SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: News

Vista, RBV to join Avocado League for 2004-05 season

By Joe Naiman
Village News Correspondent

The CIF San Diego Section's Board of Managers has approved a realignment of the North County Conference in which Vista High School and Rancho Buena Vista High School will join Fallbrook High School and other teams in the Avocado League.

The February 3 approval follows a December 10 recommendation for approval by the CIF San Diego Section's Coordinating Council. The realignment will be effective for the 2004-05 academic year.

The North County Conference will gain a 19th school in 2004-05 when Mission Hills High School in San Marcos opens. The North County Conference was last realigned for the 2002-03 academic year when Westview High School opened.

Fallbrook will remain in the Avocado League, as will Carlsbad, El Camino, and Oceanside. Vista and Rancho Buena Vista will move from the Palomar League to the Avocado League.

La Costa Canyon and Mount Carmel, which are currently in the Avocado League, will move to the Palomar League, where they will be joined by Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Torrey Pines and Westview. Mission Hills and San Marcos will both be in the Valley League, which will also include Escondido, Orange Glen, Ramona, San Pasqual, and Valley Center. San Marcos is currently in the Palomar League and Westview is currently in the Valley League.

The North County Conference consisted of two leagues until Valley Center High School became the 17th school after opening in September 1998. The Valley League joined the Avocado League and Palomar Leagues as part of that realignment. Fallbrook High School, which had been in the Palomar League, returned to the Avocado League for the 1998-99 seasons.

The North County Conference was realigned for 2000-01 with San Marcos joining the Avocado League, Torrey Pines moving from the Avocado League to the Palomar League, and Oceanside moving from the Avocado League to the Valley League. The 2002-03 realignment moved San Marcos to the Palomar League, Mount Carmel to the Avocado League, Oceanside to the Avocado League for all sports except for football, and Poway to the Avocado League for football only. Westview fielded a varsity football team for the 2003 season, allowing Poway to return to the Palomar League for that sport and Oceanside to participate in Avocado League competition for all sports.