Appeals from Orange High Principal Jason Johnson and athletic director Jason Knapp apparently didn’t sway the North Carolina High School Athletic Association realignment committee.
On February 14, the committee released its third draft of conferences that will go into effect in August, based on the new, expanded eight classification model by the NCHSAA, which is shifting away from the traditional four classifications.
The latest draft keeps Cedar Ridge and Orange as 5A teams. They would be in a conference with Durham School of the Arts, Seaforth, South Granville, J.F. Webb and Carrboro.
The only change from the prior two drafts is the inclusion of Carrboro, which is currently classified as a 4A team. The other six teams would be 5A. It would make the new conference, which is yet to be finalized or named, a split 5A-4A league. In previous drafts, Carrboro was penciled in for a league with Southwestern Randolph, Jordan-Matthews, Uwharrie Charter, Eastern Randolph, North Moore and Northwood.
Since 2021, Cedar Ridge and Orange have competed in the Central Conference with teams primarily based in Alamance County. It started with Western Alamance, Eastern Alamance, Walter Williams, Person, Northwood and the two Hillsborough schools. In 2023, Southern Alamance replaced Northwood, which dropped down to 2A.
If Johnson and Knapp had their way, Orange would be in a league that maintains rivalries with Alamance and Person County schools. On February 4, Johnson and Knapp made their appeals heard in front of the realignment committee in Chapel Hill.
“In a nutshell, our students are going to have to be out of class longer,” Knapp said. “That schedule keeps our students in class longer and it’s more beneficial to us as an athletic department.”
Currently, the longest distance for a conference game for Orange High is the trek to Western Alamance. 28 miles separates Orange from Western Alamance. Cedar Ridge’s longest road trip is Person, which is 29 miles, or about 45-50 minutes via bus.
On top of that, Alamance County Schools have traditional media outlets. While the Burlington Times-News scaled back its sports division in 2019, they still have consistent sports coverage. Bob Sutton, the longtime Sports Editor of the Times-News, is now a writer for the weekly Alamance News.
The presence has helped Alamance County Schools retain a strong fan base amid a growing district. Over the weekend, there were solid turnouts at Orange High School as the Western Alamance women’s basketball team and the Eastern Alamance men’s basketball team competed during the Central Conference Tournament in Hillsborough.
“Alamance County schools travel well,” Knapp said. “The proximity isn’t very far. You have Eastern Alamance 20 minutes away. Southeast Alamance 20 minutes away. Southern (Alamance) and (Walter) Williams are probably 30 minutes.”
Under the proposed new conference, Orange would have a 47-mile trip for conference games at Webb High School in Oxboro. The Panthers would travel 36 miles for conference games against Seaforth in Chatham County.
Cedar Ridge would travel 48 miles to Oxford and 30 miles to Seaforth. Both the Cedar Ridge men’s and women’s basketball teams had road trips to Seaforth and DSA this season.
Among Knapp’s major concerns is not just varsity sports.
“All the schools over there (Alamance County) have very good JV and varsity programs,” Knapp said. “To go along with that, we’re not really sure if that would be available in the new conference if that’s going to be available as far as junior varsity programs.”
Durham School of the Arts is the current incarnation of Durham High School, which traces it roots all the way back to 1906. Once a rival to Orange High, Durham High became a magnet school in 1995 after winning a football title the old Crescent Conference. Since it was rebranded Durham School of the Arts, the institution has never fielded a football team.
As Orange and Cedar Ridge wait for the final decision from the realignment committee, football scheduling for 2025 has been delayed. With potentially only six teams fielding football teams in the new league, local athletic directors have been unclear about how many non-conference games will be required for next year.
“That concerns us, as well,” Knapp said. “We feel like we need to do what’s best for Orange High School. Our student-athletes are our biggest concern.”