues look like currently. There will be one more meeting with one more proposal for sure on March 12th.  There will be a 5th meeting if necessary, but that one does not seem to be likely.

Here is what proposal #3 looks like (new teams in purple).

Division I (7 leagues)

Central California Conference (CCC)
Atwater
Buhach Colony (Atwater)
Golden Valley (Merced)
Merced
Pitman (Turlock)
Turlock

Note: El Capitan (Merced) is expected to join in 2016.

Delta League (DL)
Davis
Elk Grove
Franklin (Elk Grove)
Grant (Sacramento)
Jesuit (Carmichael) (all-boys school)
Monterey Trail (Elk Grove)
Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove)
Sheldon (Sacramento)
St. Francis (Sacramento) (all-girls school)

Note: The Section will contract the Delta River League and the Delta Valley League to create the Delta League.  These schools currently belong in one of the two leagues.  DRL: Jesuit, Pleasant Grove, Sheldon, St. Francis.  DVL: Davis, Elk Grove, Franklin (EG), Grant, Monterey Trail.

Modesto Metro Conference (all schools in Modesto) (MMC)
Beyer
Grace Davis
Downey
Enochs
Gregori
Johansen
Modesto

Note: Modesto Christian will join for boys/girls basketball only.

Monticello Empire League (MEL)
Armijo (Fairfield)
Napa
Rodriquez (Fairfield)
Vacaville
Vintage (Napa)
Wood (Vacaville)

San Joaquin Athletic Association (SJAA)
Lincoln (Stockton)
Lodi
St. Mary's (Stockton) (TCAL)
Tokay (Lodi) (TCAL)
Tracy
West (Tracy) (TCAL)

Sierra Foothill League (SFL)
Del Oro (Loomis)
Folsom (DRL)
Granite Bay
Nevada Union (Grass Valley)
Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) (DRL)
Rocklin
Woodcreek (Roseville)

Tri-City Athletic League (all teams in Stockton) (TCAL)
Bear Creek (SJAA)
Chavez (SJAA)
Edison
Franklin (Stockton) (SJAA)
McNair
Stagg

Division II (2 leagues)

Capital Valley Conference (CVC)
Antelope (CAL)
Bella Vista (Fair Oaks)
Cosumnes Oaks (Elk Grove) (SVC)
Del Campo (Fair Oaks)
Oakmont (Roseville)
Ponderosa (Shingle Springs) (DRL)
Roseville (SFL)
Whitney (Rocklin) (CAL)

Solano County Athletic Conference (SCAC)
American Canyon
Benicia
Bethel (Fairfield)
Fairfield
Vallejo
Vanden (Fairfield-Travis AFB)

Division III (4 leagues)

Capital Athletic Conference (CAL)
Casa Roble (Orangevale) (CVC)
Christian Brothers (Sacramento) (CVC)
El Camino (Sacramento)
Mira Loma (Sacramento)
Rio Americano (Sacramento)
Vista del Lago (Folsom) (SVC)

Metro League (ML)
Burbank (Sacramento)
Florin (Sacramento)
Johnson (Sacramento)
Kennedy (Sacramento)
Laguna Creek (Elk Grove) (DVL)
McClatchy (Sacramento)
Sacramento
Valley (Sacramento)

Tri-County Conference (TCC)
Inderkum (Sacramento)
Pioneer (Woodland)
Rio Linda (CVC)
River City (West Sacramento) (SVC)
River Valley (Yuba City)
Woodland
Yuba City

Valley Oak League (VOL)
Central Catholic (Modesto) (WAC)
East Union (Manteca)
Kimball (Tracy)
Lathrop
Manteca
Oakdale
Sierra (Manteca)
Weston Ranch (Manteca)

Note: I expect Ripon and Sonora to remain in the VOL for swimming and water polo.  I also expect Ripon to remain in the league for swimming.

