Wholesale changes are in store for the three proposed athletic conferences that include Burke County high schools as the NCHSAA released a new 2025-29 league realignment draft on Tuesday.
That includes the tentative 6A/7A conference for Freedom High School, and a 3A/4A league for Draughn High School, East Burke High School and Patton High School.
The new realignment data also includes a new conference for NCSSM-Morganton, which has been moved from a 1A/2A setup in the previous Dec. 18 draft to a 1A/2A/3A league.
The NCHSAA is enacting a major shift in its format as it expands from four classifications to eight for the first time. Also, the new realignment is sorting schools into classifications solely by their average daily membership.
The 6A Patriots’ projected conference now includes fellow 6A schools A.C. Reynolds, Asheville, South Caldwell, T.C. Roberson and Watauga, along with 7A McDowell.
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The previous NCHSAA draft had Freedom in a six-team league with Alexander Central, McDowell, South Caldwell, St. Stephens and Watauga, but the Cougars from Taylorsville and the Indians have been dropped from the league and the Rockets, Cougars from Asheville and the Rams have been added to what now is poised to be a seven-team conference.
In the outgoing alignment, Freedom is part of the six-team Northwestern 3A/4A Conference alongside Alexander Central, Ashe County, Hibriten, South Caldwell and Watauga.
In the new draft, 3A Draughn and Patton and 4A East Burke now are joined by 4A Ashe County and Hibriten and 3A West Caldwell.
The previous draft had the Wildcats, Panthers and Cavaliers in a league with Chase, East Rutherford, Hibriten, R-S Central and West Caldwell, but the Trojans, Cavaliers of Bostic and Hilltoppers have been dropped from what was an eight-team conference in favor of a six-team lineup that adds the Huskies.
Currently, Draughn is in the Western Highlands 1A/2A Conference with Avery County, Madison, Mitchell, Mountain Heritage, NCSSM-Morganton, Owen and Rosman; East Burke is a member of the Catawba Valley 2A Conference alongside Bandys, Bunker Hill, Lincolnton, Maiden Newton-Conover, West Caldwell and West Lincoln; and Patton is in the Mountain Foothills 7 1A/2A Conference with Brevard, Chase, East Rutherford, Hendersonville, Polk County and R-S Central.
The biggest change in the new NCHSAA draft comes for 1A NCSSM-Morganton, which has traded a six-team 1A/2A conference for a seven-team 1A/2A/3A league. The new projection has the Dragons with 3A Bessemer City and Piedmont Community Charter; 2A Cherryville, Highland Tech and Mountain Island Charter; and 1A Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy.
The previous draft had NCSSM-Â鶹´«Ã½ in a conference with Carolina International, Jackson Day, Queens Day, Sugar Creek and Valor Prep.
The Dragons currently are a member of the aforementioned eight-team Western Highlands 1A/2A Conference.
According to WRAL of Raleigh’s HighSchooOT prep sports website, the NCHSAA will receive feedback from schools on the new draft until 4:30 p.m. next Tuesday, Jan. 28.
Then, schools that give feedback on the proposed conferences will appear in person at the next realignment committee meeting, which will be held from Feb. 3-4 in Chapel Hill.
