Lake Mead soars into realigned Class 2A

RENO — Say goodbye to one of the best rivalries in Class 1A.

Lake Mead and Pahranagat Valley likely will continue to play each other in basketball and volleyball, and even baseball and softball. It just won’t mean as much.

The two perennial state contenders in most sports will be in different classifications next year after Lake Mead was approved Wednesday to move from Class 1A to Class 2A effective next season.

The battles for region and state titles that have become common will be replaced by non-league matchups.

“The rivalry is really more of a league thing,” Lake Mead boys basketball coach Jeff Newton said. “You’re playing for a league championship, a region championship, a state championship. It’s taken away a little bit when you’re not competing for a championship.”

Pahranagat Valley’s boys basketball team may never have cherished a win as much as the one seen when the Panthers beat the Eagles for the state title two weeks ago.

Lake Mead’s biggest wins in volleyball came two years ago, when the Eagles knocked off Pahranagat Valley for the region and state crowns.

The teams love to win, and love to beat each other.

“The last two years in volleyball and basketball, Pahranagat Valley and Lake Mead played for the region championship and state championship,” Newton said. “Now we can play each other early in the season and go to each other’s tournaments.”

The Eagles applied to the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association to move up a class. It was expected Lake Mead would have to move in two years when a private school multiplier is scheduled to take effect.

“If we didn’t do it now, we would have had to do it in 2012,” Newton said. “The small rural schools haven’t been real competitive for us. It hasn’t been a whole lot of fun. It’s good for Lake Mead, and it’s good for the small, rural schools.”

Lake Mead also can renew acquaintances with former 1A brethren Calvary Chapel and Mountain View.

Newton said Lake Mead stands to save about 6,000 miles in travel in a two-year span as it no longer will have to make league trips to Lund, Tonopah or Round Mountain.

With White Pine and West Wendover moving out of the Class 2A Southern League and into a northern league, Lake Mead’s longest road trip for a league game will be less than two hours.

“Diana (Lewis, Lake Mead’s volleyball coach) and I wanted to do this two years ago, but we were the only two,” Newton said. “It was unanimous with our athletic committee and with our administration.”

LOW MARKS FOR ADELSON SCHOOL — The NIAA’s Board of Control didn’t look favorably on Adelson School’s request to move from independent status to the Class 2A Southern League.

The private school, which does not participate in athletics on Fridays or Saturdays, wasn’t officially refused admittance, but it wasn’t given many high marks, either.

“The feedback I have gotten from a lot of the 2A isn’t good,” said Needles athletic director Bill Darrow, who cited complaints about facilities and scheduling in what would be a nine-team league. “The schedule isn’t conducive.”