Spsl Considers New North-South Division Alignment

Rising transportation costs might tip the scales in favor of a realignment of divisions in the South Puget Sound League, according to several league athletic directors.

The likely change would be to split the league's 15 schools into two geographical divisions, probably North and South, rather than keep the current alignment determined by random draw.

However, sentiments among some coaches at the three Federal Way high schools still favor the current arrangement.

SPSL athletic directors will discuss the issue at their regular meeting this Thursday and make an official recommendation to the SPSL principals, who meet Monday. The principals could vote on the recommendation Monday or delay action.

Dave Lutes, Kent School District athletic director, said there is some urgency to the matter since the 1991 and 1992 fall scheduling begins in early December.

``We can't wait until the end of the year to do something,'' Lutes said. ``I don't want to make out the football schedule and then find out we're changing the divisions and have to start all over again.''

When the SPSL decided in the spring of 1989 to admit Auburn and the three Kent schools, the divisions were drawn randomly with the stipulation that they would be re-examined at the end of the two-year scheduling cycle.

A North-South split would put the three Kent schools (Kent-Meridian, Kentridge and Kentwood), the three Federal Way schools

(Decatur, Jefferson and Federal Way) and Auburn in the North Division; and Bethel, Clover Park, Curtis, Lakes, Puyallup, Rogers, Spanaway Lake and Sumner in the South Division.

The current alignment has a Puget Division comprising Auburn, Bethel, Clover Park, Federal Way, Jefferson, Kentwood, Rogers and Sumner. The Sound Division includes Curtis, Decatur, Kent-Meridian, Kentridge, Lakes, Puyallup and Spanaway Lake.

The three Federal Way schools nixed a North-South concept when Auburn and the three Kent schools joined the league. Many coaches cited a desire to maintain their traditional rivalries with the other SPSL schools. Carl Buckholtz, Federal Way district athletic director, recently distributed a survey to high school coaches within the district regarding their preferences on various alignment possibilities and said he doesn't expect the replies until tomorrow. However, he said he now senses less opposition to the concept.

``From what I've heard, most of the sentiment is for North and South (divisions),'' he said. ``The main reason is it just makes a lot of sense in terms of costs. But it's hard to break old alliances.''

Harder than Buckholtz might think. According to Sterline Thurston, athletic director at Federal Way High School, the majority of coaches there still oppose a North-South split.

``They still like the original SPSL feeling,'' Thurston said.

Coaches at Jefferson are split, according to Craig Bakken, the Jefferson athletic director.

``There are strong feelings both ways,'' he said. ``It's a change, and sometimes change is not desirable, or the unknowns of change.''

At Decatur, athletic director Mark Robertson said the majority of coaches appeared to favor a North-South split.

Lutes said coaches at the three Kent schools primarily support the geographic realignment. Auburn coaches either want the North-South split or retain the current alignment, according to athletic director Tim Cummings.

Among the other options are to randomly redraw the divisions, realign into East and West divisions or realign into big- and small-school divisions. Some SPSL schools have enrollments over 1,300; some are well below that. Sumner is studying whether to go to Class AA competition beginning with the 1991-92 school year. If Sumner does so, the SPSL will have two seven-team divisions.