Miller: Onslow’s high school conference landscapes have changed over the years – Jacksonville Daily News

Chris Miller|The Daily News

Former Southwest High School football coach and athletic director Phil Padgett joked in 2013 that a reason his school moved up in realignment was due to the Walmart shopping center being built on Yopp Road a sign that commerce was ready to grow, and with it more housing developments.

While the Southwest community has seen business growth, it also has faced a decline in population, resulting in the school seemingly on the 1-A/2-A border every four years during NCHSAA realignment cycles.

Southwest is in its third 2-A stint, having been there when it was built in 1976 until it dropped to 1-A in 1984. The Stallions returned to 2-A in 1997 before dropping back down in 2009.

More: Playoff spots to mean more for area teams after NCHSAA decision

The transitions have placed the Stallions twice in the Coastal Plains 1-A, in the East Central 2-A and the Coastal 8 1-A/2-A conference, where they play currently after realignment three years ago.

Conference landscapes have certainly changed over the years, and Southwest isnt the lone area school to have been affected.

If the state association's realignment proposal for the 2021-22 school year goes through, Croatan and Dixon will make the jump to 3-A for the first time, while Richlands moves back up to 3-A for the second time since 2013.

Areas seeing growth

How did this happen?

For its next realignment cycle, the NCHSAA not just used Average Daily Membership numbers, it also took into account three-year averages of State Cup scores and Individual Student Percentages, information that shows how any of each school's students benefit from government assistance, including free or reduced meals.

More: NCHSAA classification breakdown

While Croatans ADM now is around 870, athletic director Dave Boal said, the Cougars are scheduled to make the jump because of their State Cup performances and low government assistance. Croatan has been a 2-A school since it opened in 1998.

We are growing and there is development after development being built here, but those two things, the ISP and the Wells Fargo Cup, put us over the hump, Boal said.

More: NCHSAA final realignment figures

Dixon, meanwhile, is also growing with an influx of military families continuing to call that area home. Athletic director Brandon Ball anticipated a jump in classification, but not for another cycle.

We are at 891 I believe, which puts us at the top of 2-A, he said. We dont really stand out in the Wells Fargo Cup but as far as free or reduced meals, the ISP is what got us.

Then theres Richlands, which was 1-A from 1985-97 before playing in 2-A for the next 16 years. For a short period in 2013, Richlands was Onslow Countys largest high school in terms of enrollment and in 3-A, but the school dropped back down to 2-A in 2017 after Onslow County redistricting moved more kids from Gum Branch Road to Jacksonville High.

Like Ball, Richlands AD Mike Kelly anticipated another stay in 2-A before a move up the next cycle, adding the ISP figures moved his school over the line.

Looking ahead

What does these schools being 3-A for the local conference landscape?

Ideally, Croatan, Dixon and Richlands would join Jacksonville, Northside, Swansboro and White Oak in one Onslow conference, a league that ADs said would make traveling and scheduling easier, and perhaps provide some newgeographical rivalries.

But things are not that simple.

West Carteret remains 3-A, but is the Morehead City school placed in the Onslow conference or do it and 3-A Havelock move on? Keeping West Carteret in a league with Jacksonville, White Oak, Swansboro and Northside would geographically and competitively make sense.

Havelockwouldnt be missed by many Coastal Conference football teams, but the Rams fate is interesting because they could relocate to a Greenville-based split conference with D.H. Conley, South Central and J.H. Rose.

And making matters even more convoluted is that New Bern and D.H. Conley have to be together, given they are the only 4-A schools east of I-95 not in the Wilmington area.

Talk about a domino effect.

And what happens to Southwest, Onslow Countys only 2-A school?

My take would be for the Stallions to reenter the East Central Conference with the likes of East Duplin, Wallace-Rose Hill, James Kenan and Clinton, a move that would solidify the league as the states toughest football conference.

The NCHSAA will begin releasing conference proposals on Thursday.

Chris Miller can be contacted via email atchris.miller@jdnews.comor by calling 910-219-8472. Follow him on Twitter@jdnsports.

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Miller: Onslow's high school conference landscapes have changed over the years - Jacksonville Daily News