Class A sports scheduling changes likely

Class A high schools across Montana will likely see some major changes to sports schedules starting with the 2015-16 season.

Athletic directors from Class A schools across the state met recently and decided to split Montana into two divisions — east and west — but keep the conferences as they are.

The top three football teams in Northwest Class A would go to the state playoffs, but large divisional tournaments would determine state playoff berths for sports like basketball and volleyball, explained Columbia Falls High School athletic director Troy Bowman.

The state’s Western Class A division would include Columbia Falls, Whitefish, Polson, Frenchtown, Stevensville, Corvallis, Hamilton, Dillon and Butte Central. The Eastern division would include Browning, Havre, Lewistown, Livingston, Belgrade, Laurel, Billings Central, Miles City, Glendive, Hardin and Sidney.

The changes come after three schools in recent years dropped to Class B. Ronan moved to Class B last year, and Libby and Anaconda will move to Class B in the fall 2015. Bigfork and Eureka moved to Class B several years ago.

When implemented, the change will leave just four schools in the Northwest Class A conference — Columbia Falls, Whitefish, Polson and Frenchtown.

For wrestling, a decision has already been made to hold a divisional tournament this coming school year in Corvallis, Bowman said.

The real work will be with scheduling the tournaments and games in the upcoming seasons and determining a rotation schedule for hosts, Bowman said.