By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

It is the rebirth of one era and the end of another.

The North Puget Sound League is returning to the local high school scene for the first time since it folded following the 1998-99 school year, but now the Seamount League is set to disappear.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has set the state's school classifications for four years starting this fall and that triggered the changes.

Kennedy Catholic and Mount Rainier are both among the 16 members of the new NPSL, with Kennedy moving up from the Seamount League along with Hazen and Mount Rainier moving over from the South Puget Sound League.

The NPSL will be a Class 4A league in King County, while the 4A SPSL teams are beyond the Pierce County line.

At the WIAA's announced net enrollment of 639.88, Kennedy is actually small enough to be a 2A school but instead "opted up" so it could join the 4A league. Kennedy was a 3A team along with Hazen in the mostly 2A Seamount League last year.

Mount Rainier is opting up from 3A with its net enrollment of 1,252.51 below the 1,343.29 line for 4A.
Most of the new NPSL is also opting up to 4A, including Hazen, Federal Way, Decatur, Thomas Jefferson, Todd Beamer, Auburn, Auburn-Riverside, Auburn-Mountainview and Enumclaw.

The other members are 4A-sized schools Kent-Meridian, Kentridge, Kentwood, Kentlake and Tahoma.
Meanwhile, the departure of Kennedy and Hazen left the Seamount League with only six members, all of which are 2A-sized and will not opt up.

Renton and Lindbergh are likely destined for the South Puget Sound League's Class 2A grouping, while the three Highline public schools and Foster are joining the Kingco Class 2A division.

Highline, Tyee, Evergreen and Foster will be teamed up with existing Class 2A Kingco schools Liberty and Sammamish to form a six-team league for all sports except football.

Tyee still will not field its own football team but will continue its joint venture with Mount Rainier.

Highline barely missed becoming a 3A school, with its net enrollment of 971.58 just under the 3A line of 971.71.

Evergreen has a net enrollment of 734.41, according to the WIAA, while Tyee has 670.13 and Foster 650.75.

West Seattle and Chief Sealth will remain members of the still 16-member Metro League and are opting up from 2A to 3A along with 10 other Metro schools.

West Seattle has a net enrollment of 702.26 and Chief Sealth checks in at 832.49.

Seattle Lutheran of West Seattle, meanwhile, must move up from the 1B classification to 2B, so it will no longer play eight-man football.

Seattle Lutheran now has an enrollment of 91.75 to put it over the 2B line of 83.00.

Shorewood Christian, also of West Seattle, remains solidly a 1B school with its net enrollment of 29.87. It does not offer football, however.

Seattle Christian remains in the Class 1A Nisqually League.

The Warriors are opting up from 2B to 1A, with a net enrollment of 171.75 below the 1A line of 219.50.

Schools are free to join a bigger classification but cannot move down.