THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9603280162
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Jeff Zeigler
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
All right, so the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Realignment Committee didn't take the suggestions I made last year about conference realignment. Did anybody really think they would?
But despite bickering among some schools about where they should end up, some good has come out of the realignment talks so far.
My favorite concept is the U.S. 17/U.S. 64 1A/2A conference proposal. This grouping would include 2A schools Edenton-Holmes, Currituck and Plymouth; 1A schools Williamston, Perquimans and Northside; and Manteo, which is now classified 3A but might be able to play 2A with no restrictions.
This conference would have several built-in rivalries that have been intense over the years: Manteo-Currituck, Edenton-Currituck, Perquimans-Williamston, Edenton-Plymouth, Williamston-Northside.
But if Manteo is not allowed to play down and must play at the 3A level, a lot of good competition will be lost from the conference. Because of Manteo's geographic location, the committee should grant the school's request and let the Redskins drop to 2A with no restrictions.
Camden County has asked to be installed in the Tobacco Belt Conference. This is where Camden, one of the smaller 1A schools, belongs. After years of being beat up by larger 1A schools like Williamston and Northampton East, the Bruins will be able to compete better against small schools like Columbia, Creswell and Jamesville. Hopefully, the committee will also grant Camden's request.
Still, the potential breakup of the Albemarle Conference is sad in a way. Gone will be intense league rivalries between Camden and Perquimans, Camden and Williamston, Williamston and Perquimans, and Perquimans and Gates. But also gone will be teams that don't fit, like Northampton East, Northampton West and Weldon.
Unfortunately, Northeastern will once again be stuck in the Big East Conference with the likes of Greenville Rose, Northern Nash, Rocky Mount and New Bern. At least D.H. Conley will add a new twist to the league. The Eagles have the misfortune of having the largest school in a geographic area with small schools. Their closest conference opponent will be about two hours away.
Obviously, these new conference proposals are not the most ideal situations. But in this area, high schools are so far apart that some form of travel is inevitable. If the Realignment Committee grants the requests of Camden and Manteo, then the new leagues will be much improved over what currently exists.
If you're looking for a high school baseball team with some great pitching, look no further than Camden County. In their first four outings, Bruins pitchers hurled two shutouts, both over Edenton-Holmes.
Camden opened the season with a combination no-hitter against the Aces from Tom Ott, Doug Leary and Mike Ott. Last week, Leary hurled a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts in a 4-0 win over Edenton.
These young guns are what the Bruins need to compete with Williamston, the defending Albemarle Conference champs, and Perquimans County. MEMO: Jeff Zeigler covers sports for The Carolina Coast. Send comments and
questions to him at P.O. Box 10, Nags Head, N.C. 27959. by CNB