With Leland and Buckley leaving the Cherryland Conference to join the Northwest Conference, the Northport Board of Education is considering whether it should follow suit for the 2008-09 season.

At its meeting Thursday, March 8, Northport athletic director and boys’ varsity soccer coach Marshal Collins Jr. presented the recommendations of a school sports’ committee. The departure of Leland and Buckley leaves just Northport, St. Mary, Traverse City Christian and the Leelanau School in the Cherryland.

St. Mary athletic director Cathy Herman said she, too, is dealing with many of the same challenges Collins presented to his board. Herman has firmed up the Eagles’ 2007 fall and winter sports schedules, but still has other scheduling holes to fill. Remaining Cherryland schools will meet on Tuesday, March 27, to review the 2006-07 winter sports season and make post-season awards.

“I’ve asked all the schools to bring their fall and winter sports schedules so we can compare and see where the gaps are. We should be able to figure something out,” she said.

Collins’ report was accepted by the Northport school board, and Superintendent Tyrus Wessell said the district will consider applying to the Northwest at its April 12 meeting.

Marshall submitted two letters of interest for the Northwest to consider when the conference’s executive committee meets on Monday, March 26. The first asks the Northwest to allow the Northport boys’ soccer team to compete in the conference this fall. He said that Suttons Bay athletic director Cody Inglis is willing to fully support the request in part since Cherryland schools allowed Suttons Bay to compete in the Cherryland in boys’ soccer. The Cherryland also allowed the Glen Lake boys’ soccer team compete when it was formed in 2003.

The second letter of interest involves the possibility of having Northport join the Northwest in the 2008-09 school year. Collins said St. Mary and T-C Christian have submitted letters to join the Northwest conference.

Collins said he is also recommending forming a new athletic council, which would be comprised of:
• Two parents, one of a boy and one of a girl school athlete;
• Two coaches, one each from a boys’ and a girls’ sports team; and
• A faculty member, the athletic director, the superintendent and possibly a student-athlete
Collins said he is confident more people will want to serve on the athletic council.

Though the Cherryland’s future is uncertain, there will be conference play involving boys’ and girls’ basketball, girls’ volleyball, and co-ed tennis. “You need at least three teams in order to have conference competition and we have three teams in each of those sports,” he said.

Northport has cooperative agreements with Suttons Bay for girls’ soccer, softball and boys’ baseball. As of today, boys’ soccer for Northport and T-C Christian will be independent since they are the only two league schools to offer the sport. The same will be true for the St. Mary baseball and softball teams, and Christian baseball squad for spring 2008.

Herman said she has not completed the spring 2008 schedules for baseball and softball, but is confident she will be able to fill gaps.

Collins said Northwest officials will want to know if Northport can field teams in both boys’ and girls’ sports, and how many different sports the school offers, before considering allowing Northport to join the conference.

His biggest challenge is filling out schedules for middle school teams. With Leland and Buckley limited to one game each because of conference competition, Collins said getting other schools to step in is difficult.

“I talked with the Baldwin AD about maybe having us play a home and away series. We were considering it a first, but then he said no because of the distance. It’s a good two-hour drive to Baldwin and that is a lot for young students,” he said.

Collins said he would apply to have Northport host District playoffs in girls’ and boys’ basketball and volleyball for the 2007-08 season as well. Wessell said he supported Collins’ decision last year to not apply to host District play this year because the AD-coach’s schedule was already full.

“Hosting a District takes a lot of time and coordination. It is not an easy thing to do,” Wessell said.