Division IV (3 leagues)

Pioneer Valley League (PVL)
Bear River (Grass Valley)
Center (Antelope)
Colfax
Foothill (Sacramento)
Lincoln
Placer (Auburn)

Sierra Valley Conference (SVC)
Cordova (Rancho Cordova) (CAL)
El Dorado (Placerville)
Galt
Liberty Ranch (Galt)
Rosemont (Sacramento) (ML)
Union Mine (El Dorado)

Western Athletic Conference (WAC)
Central Valley (Ceres)
Ceres
El Capitan (Merced) (new)
Livingston
Los Banos
Pacheco (Los Banos)
Patterson

Note: El Capitan is expected to leave in 2016.  Grace Davis may join in 2016 if its enrollment numbers continue to decline, according to the Modesto Bee's Rich Estrada.

Division V (3 leagues)

Golden Empire League (GEL)
Capital Christian (Sacramento)
Dixon
Lindhurst (Olivehurst)
Marysville
Mesa Verde (Citrus Heights)
Natomas (Sacramento) (TCC)
West Campus (Sacramento)

Mother Lode League (MLL)
Amador (Sutter Creek)
Argonaut (Jackson)
Bret Harte (Angels Camp)
Calaveras (San Andreas)
Linden
Sonora (VOL)
Summerville (Tuolumne City)

Trans Valley League (TVL)
Escalon
Hilmar
Hughson
Modesto Christian
Mountain House (new)
Ripon
Riverbank

Note: Ripon Christian would join TVL for boys/girls basketball.

Division VI (3 leagues)

Sierra Delta League (SDL)
Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento)
Encina (Sacramento)
Golden Sierra (Garden Valley)
Highlands (North Highlands)
Rio Vista
San Juan (Citrus Heights)
Vacaville Christian

Southern League (SL)
Delhi
Denair
Gustine
Le Grand
Mariposa
Orestimba (Newman) (TVL)
Ripon Christian
Waterford

Central Valley California League (CVCL) (no football)
Delta (Clarksburg)
Forest Lake Christian (Auburn)
Foresthill
Sacramento Waldorf (Fair Oaks)
Victory Christian (Carmichael)
Woodland Christian

Note: The league does not sponsor football.  The 3 teams in this league that have football play in the SMAL.

Division VII (4 leagues)

Central California Athletic Alliance (CCAA)
Big Valley (Modesto)
Brookside Christian (Stockton)
Jim Elliot Christian (Lodi)
Millennium (Tracy)
Sierra Ridge/Rite of Passage (San Andreas) (all boys school)
Stone Ridge Christian (Merced)
Turlock Christian (SL)
Venture Academy (Stockton) (MVL)

Note: Venture Academy does not have football.

Sacramento Metro Athletic League (SMAL)
Buckingham Charter (Vacaville)
Cristo Rey (Sacramento) (CVCL)
Faith Christian (Yuba City)
Sacramento Advenist (Carmichael)
Sacramento Country Day
Valley Christian (Roseville)
Wilton Christian

Note: Delta, Foresthill, and Woodland Christian would remain in the SMAL for football. Buckingham Charter, Faith Christian, Sacramento Advenist, Sacramento Country Day, and Wilton Christian do not have football.

Mountain Valley League (MVL) (non-football)
Delta Charter (Tracy)
Don Pedro (La Grange)
Excel Academy (Stockton) (IND)
Holt Academy (Stockton)
Hughes Academy (Stockton)
Lodi Academy
Mountain Oaks (San Andreas)
Stockton Christian
Tioga (Groveland)

Northern Pacific Athletic Conference (NPAC) (non-football)
Freedom Christian (Fair Oaks)
Global Youth Charter (Antelope)
Lutheran (Elk Grove) (SMAL)
New Life Christian (Olivehurst)
Trinity Prep (Napa)
Western Sierra Collegiate (Rocklin) (IND)
Woodland Poly (IND)

Comments

What I like about it
The most important thing to me is that the Tracy and Lodi schools are in one league like they should be (ok, with the exception of Kimball).  The section should have never split them up in the first place.  I think the section finally found a way to get the competetive balance without having to make many changes.  Also, with the first two proposals moving them, Placer will finally stay where it belongs.  A move to the CAL made no sense to anyone outside the section office.

