Shorewood’s, Shorecrest’s new league gets six District spots in most sports

By Evan Smith

The new Western Conference 3A Division that includes Shorecrest, Shorewood and teams from six other high schools will have six places in eight-team Northwest District 3A tournaments in most sports.

In basketball, soccer, baseball, softball and volleyball, the top six of the eight Wesco 3A teams and the top two of the three Northwest League 3A teams will play in eight-team Northwest District 3A tournaments. Eight-entry tennis tournaments will have six singles players and six doubles teams from the Wesco 3A and two each from the Northwest League 3A division.

In track, Wesco will get nine entries and the Northwest League three entries in each individual District event, with four spots awarded based on times and distances, and all schools will get relay entries. Swimming entries will be based on time. Each school will enter a team in cross-country and golf.

The new Wesco 3A Division came about when Shorewood, Mountlake Terrace and Oak Harbor dropped from the 4A classification to join Shorecrest, Everett, Glacier Peak, Lynnwood and Meadowdale in the 3A division. Northwest League 3A schools are Ferndale, Mount Vernon and Sedro Woolley.

Last year, the Northwest District’s 14 4A schools got three places in 16-team state tournaments, and eight 3A schools got two spots. With the moves, the 11 District teams in each classification deserve more than two spots but not three.

The 4A schools – Arlington, Cascade, Edmonds-Woodway, Jackson, Kamiak, Lake Stevens, Mariner, Marysville-Pilchuck, Monroe, Snohomish and Stanwood – will combine their two and a half entries with the Sea-King District for bi-district tournaments with five state berths. The Northwest 3A schools found no logical partner; so they will have two state slots one year of the two-year classification cycle and three the other.

Four Northwest District 3A football teams will play November 5-6 with teams from the Sea-King, West Central and Southwest districts for entry into 16-team state playoffs, The four will be the top two Wesco teams, the top Northwest League team and the winner of a mid-week playoff game between the Wesco #3 team and the Northwest League #2 team.

The Wesco 3A division will grow to nine teams in the second year of the cycle, when the new Marysville-Getchell High School moves to 3A competition.