05/04/2006

Northwest Conference discusses options

Schools to vote on expansion Aug. 17

by dennis chase

dchase@record-eagle.com

KINGSLEY — Representatives from seven area schools attended an informational meeting here Wednesday to hear about Northwest Conference expansion plans.

The Northwest, which had eight member schools just eight years ago, will be down to five at the end of the 2006-07 school year when Manton departs to join the Highland Conference.

Suttons Bay athletic director Cody Inglis, a member of the Northwest Conference expansion committee, led a discussion that delved into the league's goals, the criteria that will be used to evaluate potential members, and the projected timeline.

"I feel good that we were able to share with the (seven) schools what we're looking for," Inglis said. "That was the purpose - to share our goals, our timeline. Now, as they say, the ball's in their court. They have to go back and determine what's best for their schools, their sports programs."

Schools interested in joining the Northwest must submit a letter by June 9. The expansion committee will meet six days later to review the letters, which will then be forwarded to league schools for review over the summer. Superintendents from the five schools — Kingsley, Suttons Bay, Glen Lake, Frankfort and Mesick — will vote on expansion Aug. 17. Schools invited to join will have until Oct. 27 to formally accept the offer.

One school that plans to apply is Benzie Central, an independent.

"We're excited," Benzie athletic director Karen Leinaar. "This is a great opportunity for us. Obviously, we're going to fulfill the requirements and send a letter in and see what the take is on us. We participate with all of these schools in most sports so it would be nice to be in a league with them."

Leinaar called the Northwest "a great league."

"This league does things right," she said. "They work well together — the teams, the administrations — and they support each other."

Benzie is the largest school that's expressed interest and that could be an issue during the process. Benzie's enrollment is near 600. Frankfort has less than 200.

Leinaar acknowledged the size differential, but said the sprawling district lines keeps several students from competing in athletics because they live so far away.

"Some of our kids are closer to Mesick than Benzie Central," she said. "So our numbers are very balanced with what the numbers are for teams in this league."

Officials from Manistee, a Class B school like Benzie, also attended the meeting to hear the "parameters" for expansion.

Manistee is currently a member of the Western Waterways Activities Conference. That conference, however, will be down to four schools — White Cloud, Hesperia, Holton and Manistee — next fall. Those schools are exploring expansion as well.

"Our first commitment is to the WWAC," Manistee principal Andy Huber said. "We're here because we received a letter and we wanted to hear what they had to say. The Northwest Conference has a great reputation. It's flattering to be invited."

Huber admitted a four-team league is not beneficial to any of the schools, which is why Manistee is looking at its options.

"Of course we want to be a conference," he said. "That's our first priority for our kids. There are great schools in the Northwest Conference. I know most of the people here personally. I think the world of their programs and schools."

Manistee football coach Gus Kapolka believes the Northwest would be a "natural fit" for the Chippewas. He said Manistee plays Northwest schools in a number of sports and it would be close in proximity.

"Last season we played Newaygo on the road, we played Tri-County on the road," he said. "Those are two-hour plus drives. In the Northwest, the longest trip would be Kingsley, an hour and 15 minute drive. Frankfort would only be 35 miles away. Geographically, it makes sense."

Manistee's enrollment is near 550.

"Our enrollment is decreasing," Kapolka said. "The population in Manistee County is decreasing. I think that makes us a better fit (for the Northwest). We're not going to get any bigger."

St. Francis officials also attended Wednesday. Athletic director Tom Hardy said the Gladiators are in a "great situation" as members of the Lake Michigan Conference, but said they wanted to hear about the Northwest plans, since those schools are closer geographically.

Three smaller schools — Leland, Buckley and Manistee Catholic — were represented at the meeting.

"I'm here to be informed," Buckley's Steve Prissel said.

Buckley does not offer football — one of the mandatory sports the Northwest has insisted schools offer. But Buckley recently agreed to a co-op arrangement with Mesick in football.

"We have a lot of kids that want to play," Prissel said. "We're not big enough to offer it, so this is a great opportunity for our kids."

Frankfort's Matt Stapleton, an expansion committee member, said he was "encouraged" to see smaller schools show interest, even if some don't offer football.

"This meeting took an interesting turn with some of the smaller schools that attended," he said.

Asked about a possible two division alignment that would include the addition of smaller schools, Stapleton replied, "The biggest bonus of this process is that we haven't ruled anything out."

Stapleton admitted enrollment differentials could play a part in the league's decision. League officials are asking potential candidates to submit past, present and projected enrollment data.

Stapleton said Frankfort's enrollment is expected to drop in the next few years.

"We're not going in the right direction if we're trying to compete in numbers with some of these other schools," he said. "That's definitely a concern for us. But we have faith in the league to make good decisions."

Frankfort's been highly competitive in most sports. The Panthers are perennial state contenders in football. They won a girls basketball state championship in the fall and the softball team is currently ranked No. 2 in Division 4.

"The question for us is this: what direction is this league going?'" Stapleton said. "As we've stated before, we're open to any interest in our league and we'd like to take the attitude that we can continue to compete with anybody. But, yes, numbers are an issue. As a conference, we're going to look at the projected long term future here because what we decide (this year) will have an effect over the next 20 years."

Inglis knows there's interest.

"I feel confident that some of these schools will want to join the Northwest," he said.