2024 Fall Preps Preview: League alignment and classification changes in Greater Spokane League, Eastern Washington

The new high school athletics classification cycle, along with some global changes implemented by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, will cause some fairly significant league and division realignment in the Greater Spokane League and throughout Eastern Washington this season.

Some teams have moved up, some dropped down, and the entirety of the eastern side of the state is grouped together in a newly formed district.

Starting with the global changes, the WIAA redistributed the districts throughout the state, dropping from nine to six. The most significant changes were in the East, where former Districts 7-9 were combined into one, the new District 6, representing 73 schools from Asotin to Sunnyside and from Curlew to Northport and everywhere in between – including Spokane and the Tri-Cities.

The WIAA hopes the measures taken will streamline league governance, district playoff seeding and state berth qualification.

The classification cycle shook up alignment in the GSL. Ferris and Mead went back up to 4A and Central Valley dropped to 3A. Shadle Park jumped back into the 3A ranks, and Deer Park joins the league as a 2A member.

North Central, a 3A school, was permitted to play a 2A schedule by the league across the board, where previously it was approved for just football. If NC wins a 2A league regular-season title, it will be allowed to “pigtail” into the 3A district playoffs.

Nowhere did the classification changes hit harder than the Northeast 1A League. As mentioned, Deer Park moved up, and Freeman and Newport moved down to 2B – leaving just four teams (Colville, Lakeside, Medical Lake and Riverside) to fend for themselves.

The Northeast 2B developed a football-only alignment, with the “Upper” division consisting of Asotin, Chewelah, Freeman, Lind-Ritzville/Sprague, Newport, Northwest Christian and Reardan, and a “Lower” division of Colfax, Davenport, Kettle Falls and Liberty. The divisions for other sports are geographically divided by North and South.

Traditional Northeast 1B powerhouses Almira/Coulee-Hartline, Odessa, Wellpinit and Wilbur-Creston-Keller formed a football alliance and will play in-league with other nonfootball 1B programs Chesterton Academy, Liberty Launch and Valley Christian for other sports.

Southeast 1B also saw changes. Colton, Garfield-Palouse, Oakesdale and St. John-Endicott/Lacrosse were joined by Pomeroy, Dayton and Waitsburg in the “Wheat” division.