A newly created third division within the 3A Metro League promises to effectively level the football playing field for the Bainbridge Spartans, who have historically struggled to compete against the selective programs at Seattle private schools.

“Needless to say, we’re thrilled,” said Bainbridge High School Principal Duane Fish. “We’ve been working hard behind the scenes at Metro League to affect change for football with regard to competitive balance in divisional alignment.”

The creation of the Valley Division guarantees Bainbridge will no longer be forced to compete against such powerhouse programs as Eastside Catholic, O’Dea or Bishop Blanchet early on, Fish explained.

“We get to play in a division where we can compete week in and week out,” he said. “It’s a game-changer for football on the island as prospective players don’t have to consider facing the best in the state each week in the private schools that previously comprised our division of ‘Bainbridge and the privates.’”

The Valley Division consists of Bainbridge, Chief Sealth, Franklin, Ingraham, Lakeside and Sammamish high schools.

A win against Lakeside proved the Spartans’ only football victory last season. They did not play against any other of their fellow members of the new division last year, though they did in the 2015-16 season, when they bested Ingraham 30-12.

The usual league leaders round out the other two divisions. The Metro Mountain Division will consist of Eastside Catholic, Garfield, O’Dea, Rainier Beach, Roosevelt and Seattle Prep; the Metro Sound Division consists of Ballard, Blanchet, Cleveland, Liberty, Nathan Hale and West Seattle.

“This is tremendous for our football program specifically and can only be a positive for BHS in the long run,” said Kaycee Taylor, BHS athletic director.

“For the past four years while I have served as AD I have seen our numbers for football decline for a variety reasons, some of which we have no control over. But by making this change, the Metro League has made a commitment to BHS and the other schools in the league who are working to develop strong programs. In many ways, the Metro League is at the forefront of this issue on the statewide level and BHS is benefiting from this.”

The decision to compete in Metro has long been a contentious one among island sports fans, coaches and student athletes, with football and basketball historically being the most vocal programs in favor of moving to 2A. Metro dissenters cite both an often unrealistic level of competition among Seattle private schools and also the complicated and demanding logistics of traveling to away games on the other side of Puget Sound as reasons to make the switch.

Others say that Bainbridge can and should compete against the best in the state — and the best around are in the Metro. New varsity baseball team Co-head Coach Bill Ackerley recently confirmed that he and fellow Co-Head Coach Doug McCombs thought the team to be in the right spot.

“The best baseball teams in the whole state are in Metro and we’ve always competed very well in Metro,” Ackerley said. “We’re where we should be.”

It seems one’s sport of choice aligns whether you believe the Spartans should stay or go. Sports with more well-established youth programs and active booster participation, both obvious contributors to success at the varsity level, seem to hold their own — or better — in Metro, while some others flounder, even with those assets, in the face of talent-magnet programs like O’Dea.

“We need to look at all our programs to see if the Metro League is the best fit for BHS,” Taylor said. “If you just look at this year, you can see that all of our teams made it to some level of postseason play and that several programs brought home Metro League Championships in the fall and winter. And we expect a strong showing in the spring.

“Historically, BHS has also done well in Metro even though it is arguably the most competitive league in the state for nearly every sport,” he added. “So to me the question is not whether or not we should be 2A, but rather what league is the best fit for our athletes. That question has been answered time and again, and it remains the Metro League.”

The new setup will allow for more abundant postseason opportunities for every team, Taylor explained.

“The creating of three divisions still provides a manner for teams to make the playoffs based on their divisional record and each year the divisions will be reorganized based on those records. This creates opportunity for teams to compete against other teams at the same competitive level,” he said.

“If you look at many leagues in the state, or even the results of postseason games, there is often a disparity of competitiveness within leagues. In the Olympic League, for example, you have football powerhouse teams like [North Kitsap] and teams who did not win a game the entire season. The same phenomena can be seen in Cascade League, SSC, Greater St. Helens League, Central WA Athletic Conference.”

Fish praised the decision by the leaders and athletic directors of Metro for being “the first conference in Washington, at least that we are aware of, [to have] the courage and leadership to move to competitive balance for improved safety and the preservation of high school football at several schools in our conference.”

Whether the creation of a new division is the happy medium solution to Bainbridge’s “stay or go” dilemma, or a stubborn compromise, it will undoubtedly make for some of the most exciting island football in recent memory when the BHS varsity team returns to the field in the fall, led by returning Head Coach Jeff Rouser in his second year at the helm after having taken over for longtime Spartan Head Coach Andy Grimm.

“The entire football staff, the football parents and the football boosters have been very supportive and interested in making this change to provide the best experience for our kids,” Taylor said. “Everyone is interested in building a strong football program and this change in divisions gives us the opportunity to grow, improve and get more kids involved in football — all of which are specific goals of Jeff and his coaches.

“The Metro League recognized the value in creating these balanced divisions,” he added. “It shows the commitment of all league member schools to provide the same competitive and safe environment for all of the athletes for each school. This has been in the works for the last few years with adjustments with football schedules for some teams, like Lakeside and BHS, but now that the Metro League has a plan in place that is comprehensive and meets the ends of all schools, it will be a significant boost to our football program.”