One of the two longest-tenured member schools of the Valley Oak League could be on its way out, if the Sac-Joaquin Section’s first proposal for realignment stands.
Under the realignment committee’s current plan for the 2024-2028 cycle, revealed Tuesday in the first of five meetings at The Reserve at Spanos Park, Manteca High would compete in the Division-I Tri-City Athletic League — a considerable leap from the D-III VOL.
“Out of all the schools in the entire Section, we’re the only school that’s been proposed to jump two divisions,” MHS Athletic Director Neil MacDannald said. “I don’t think that’s appropriate, based on the data.”
Current TCAL members are Lincoln of Stockton, St. Mary’s, Tracy, West, Tokay, Lodi and Modesto Christian (basketball only). The proposal has West and Tokay moving to the San Joaquin Athletic Association with Manteca and Edison replacing them.
Meanwhile, Mountain House and Patterson would join Oakdale, Kimball, Central Catholic and Manteca Unified’s East Union and Sierra in the VOL.
The Section focuses on three areas for a school’s placement: enrollment, competitive equity and the scope of sports offered.
MacDannald believes the Buffaloes are fine where they are based on these criteria.
“In my opinion, this is a move based on football perception and that alone,” he said. “I really do think our football program can compete in that league, for sure, but what am I supposed to tell my baseball, basketball and softball programs? We have 17 sports, not just football, and honestly, we only have one league (football) title in the last five years and that was a co-championship with Central Catholic and Oakdale in 2019.
“League realignment should be more about what you do in your league. Playoffs should not matter at all.”
The Buffaloes’ football team has certainly enjoyed their share of success, earning four Section crowns in the last five seasons. Manteca was promoted to Division II this past fall because of the “continued success” rule and was still able to garner its ninth overall championship banner, seven of which were won in Divisions III-IV.
Boys and girls tennis and girls soccer have also claimed Section titles during the current cycle, but MacDannald points out that while Manteca’s athletics program has been competitive across the board, it actually ranks in the middle of the pack. Coming into this academic year, the Buffaloes were No. 4 out of seven on the VOL’s supremacy chart, which takes into account the final league positions of each school in every sport the past three seasons. Oakdale, Sierra and Kimball are the top three, in that order.
And when it comes to scope of sports, Manteca still does have a water polo program and hence offers less sports than all other current members of the VOL.
As for enrollment, Manteca has roughly 1,800 students, and the new-look TCAL would feature Lincoln and Edison, the two largest schools in the Section with around 3,000 each.
There is an assumption that Manteca’s student population is expected to swell in the coming years, but MacDannald referenced the Davis Demographics study on Manteca Unified student projections, prepared in 2021-22, that show the enrollment numbers remaining steady at about 1,900 for the next nine years. MacDannald plans on expanding on all data and his school’s proposals during the next meeting set for Feb. 7 starting at 9 a.m.
“I’m just glad it’s a process,” MacDannald said. “This is not the Section saying, ‘This is it.’”
Another option for Manteca is the Division II Central California Athletic League comprising of competitive large schools in Modesto and Turlock. Or, the Section could designate the VOL as a Division II league that welcomes like-sized, competitive schools in the region such as Patterson, Mountain House and Tracy.
“I think the VOL is a really competitive league overall,” MacDannald said. “Most schools have their niche in what they can really compete in, and there are a couple that compete well in a good majority of sports. I think it’s fair that we’re in this league. If a move has to be made, I think the Division-I TCAL is a bit drastic.”
This is just one of several shakeups that could take place for area schools.
Ripon Christian is another that may take a step up in competition, as the SJS has the Knights moving into the mighty Trans-Valley League where five different schools have earned state championships in football in recent years. The addition of Ripon Christian, one of the smallest schools in the Section with an enrollment typically in the 200-250 range, and Mother Lode League powerhouse Sonora would further strengthen an already-daunting lineup of sports programs.
Lathrop, uprooted from the VOL in the last realignment, is proposed to remain in the Western Athletic Conference, which would bring in Central Valley from the Central California Conference and Livingston from the TVL to replace Mountain House and Los Banos.
Weston Ranch’s transfer out of the VOL was fast-tracked this past year and is now competing in the SJAA.
First-year River Islands in Lathrop is in the VOL, but only at the freshman level with few sports offered. The Section has slotted the Riptide in the Division-VI Central California Athletic Alliance with schools such as Millennium, Big Valley Christian and Venture Academy.
A final proposal will be presented to member schools for a vote on March 27, and if it receives a majority approval, goes to the Board of Managers for another vote in April. The next realignment cycle begins in August 2024.
