All-football league proposal would overhaul high school football in three North Bay counties

A potential football-only realignment among North Bay leagues took another step toward reality Wednesday as the Redwood Empire Conference voted to move forward with proposals that would overhaul the current landscape of high school football in Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties.

At a realignment workshop meeting, the 27 schools that comprise the North Bay League, Marin County Athletic League and Vine Valley Athletic League approved two realignment proposals. The vote was the next step in a process that began in the spring, when the conference voted 17-10 to move forward with a football-only realignment in order to create a more even playing field across the region.

The first proposal that was approved, titled Commissioner Proposal A, would create four different leagues based on competitive equity over the last three complete seasons.

The top league, or group, would be comprised of Cardinal Newman, Marin Catholic, Rancho Cotate, Vintage, Windsor and San Marin.

The second group would be Redwood, American Canyon, Tamalpais, Ukiah, Casa Grande and Justin-Siena.

The third group would be Maria Carrillo, Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Montgomery, Analy, Napa and St. Vincent.

The fourth group would be Terra Linda, Archie Williams, Piner, San Rafael, Sonoma Valley, Novato, Healdsburg and Elsie Allen.

Member schools voted 13-10 in favor of this proposal, with four schools absent. Archie Williams, Cardinal Newman, Elsie Allen, Marin Catholic, Novato, Rancho Cotate, Redwood, San Marin, San Rafael, St. Vincent, Tamalpais, Terra Linda and Windsor voted yes, while American Canyon, Analy, Healdsburg, Montgomery, Napa, Piner, Santa Rosa, Sonoma Valley, Ukiah and Vintage voted no.

Maria Carrillo, Petaluma, Casa Grande and Justin-Siena were absent.

The other league proposal, submitted by Montgomery, had the same groups except switched Petaluma and Ukiah. That proposal passed 18-8 with one absence.

That vote breakdown was: Analy, Archie Williams, Cardinal Newman, Elsie Allen, Marin Catholic, Montgomery, Novato, Piner, Rancho Cotate, Redwood, San Marin, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, Tamalpais, Terra Linda, Ukiah and Windsor for yes; while American Canyon, Casa Grande, Healdsburg, Justin-Siena, Napa, Sonoma Valley, St. Vincent and Vintage voted no. Petaluma was absent.

There was also a third proposal submitted by American Canyon that was voted down. That proposal was in response to the original 17-10 vote back in the spring and placed all 10 schools that voted against the measure originally — Rancho Cotate, Vintage, American Canyon, Casa Grande, Justin-Siena, Analy, Napa, St. Vincent, Sonoma Valley and Elsie Allen — in the same league.

That proposal was voted down by a count of 20-7.

The conference will vote again Oct. 19 between the two approved proposals to decide which one it wants to move forward with. Any realignment must be approved by the North Coast Section.

You can reach Press Democrat Staff Writer Gus Morris at 707-304-9372 or gus.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @JustGusPD.