Valley teams enter a new era in prep soccer

PALMER — Alaska high school is no longer a single classification sport.

During the offseason, the Alaska Schools Activities Association Board of Directors voted to split the 31 schools that feature girls and boys soccer into multiple classes. While the collective changes are drawing mixed reviews, Palmer girls head coach Harmony Chadwick is thrilled about the new Division II level, which features Valley programs from Palmer, Houston and Redington.

“I’m super excited,” Chadwick said. “I think its more equal for us.”

Palmer, Houston, Redington, Grace Christian of Anchorage and Kodiak now make up the five-team Northern Lights Conference. The Palmer girls have not advanced to the state tournament since 2007, one year after the Palmer boys made their last trip to state. The Houston and Redington girls and boys are all in search of their first trip to a soccer state tournament.

“I think it puts us on the same level of competition,” Chadwick said.

The NLC is one of four conferences at the Division II level. The Mid-Alaska (Eielson, Hutchison, Monroe Catholic, North Pole), Peninsula (Homer, Kenai, Nikiski, Seward, Soldotna, Voznesenka) and Southeast (Juneau-Douglas, Ketchikan, Sitka and Thunder Mountain) are the other conferences at the new DII level.

Dale Ewart, Palmer High activities director and the Region III representative on the ASAA board, said the board used the school enrollment total of 850 to separate the teams. Teams from schools above that mark are Division I and those below are Division II.

“I think it shaped up nicely,” Ewart said.

Ewart said the reclassification gives the Division II programs a much better shot at advancing to the state tournament.

Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson, who has led the Knights boys soccer program, for more than 20 years has mixed reviews about the reclassification.

“I don’t love it,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he likes the way the large and small schools were separated, but does not agree with how the teams were divided at the Division I level.

The 12 Division I teams were split into two conferences. The Cook Inlet Conference (Bartlett, Chugiak, Dimond, Eagle River, East Anchorage, West Anchorage, South Anchorage and Service) features eight teams. But the Railbelt (Colony, Wasilla, West Valley and Lathrop) has only four. Johnson said Valley schools struggle each year to struggle to schedule matches against Anchorage teams.

“We still have to beg Anchorage schools to play us in March,” Johnson said.

Johnson said schools try to schedule matches before Anchorage teams start their CIC schedule. But there are a variety of factors, which include available time and weather. Both Colony and Wasilla have had multiple matches against Anchorage teams either cancelled or postponed this year due to poor field conditions. There is also a smaller pool of Division I teams after the addition of the Division II level.

“Who else are we supposed to play?” Johnson said.

Wasilla girls head coach Patrick O’Neill said, with just a four-team conference, there’s little room for error.

“The conference games are so much more important,” O’Neill said.

The Railbelt teams will play a six-game conference schedule, with a home and road match against each of the three opponents.

A new state tournament format

ASSA’s reclassification effort also includes a new state tournament format. ASAA has ditched the eight-team bracket, and each of the Division I and II boys and girls tournaments will include six teams. The top 2 seeds in each tournament will have first-round byes.

“There’s not a lot of positive feedback from the coaches on that,” Ewart said. “They don’t like the idea of giving two teams a first-round bye. Other teams are all playing back-to-back-to-back. That’s a pretty significant advantage.”

Ewart said the ASAA staff recommended two six-team tournaments for each level.

“It’s categorically unfair to the third, fourth, fifth and sixth seeds,” Johnson said.

At the Division I level, the eight-team CIC has four state tournament bids. Two Railbelt teams will go to state. Ewart said a set of criteria has been created to seed each tournament. State tournament bids will be awarded according to the conference standings, and there will be no region tournaments at the Division I level.

“I’m a little disappointed we don’t have the region tournament. It’s something the kids really looked forward to,” O’Neill said. “Change is something we have to accept and move on, and make the best of it.”

At the Division II level, the NLC and Peninsula have two bids each. The MAC and Southeast each have one bid. Ewart said the Peninsula Conference will have a region tournament, but the NLC decided to not have a region tourney this year. Ewart said it’s part of an ongoing effort to cut costs.

“It adds a money savings aspect. Region tournaments are really expensive, and really not a money-maker,” Ewart said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.