Three schools from Randolph County would stay together in the latest realignment draft
Eastern Randolph, Southwestern Randolph and Uwharrie Charter Academy remain together in the latest version of North Carolina High School Athletic Association conference realignment proposals, but it’s down to a six-school league.
Carrboro is no longer grouped in that conference, which also would include North Moore, Northwood and Jordan-Matthews. UCA doesn’t play football.
With Carrboro out of the mix, it’s a relief for at least a couple of schools regarding traveling distance.
“We’re OK with that (latest change),” said Matt Kiser, co-athletics director at Southwestern Randolph. “Carrboro isn’t just up the road. That was our biggest concern.”
That leaves Northwood – in Chatham County – as the longest trip for Randolph County schools.
Kiser said the travel time from Southwestern Randolph to Carrboro is estimated at 1 hour, 18 minutes by car, so it would take longer via bus.
Eastern Randolph athletics director Foster Cates said there was a meeting among the six schools in the updated conference.
“Everybody seemed real excited about it,” Cates said. “Some new faces.”
The proposed conference involving the three schools in Randolph County includes Class 3A and Class 4A schools in the NCHSAA’s expanded classification that goes from four classifications to eight beginning with the 2025-26 school year.
There is a bit of complication for Eastern Randolph and Southwestern Randolph because this conference version leaves five football-playing schools. So with four league games, that’s six non-conference games needed to fill a 10-game regular-season schedule.
“We’re still working on that,” Kiser said. “A little of it is putting the puzzle pieces together.”
Cates said one less conference game was something Eastern Randolph has addressed immediately, especially since one date to fill will come later in the season. The Wildcats have tentative agreements with five schools for non-conference games and have been working on setting up a sixth.
Carrboro has been moved to a Class 4A/5A group that includes Cedar Ridge, Durham School of the Arts, Orange, Seaforth, South Granville and Oxford Webb.
Schools can still appeal the realignments, but those would go directly to the NCHSAA board rather than the realignment committee. The board is expected to hold a special session to approve the conferences.
For the other five schools in Randolph County that are in the NCHSAA, there have been no changes to proposed conference alignments since the initial draft revealed in December.
