Cobleskill-Richmondville will join the Western Athletic Conference for sports next school year, 2024-25.
WAC schools approved the admission of C-R and Johnstown last week.
Those two schools applied to the WAC a year ago, but Johnstown withdrew its application. WAC schools then voted 8-3 to deny C-R admission then.
Johnstown reapplied this past spring, and C-R also resubmitted its application.
C-R will be leaving the Colonial Council in which it’s one of the smallest schools.
Also, most of the Colonial schools are in suburban areas, and C-R will be joining more rural schools––Middleburgh and Schoharie, for instance––in the WAC.
C-R officials sought the switch for competitive balance and also to play neighboring similar schools.
There was some concern among WAC athletic directors and superintendents that C-R and Johnstown are larger than most WAC schools.
However, the proposal a year ago would have split WAC schools into large and small divisions so that large schools don’t dominate.
That plan doesn’t necessarily remain in place. According to a C-R news release, “there is time to work out those details.”
The switch to the WAC affects all sports except football, indoor track and boys’ volleyball.
C-R had been in the Colonial Council for 20 years.