Libby drops to Class B for sports

The Northwestern Class A conference is down to just four schools now that the Libby School Board voted this week to drop its sports programs to Class B next school year. All of Libby’s sports programs will drop to Class B except soccer.

The enrollment range for Class B schools is 120-399 students. Libby’s average number was 338.5. Class A enrollment ranges from 340 to 825 students.

“It was a very tough decision for the board,” Libby assistant principal and activities director Jim Germany said. “They felt our numbers won’t get better, will only get worse.”

With the Loggers out, that leaves Columbia Falls, Whitefish, Polson and Frenchtown in the Northwest Montana conference. It’s possible a school will be added before next season, such as Browning.

There is also talk about returning to just three conferences in Class A — western, central and eastern. Athletic directors from across Montana will convene in June to discuss the matter.

Columbia Falls is the second largest Class A school, with 691 students. Whitefish’s 2013-14 fall enrollment number of 497 puts it safely within Class A . Polson’s enrollment is 511, and Frenchtown’s is 389.

Three years ago Ronan left the Northwestern A and dropped to Class B, but its enrollment of 350 is actually back within the Class A classification. Bigfork is also one of the larger Class B schools, with 285 students.

Belgrade is the largest in Class A with more than 850 students, qualifying it for Class AA.

According to Montana High School Association rules, any school that exceeds the maximum enrollment level by no more than 10 percent may remain at the lower classification. When a school moves to a new classification, it must remain there for two years.