What needs to be changed still
Division II needs a third league.  For non-enrollment based playoffs, division probably would have 8 teams, and the first round would be like a CVC vs. SCAC challenge.  Not only is that boring, but teams who wouldn't deserve to make the playoffs would go.  I still think that either the ML will move up or the CCC would move down.  If I had to pick one, I would say the Metro League solely because of Burbank.  A school of 2000 plus does not need to be dropped down to division III.  If the ML stays, then they need to get Burbank out.  My idea would be to move Burbank to the DL and Davis to the MEL.  Finally, they need to split Lincoln (Stockton) and St. Mary's.  Since most of these moves are football-based, the rest of the SJAA would basically play for 3rd place every year with the Trojans and Rams in that league.  There are others, but they can't please everyone, and the rest are too minor.

What I personally would like to see
With Ripon being a good team at many sports, and offering more sports than the rest of its TVL counterparts, it might be time for the Indians to move to the WAC despite the enrollment under 1,000.  The numbers are close, and I think most teams can do well in that league. 

No one pays attention to the division VII schools, so I will mention something brief.  The section basically has the number of leagues set in stone, but for all sports except for football, I would like the CCAA and MVL split in 2 6-team leagues and 1 5-team league.  My proposal: Stockton-Lodi League: Elliot Chr., Excel Academy, Holt Academy, Hughes Academy, Lodi Academy, Stockton Chr. South Valley League: Big Valley, Brookside Chr., Delta Charter, Millennium, Turlock Chr., Venture Academy. Foothill League: Don Pedro, Mountain Oaks, Sierra Ridge/ROP, Stone Ridge Chr., Tioga

Proposal I think is best overall: #3.  Central Catholic will be challenged, there is more of a competetive balance, the section keeps the most teams happy. 

Proposal I think is best for Oakdale sports: #1.  Personal feelings aside (I am in favor of Oakdale going to the MMC or CCC as long as the league drops to a division II league), I really do think this is the best for all programs.  Proposal #1 put Oakdale in the division II MMC with Atwater, Beyer, Buhach Colony, Grace Davis, Downey, El Capitan, and Johansen.  Proposal #3 works just as well for the football team (and probably wrestling and soccer), but it does not solve the problems of the other programs (nor is it actually better).  Basketball will remain irrelevant (#1 gives Oakdale teams it could beat, and position well for a playoff run).  Water polo will still play in a thrown-together league (VOL would probably have 4 or 5 teams, but all the schools in this MMC have water polo).  Baseball and softball would still play teams that don't challenge them in the playoffs (this MMC can challenge them in league, and in the playoffs, they would play challenging, but beatable teams).  I do admit girls tennis would take a hit, and boys tennis would not matter.  They can't get into the playoffs, anyway.  Pound-for-pound, proposal #1 is the better fit for the Oakdale program.  As for my personal feelings, 1) I live near Downey, and I can see my alma mater more without having to drive.  2) I think the Modesto-area would be better served if Central Catholic and Oakdale remained in different leagues.  True there would be great football games once a year, but with playing in separate leagues, they can both be embassadors for the Modesto-area.  In the 2012 football season, both Central and Oakdale made it to state.  That is less likely to happen if they are in the same league, and they both have the potential of going again. 3) Even if #1 and #2 weren't true, I think the section gave Oakdale a gift with the first proposal, but since it didn't come with VOL wrapping paper, the coaches, fans, nor athletic director want it. 

Questions? Comments? Can't understand what I said on the last paragraph, because I wanted to get all my thoughts on there and it looks unorganized?  Let me know.  Thank you for reading.