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Middle-school sports season realigns; Seamount League shifts several sports
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kevin Ruprecht said the Seamount Middle School League voted to move baseball, fast pitch, track and tennis to fall and cross country, football and volleyball to spring; the district will communicate changes to families.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kevin Ruprecht told the Clover Park School District board that the Seamount Middle School League has voted to realign sports seasons, and he described factors that led to the change and how the district will notify families.
Dr. Ruprecht, who presented the middle‑school athletics update, said the league considered student participation, facility management and neighboring leagues’ schedules when deciding to shift seasons. He said the “largest shift is the fall to spring change, where baseball, fast pitch, track, and tennis will be in the fall, and cross country, football, and volleyball will be in the spring.”
Ruprecht added that girls flag football has been recently sanctioned by the Washington Interscholastic Athletics Administration and that the Seamount League and district leagues are “investigating adding in the sport.” He said two former member districts were invited to rejoin the league—Franklin Pierce School District (Ford’s Middle School and Keithley Middle School) and University Place School District (Curtis Junior High). Franklin Pierce will not rejoin for the upcoming year but may consider 2026–27; Curtis Junior High remains under consideration for 2025–26.
Board members asked operational questions about grade configurations and contact-time rules when seasons shift (for example, eighth-graders moving into ninth grade). Ruprecht said WIAA contact-time rules remain in place and limit contact time where applicable to protect students from overexposure to contact practices. On coaching, Ruprecht said high‑school coaches commonly coach both high‑school and middle‑school teams in many districts, but districts must watch for recruiting rules and conflicts.
Why it matters: Seasonal realignment affects schedules, facility planning and families’ logistics; early notice allows the district to communicate to student-athletes and parents and revise scheduling and transportation.
Ending: Ruprecht said communication to athletes and families will begin after the workshop and the district will monitor how the changes affect participation and scheduling.
