Poll: With or without Capital, 3A league alignment tricky

The 15 Class 3A schools that comprise the West Central District — as well as Capital, which recently was accepted in the Southwest District — will consider before Wednesday's deadline what their league alignment will look like beginning in the 2016-17 school year.

South Puget Sound League or Narrows League? Super league or two separate leagues? You decide. Here are a few scenarios (certainly not every scenario) compiled by The News Tribune and The Olympian.

Option I: NARROWS/SOUTH PUGET SOUND LEAGUE

This scenario splits the 16 schools geographically, with Bonney Lake being the most eastern school and Central Kitsap being the farthest north. Those eight schools would comprise one league or division (depending on whether the schools pitch to be part of one league or two separate). Shelton is the farthest west of the schools and Yelm the farthest south, so they would form the basis for the second.

LEAGUE/DIVISION A

• Bonney Lake
• Central Kitsap
• Gig Harbor
• Lincoln
• Mount Tahoma
• Peninsula
• Stadium
• Wilson

LEAGUE/DIVISION B

• Bethel
• Capital
• Lakes
• North Thurston
• Shelton
• Spanaway Lake
• Timberline
• Yelm

OPTION II: NARROWS/SPSL

Split the Narrows Bridge schools (Central Kitsap, Gig Harbor and Peninsula) and the Tacoma schools (Lincoln, Mount Tahoma, Stadium and Wilson). This keeps schools from having to cross the bridge more than others

LEAGUE/DIVISION A

• Bethel
• Bonney Lake
• Lakes
• Lincoln
• Gig Harbor
• Peninsula
• Spanaway Lake
• Wilson

LEAGUE/DIVISION B

• Capital*
• Central Kitsap
• Mount Tahoma
• North Thurston
• Shelton
• Stadium
• Timberline
• Yelm

*Member of Southwest District

OPTION III: NARROWS/SPSL

If Capital decides to stay in the Southwest District, where it was already accepted , that leaves the other 15 teams to decide their league alignment. This scenario preserves the leagues similarly to this school year — with the only change sending Central Kitsap and Gig Harbor to a division mostly comprised of current SPSL schools.

LEAGUE/DIVISION A

• Bethel
• Bonney Lake
• Central Kitsap
• Gig Harbor
• Lakes
• Peninsula
• Spanaway Lake

LEAGUE/DIVISION B

• Lincoln
• Mount Tahoma
• North Thurston
• Shelton
• Stadium
• Timberline
• Wilson
• Yelm

3A GREATER SAINT HELENS LEAGUE

• Capital
• Evergreen of Vancouver
• Fort Vancouver
• Hudson Bay
• Kelso
• Mountain View
• Prairie

OPTION IV: NARROWS/SPSL

This scenario is similar to the first, but with Capital part of the Greater Saint Helens League. It splits the schools geographically.

LEAGUE/DIVISION A

• Bethel
• Lakes
• North Thurston
• Shelton
• Spanaway Lake
• Timberline
• Yelm

LEAGUE/DIVISION B

• Bonney Lake
• Central Kitsap
• Gig Harbor
• Lincoln
• Mount Tahoma
• Peninsula
• Stadium
• Wilson

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Poll: With or without Capital, 3A league alignment tricky."