Nevada R-5 board mulls conference options

Herald-Tribune

Since the Southwest Conference disbanded in 2007, Nevada High School has been without a conference and will not have a chance to join another conference until at least the 2011-'12 school year.

"Being without a conference is difficult," NHS Athletic Director Kevin McKinley said during the monthly Nevada R-5 Board of Education meeting held July 14, at the district's central offices.

McKinley said that although he has managed to fill all of the athletic schedules, it is difficult to find basketball opponents during February, when most schools are playing conference games. Also, during the weeks reserved for conference championships in cross country, tennis and track, Nevada athletes are left to team practices instead of competing against other schools.

The lack of a conference also means there is no opportunity for Nevada athletes to be recognized on select conference, area and state teams.

Athletic events are scheduled for two-year periods that coincide with the two-year district alignment process that the Missouri State High School Activity Association goes through to ensure that district competitions and state play-off competitions are between schools of similar sizes. The next re-districting will occur following the 2010-'11 school year.

Because of that two-year cycle, McKinley told the board that the district needs to start looking at what conference options may be open to Nevada.

McKinley said that when the Southwest Conference dissolved in 2009, Nevada went to MSHSAA and asked that the school be placed in a conference, something MSHSAA had done 35 years earlier when they placed Seneca, McDonald County and East Newton in the Big Ten Conference over the objections of the conference. MSHSAA told Nevada to wait two years.

At that time the Big Ten Conference consisted of Aurora, Carl Junction, Carthage, Cassville, Lamar, Monett, Mt. Vernon, Neosho, Nevada and Webb City. With the three additions of Seneca, McDonald County and East Newton, it became the Big 13.

In 1982, the Big 13 split into two conferences, the current Big 8 Conference and the Big 6 Conference, with Carthage, Joplin Memorial, McDonald County, Neosho, Nevada and Webb City.

In 1985, Joplin Memorial merged with Joplin Parkwood and left the Big 6. The remaining five schools, Carthage, McDonald County, Neosho, Nevada and Webb City formed the Southwest Conference.

Chris Ellis, R-5 board president, said that it may be time for Nevada to try to exert some pressure on MSHSAA to be placed in a conference.

"Don't they have an obligation to help us after waiting two years?" Joy Hawks, board member, asked.

While most of Nevada's athletic teams are currently no threat to area opponents, McKinley said it appears that will start to change in the 2011-'12 school year.

"We have several upcoming teams that will be very competitive," he told the board.

The softball, baseball, boys and girls basketball and wrestling teams all have talented athletes in the middle school and youth programs who will be moving into the high school programs in the near future, McKinley told the board.

"If we wait and do nothing, in a couple of years I'll start to lose (the ability to schedule) games," he said.

"It makes no sense to play you if you're getting that good," McKinley said will be the response from some schools.

This is a problem that Nevada has faced in the past with some smaller area schools that play Nevada when they think they can win and will not play Nevada if they think they may lose.

When the Southwest Conference disbanded, Nevada looked at several options: joining the Central Ozark Conference, like Webb City, Carthage and Neosho did; joining the Big Eight Conference, the West Central Conference or the Show-Me West Conference, which is now defunct.

The COC and the Big Eight conferences were not interested in having Nevada as a member and the West Central Conference would include trips to Sedalia and Warrensburg during the week, and as McKinley told the board, there is no good way to get to either town.

McKinley said that he sees three possible options for Nevada at this time.

* Become part of the Big 8 Conference along with McDonald County.

* Form a new Southwest Conference with McDonald County, Carl Junction, Neosho, Carthage and Springfield Central.

* Remain independent.