North Carolina high schools are getting ready for football season, but many schedules will look different this year after the state athletic association completed a statewide realignment earlier this spring.
The realignment expanded the total number of classifications across the state based on school size from four to eight, forcing a reshuffling of conferences. The newly formed Greater Charlotte Athletic Conference, for instance, will consist of Myers Park, South Mecklenburg, Garigner, Hopewell, Hough and West Mecklenburg High Schools. Players and coaches said at a media day Wednesday that they’re ready to embrace the change. Myers Park head coach Chris James said the realignment means new competition.
“I think you create new narratives," James said. "Obviously, when you stay in a conference, you know who your rivals are, you know exactly how long it takes to get to the school. It can become boring, in a sense. But like I said, I think you have a chance to create new rivalries.”
But some voiced concern about travel, with the new Greater Charlotte Athletic Conference spanning Mecklenburg County.
Those problems might be exacerbated for other sports that play more regularly during the middle of the week. Adding to that, South Mecklenburg High School might have extra travel, as the school won’t have a home field this year due to ongoing work dating back to the 2017 CMS bonds.
