County AD Rogers gives Burke a voice on NCHSAA realignment committee

Burke County has a front-row seat, and a significant voice in the discussion, this time around for what may be the NCHSAA’s most significant realignment in its 110-plus year history.

Burke County Public Schools system third-year athletic director Casey Rogers found out in May at the annual NCHSAA spring meetings that he had been elected as one of 21 members on the NCHSAA’s 2025-2029 realignment committee.

The 21 members include two representatives from each of eight geographical districts statewide – including athletic directors, principals, and superintendents – and there are also two separate co-chairs, an at-large member, and two affiliate members.

Rogers represents District 7, which spans Davie County to Yancey County. Almost each committee member is also given one of the current four classifications to represent, with some members representing multiple classifications. Rogers represents the 2A class, of which half of BCPS’ high schools (East Burke, Patton) are currently members.

In all, there are five committee members with a 4A focus, six for both 3A and 2A, and two for 1A.

The number of classifications will double prior to the 2025-26 school year in what is easily the NCHSAA’s most sweeping changes ever to its realignment process.

And Rogers’ presence on the committee gives Burke County a voice that many felt was unheard when during the last realignment, the NCHSAA divided Burke’s four schools into four different conferences despite the possibility classification-wise of that number being as few as two different conferences.

Rogers told the Big Red Sports Network this week that “four leagues (for the) four different schools … I think that’s something that will change for the better.”

“I hope so anyway,” Rogers said. “I hope the added classifications can bring more schools closer to our area together. … I think it’s very important for Burke County to be represented (on the realignment committee) after the feeling of a lot of people about what happened last realignment. 

“To have this opportunity to represent the region at the state level is rare too when you think about there being 400-plus member schools now and 100 counties across the state but just 21 folks on this committee. I hope the reason I’m representing the district is because people felt that I would do a good job when electing me, and that’s certainly what I plan to do.”

Rogers said he isn’t sure exactly when the committee will meet next but assumes it will happen around mid-September. He knows it will be after schools in each district statewide report this year’s average daily membership (ADM) numbers following the first 10 days of the school year.

ADMs will be the sole determining factor in what schools go into what classifications this realignment, replacing the NCHSAA’s three-part formula that had been used over the last several years which also included recent athletic success and school districts’ socioeconomic factors.

Rogers called that change toward transparency in the realignment process a good thing.

“Just in its simplicity,” he said. “It leaves no room to wonder why a certain school is in a certain class or anything.”

Rogers said he assumes – but again, isn’t 100 percent sure – that realignment as usual will entail multiple drafts, with the final one coming shortly after second semester starts in January 2025. Any later, he said, would create headaches for coaches and ADs looking to complete their schedules with nonconference opponents.

HighSchoolOT.com recently released projections for what the NCHSAA’s new eight classifications may look like based on last year’s ADMs. In its model, Freedom (1,574) was among the largest 6A schools, East Burke (893) was in the 4A class, and Patton (774) was among the largest schools in a 3A class that also includes Draughn (692).

(At 300, NCSSM-Morganton projects to remain in the 1A ranks.)

“Just based on where we are now with enrollments, I don’t think the county sees a day anytime soon where we’re back to two schools in one conference and two in another,” Rogers said, referring to the period shortly after Draughn and Patton had opened when from 2009-2017, Freedom and Patton shared a league as did Draughn and East Burke.

“But for sure, you look at where the other three high schools stand, there’s no reason all three of those or at least two of those three couldn’t be together.”

A key item in the realignment process figured to be the status of split conferences. Among several recommendations it made, the NCHSAA’s bylaw task force committee this spring recommended that split conferences remain in place but with the number of classes in each conference limited to the current number of two. However, the committee noted that limiting split leagues to two classes “may not be possible in some areas of the state,” per a HighSchoolOT.com report.

The bylaw task force committee also recommended that realignment be moved from every four years to every two years, with extra classes likely meaning extra movement by schools along the classes. That classification realignment, however, would not impact conferences, which would still remain in place for four-year cycles, which means many leagues would be likely to have schools spanning three classifications (or more) by the end of their four-year cycle.

Any of those changes would require a 75 or more percent vote of approval by member schools.

But Rogers doesn’t view potential three-class split conferences as a negative.

“So the new 5A and 6A will basically be what the old 3A was, let’s say, so going for example 4A/5A/6A isn’t any different than a combo league would be now,” he said. “I think as close as we can get to teams playing one another in their own region with old, traditional matchups is the way to go.

“If going to three classes (as an option for split conferences) makes it better for schools in terms of rivalries, competitiveness, and finances, then I would say let’s do it.”