Three Loudoun schools to appeal VHSL decision
By Jason S. Rufner
Heritage, Loudoun Valley and Stone Bridge high schools will appeal the decision made by the Virginia High School League to place them in the Cedar Run athletic district within the Northwest Region for the 2009-2010 school year.
The three Loudoun schools are parties to the appeal, which will be heard by the VHSL's Redistricting and Reclassification Committee on April 14 at 9:15 a.m. at the VHSL's Charlottesville office.
A member of the Northern Region's Liberty District since the R&R Committee reclassified it from Group AA to AAA for the 2005-2006 school year, Stone Bridge would like to remain districted as it currently is. The Ashburn-based school is the only Liberty District member outside of Fairfax County.
The Bulldogs would face significantly increased travel time if the appeal were not upheld, as the Cedar Run District contains schools in Prince William, Fauquier and Culpeper counties.
“Within the Cedar Run District, it wouldn't be the mileage as much as the flow of traffic down Route 28,” said Stone Bridge athletic director Dave Hembach, noting that the major north-south thoroughfare is particularly congested when the Bulldogs' buses would be using it to reach opponents' sites. Hembach also stated that the Northwest Region spans approximately 200 miles, as compared with the 40-mile span of the Northern Region.
Stone Bridge's football program has not lost a Liberty District contest through its first three seasons of competition. Coach Mickey Thompson claimed his first state title last fall when the Bulldogs defeated Potomac 38-0 in the Group AAA Division 5 championship game.
“We opened eight years ago, and we've been in three districts, two regions and two classifications in that time,” Hembach said, mentioning that the school's projected enrollment will keep it as a “small AAA” for the foreseeable future.
“We're looking for consistency for our teams and our fans,” he said.
Hembach related that he is looking into whether the school can further appeal to the VHSL's Executive Committee if their request to remain in the Liberty District is not granted by the R&R Committee.
Heritage will be moving from the Group AA Dulles District to AAA, a move necessitated by the gradual increase in enrollment since the Leesburg school opened in 2002. Heritage is petitioning the VHSL to be placed in the Liberty District of the Northern Region alongside Stone Bridge.
Loudoun Valley wishes to be placed into the Northern Region's Concorde District, which consists primarily of schools in western Fairfax County. The Vikings, like Stone Bridge, were promoted to the Group AAA classification in 2005.
The Purcellville-based Vikings were a geographical outlier for two years in the National District, a grouping of schools in Arlington and eastern Fairfax counties. Their move to the Cedar Run District before the current school year did not substantially shorten the distances the Vikings must travel to play district foes.