In January, the Colorado High School Activities Association bylaws were amended to allow schools to be reclassified, rather than just play down.
And on Tuesday, Montezuma-Cortez High School became one of the first schools in state history to be reclassified, moving from 4A to 3A in all team sports for the 2016-2018 cycle.
M-CHS will remain in Class 2A in football, which uses different enrollment splits, and falls into Class 3A in individual sports.
The change from 4A to 3A will affect team sports like softball, volleyball, soccer, basketball and baseball.
Activities director Stacey Hall petitioned the Classification and League Organizing Committee, citing the school’s socioeconomic make-up and travel expenses as key points.
With the reclassification, M-CHS will leave the Southwestern League and join Alamosa, Bayfield, Centauri, Monte Vista and Pagosa Springs in the Intermountain League Conference.
The move is bittersweet.
After competing in the Southwestern League for over 50 years, Hall said the tie is broken with emotions.
But M-CHS hopes to be more competitive in the Intermountain League, and it will benefit from the cut in travel costs.
“This is where we belong,” Hall said on Wednesday. “It’s a good thing for our community, it’s a good thing for our school community, and it’s a good competitive league.”