New larger NE league charts sports events

A new look for the NE 2B league for next year has been ironed out by athletic directors on the league before the start of summer vacation.

Sports schedule for next year were charted to accommodate three new members of the league, Tekoa/Rosalia, Kettle Falls and Wilbur Creston.

Two of the newcomers landed in the league after the WIAA issued its new breakdown of the state classifications based on enrollment.

Wilbur/Creston Wildcats, who have competed in the Northeast 1B league after the WIAA split the B ranks, has gained students and will join the NE 2B this year.

Kettle Falls, on the other hand, had lost students and will move down to the 2B. Kettle is a long-time foe of the Colfax Bulldogs, dating back to when the two schools were in the A division.

The student count on the new Tekoa/Rosalia combo also places the Timberwolves in the 2B ranks. Addition of Tekoa/Rosalia marks the first time in decades that Colfax will have a league foe in its own classifications for the sports season.

The former Tekoa/Oakesdale/Rosalia sports combo for football also played in the 2B division, but they competed in the Southeast League in WIAA District nine.

The three newcomers expanded the league count to 11 schools. League athletic directors went ahead with a plan to divide the NE into north and south divisions for the basketball season.

Colfax AD Nathan Holbrook noted the split was intended to cut down on the travel miles for the teams in the winter season. The NE will have six schools in the north division and five schools in the south division.

The NE division split will include Wilbur/Creston, Davenport, Reardan, Kettle Falls, Springdale and Northwest Christian on the north side.

Colfax will be in a five-team south division with Tekoa/Rosalia, Liberty, Lind/Ritzville/ Sprague and St. George’s.

One result of the larger NE league is an end to non-league games for the start of the grid season. Colfax has been booked to play nine other league foes for the season run.

After a league jamboree in Ritzville, the Bulldogs will host Liberty Sept. 5 and then travel to Rosalia for the first league clash with the new Timberwolves Sept. 12.

On Sept. 19 the Bulldogs will travel to Wilbur to play the Wilbur/Creston Wildcats.

The Wildcats join 2B with an official count of 96 students. Athletic Director Steve Jantz said the school actually has gained in enrollment since last year’s WIAA tally. Wilbur picks up some enrollment gains from nearby Grand Coulee when the work force there changes.

Jantz noted Wilbur is 64 miles west of where Highway 2 departs Spokane, but the trip now takes about 80 minutes because of the congestion of Airway Heights west of Spokane.

The WIAA 2B classification includes schools from 92 to 224.9 students. Jantz noted he and other ADs are concerned about the top-end of the 2B classification which could have a lot of impact at the regional level of competition.

Smallest school in 2B will be Waterville with 92, however Tacoma Baptist has opted for 2B with a count of 90.

DeSales also opts into the 2B with a WIAA count of 81 in the SE division.

Kettle enters with a count of 173, and Tekoa/Rosalia has been charted with 103. Liberty, with a tally of 94, has the smallest tally for the NE.

Colfax, listed with 165, will be the third largest school in the NE behind the 181 for Northwest Christian and the 173 for Kettle.

The league return of a Colfax team to Kettle Falls will be Sept. 27 when the volleyball team makes the 139-mile trip north. The football team will travel to Kettle Oct. 10.