1997-11-05-sr-p32-reardan-to-1a
November 05, 1997 Spokesman-Review Page 32:
Reardan’s B tourney days over
It’s a no-win for kids’ as basketball tradition derailed by WIAA ruling
By Dave Trimmer
Staff writer
It’s more than the end of an era, it’s the end of a dream.
Young boys and girls in Reardan go to bed at night with visions of basketballs bouncing in their heads.
They dream of the State B basketball tournament in Spokane, the small-town showcase Reardan has been part of so many times in the past.
Reardan students learned Monday the State B tournament really is a dream, one that won’t come true.
The executive board of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association ruled Friday that Reardan would have to move up to 1A, leaving the storied Bi-County League for the Northeast A, effective with winter sports, which begin practice in less than two weeks.
“I don’t know, I kind of had it all planned out since I was a little kid, dreaming of playing in the State B’s my senior year,” Reardan senior Rhett Soliday said. “And this is really a blow, especially in the middle of my senior year. I definitely wanted to do what my dad’s done, all my uncles, all my cousins. It was definitely big, I wanted to leave my mark here."
Reardan was bumped up because first-year superintendent Rob Clark reported a mistake made in last fall’s enrollment count used for biennial classification. Five home-schooled students were left out of the count, enough to push the Indians over the 150-student limit for B schools.
“It is a precedent-setting situation. I wish it would have all come to light last spring when this thing was investigated, but it didn’t,” WIAA executive director Mike Colbrese said. “The decision was made for the integrity of the entire classification system. It’s a no-win for kids, it’s a no-win for the association. What the board did was come as close to a win-win situation as it could.”
In the meantime, those big posters of the basketball schedule taped inside the drive-in window
Reardan at State B
Reardan boys
32 State B appearances, six titles (1966, 67, 70, 71, 74, 82)
Second 2
Third 2
Fourth 1
Fifth 2
Sixth 3
Seventh 0
Eighth 2
State tourney record 60-45
Reardan Girls
15 State B appearances, three title (1983, 85, 88)
Second 2
Third 2
Fourth 1
Fifth 0
Sixth 1
Seventh 1
Eighth 1
—trash them.
The bottom line is now the three current Northeast A schools, Colfax, Freeman and Kettle Falls, must find room in their schedules for two games with Reardan while Reardan has to make room for six games in its schedule. That obviously has a ripple effect through the Bi-County League and other schools that have non-league games with Reardan and NEA schools.
A scheduling—or rescheduling—meeting should be held next week.
“From a league standpoint, we want teams to be playing where they’re appropriately placed,” Colfax principal Duane Gottschalk said. “It would have been much easier to have done that last year. We’re collectively in this for the best services of the kids. We'll make room.”
The impact will be noticed in February when Reardan isn't battling for a spot in the State B tournament. The Indians were second in last year’s boys tournament, it’s 32nd appearance, six of which ended with state titles. The girls, who have won three titles in 15 appearances, were at the Arena for the second straight year.
“I think of the kids first of all,” girls coach Bryce Wilson said. “I think they just feel like they've been betrayed. This has never been in their mind this year. Obviously there’s some feeling how could this happen to us. If we were told last November, we had 12 months to get ready. For basketball, now we only have a month.
“Right now they’re very angry. We'll have to work past that We have some good kids coming back ...but now it’s a whole new ballgame.”
The decision does not affect Reardan’s top-ranked B-11 football team or the volleyball team as it enters district playoffs.
“1 hope not, but you don’t know. Kids are kids,” football coach Dan Graham said Monday night. “We have our own thing to take care of. It shouldn’t affect us as far as football. It will when it comes to basketball.”
Boys basketball coach Dan Smith agreed.
“It’s going to be difficult,” he said, “Ever since they were little kids they’ve been counting on the State B tournament. It’s local and we get pretty excited about it here. So we'll have to channel that focus into the A’s now.”
[photo]
Rhett Soliday
