Majority of Twin Harbors programs stay put as WIAA releases reclassification for 2024-28

Ocosta only local school to switch, drops down to 1B; local leagues impacted by changes

By Ryan Sparks • January 24, 2024 8:30 pm
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano’s Tucker Eaton (8) and Toren Crites (12), seen here in a file photo, defend a pass in a game against Eatonville last season. Eatonville will be moving out of the 1A Evergreen League as the WIAA released its reclassifications on Sunday.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano’s Tucker Eaton (8) and Toren Crites (12), seen here in a file photo, defend a pass in a game against Eatonville last season. Eatonville will be moving out of the 1A Evergreen League as the WIAA released its reclassifications on Sunday.

Some local prep sports leagues are set to go through some changes as the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association approved reclassification numbers for 2024-28.

While most of the larger schools remain unaffected, with Aberdeen, Elma, Hoquiam and Montesano all remaining in their respective classifications and leagues, both the 1A and 2A Evergreen Leagues will look different starting next season.

Eatonville, which entered the 1A Evergreen League during the COVID era, is moving up to the 2A classification and will joining the 2A South Puget Sound League.

Replacing the Cruisers in the 1A Evergreen League is Rochester, which moves down from 2A and back into 1A Evergreen, where it competed until moving to 2A in 2015.

Rochester dropping down to the 1A class and with Shelton reclassified as 3A, there is a void in the 2A Evergreen Conference that, at the time of this writing, is left unfilled. With no teams scheduled to move to the 2A EvCo, it appears the league will consist of five teams: Aberdeen, Black Hills, Centralia, Tumwater and W.F. West.

Centralia submitted a request with the WIAA to drop to a lower classification, but as the governing body released its updated classifications on Sunday, the Tigers remained a 2A team.

The 2B Pacific League is losing a member as Ocosta was reclassified as a 1B school. Though nothing has been finalized yet as negotiations are ongoing, a possible landing spot for the Wildcats is the 1B Columbia Valley league, where Ocosta would join former 2B Pacific opponent Willapa Valley, which dropped to 1B after the 2019-20 season.

North Beach High School remains a 2B program sans the Hyaks football program, which was reclassified to compete in 1B starting next season. No updated as to what league the Hyaks football team is set to compete in at this time.

While the 2B Central football league loses Ocosta and North Beach, it gains Mossyrock for football starting next season.