It is “down the road,” but it is not to early to talk about the big realignment of high school sports teams in the Central Section, including Dos Palos and Firebaugh.
With 115 schools ranging geographically from the Central Coast in the west to the “mountain schools” in the Eastern Ranges, the Central Section board of directors recently voted unanimously to approve a new realignment plan that will go into effect with the 2026-27 school year.
Locally, the six-team West Sierra League will disappear. It will be replaced by the new Northwest Athletic Conference and will feature a 12-team league.
The current members of the WSL remain: Avenal, Coalinga, Dos Palos, Firebaugh, Mendota, and Tranquility. The schools that will be added to the new NAC are Chowchilla, Fresno Christian, Liberty-Madera Ranchos, Minarets-O’Neals, Sierra-Tollhouse, and Yosemite-Oakhurst.
Irene Lelandais, in her sixth year as the athletic director at Dos Palos High, commented that there is still plenty of work to be done before the August 2026 start date.
For instance, there will not be an 11-game “league” schedule.
“We have 12 teams, but the plan is to divide the conference into two different divisions,” she said. “We’re still kind of working it out.”
The thought of Avenal, way out in the western foothills, travelling to Oakhurst in the eastern foothills, a distance of 105 miles one way, is one of the considerations that needs to be worked out, said Lelandais.
“The geographical part obviously needs to be addressed, and we will try to make it work,” she explained.
The plan is to incorporate competitiveness and accessibility when the two divisions are organized and finalized.
“We want to make this a good experience for all of our students and best for all the teams in the new conference,” she added. “But I think it is going to be a really good thing.”
When the change does come, Mendota High head football coach Beto Mejia will be looking forward to it.
The dean of West Sierra League football coaches with 13 years of service, Mejia called the NAC a good league.
“The schools are close by,” he explained. “these are schools/towns that the youth teams play against, so there is familiarity. It will be very competitive every week so this should prepare your team for the playoffs.”
