By Jim Crowhurst
First published August 2017, updated since then.
It is hard to think of our leagues being messed with but it really is not that unusual.
As you hopefully know next year for the 2018-19 school year new leagues will be set up changing the NBL/SCL into three leagues. See the bottom of this story for how that turned out.
Here is some history I’ve dug up so far showing how the track scene has changed over the year’s. For the most part this applies to cross country as well.
And as you will see changes to our leagues have been going on since the first one was created.
Petaluma, opened in 1873, Ukiah and Santa Rosa 1875, are three of the oldest high schools in all of California, Santa Rosa was the 9th high school chartered in the state’s history.
Healdsburg came along shortly after in 1880 with Sonoma Valley 1895 and Analy 1909 all starting before the North Bay Track League or the State meet were formed.
Before the NBL was created the Redwood Empire had lots to brag about in the track world.
Even before the turn of the century, no not 2000, but 1900, we produced some of the best preps in the world.
Ukiah’s Arthur Henley was the 1898-99 Cal-Hi Sports Athlete of Year, check out this great jumper.
Healdsburg’s Ralph Rose was the 1902-03 Cal-Hi Sports Athlete of Year and he went on to be a competitor in three Olympic Games, compiling a medal total of three golds, two silver and one bronze, plus many world records. Check him out here.
By 1915 California had it’s first State meet with Santa Rosa’s Wayne Weeks 1st shot put 46-2 3/8 and Clifford Merritt 1st discus 113-0 (2 kilo) becoming our first State Champs.
Our first league
NBL’s first league track finals took place back on May 7, 1921.
Santa Rosa won that one and I know Napa, Petaluma and Analy were all members and I assume Ukiah, Healdsburg and Sonoma Valley were probably in it as well.
You will probably be surprised by all the schools that have won the NBL boys titles.
In order Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Analy, Vallejo, Tamalpais, San Rafael, Napa, Drake, Montgomery, Piner, Cardinal Newman, Elsie Allen, Rancho Cotate and Maria Carrillo.
The girls started in 1975 and since then only five schools have ever won the NBL pennant with Santa Rosa 18 and Maria Carrillo 16 winning most of them with Ukiah 4 and Montgomery and Petaluma winning 2 each.
Back to league makeups.
I know by 1926 Vallejo and Tamalpais were in the NBL.
And in 1932 San Rafael won the NBL title.
St Helena was an NBL member in 1935, they later ruled the NCL I from 1960-1975 losing only 1972 to Cloverdale.
Also in 1935 the NBL would change from two divisions Varsity & JV to three divisions Varsity, “B’s” & “C”. The “C” division would be dropped after 1970.
1956 saw Drake High win the NBL title.
Now that the city of Santa Rosa has five public high schools it seems strange to think that none of the Empire’s local cities had more than one high school but that first changed in 1959 when Montgomery was opened.
Montgomery joined the NBL in 1959 with Napa winning with 77 pts that year, to Healdsburg’s 45, Montgomery 38, Ukiah 24.5, Analy 22.5, Petaluma 14.5, Clear Lake 7 and Tomales and Calistoga both at 0. Not sure why Santa Rosa is not listed but Vikings did win dual meet over the Panthers that year.
The new school, Montgomery, would win all of the varsity titles from 1962-1967, minus 1964, and then win six of the ten titles in the 70’s.
Those first nine years would be lead by coach Bob Acquistapace who besides the league titles would also win two NCS division 3 titles and with a little help from a kid named Mel Gray take a team 2nd place finish at State in 1967.
Sometime I should do a piece on long time coaches. Guys like Jimmy Underhill, Doug Johnson, Louie Rosales “is there a school this guy has not coached at”, Chip Castleberry and others with a decade of coaching or more.
In 1962 a new league called the Northwestern was created with Willits ruling the first three years.
In 1965 a new league called the NCL II was created with Kelsyville ruling the first two years. In 1981 the Northwestern league merged into the NCL II.
Also in 1965 another new league called the NBL II was created with Analy taking the first title, appears that Rancho Cotate entered this league as a new school in 1966 with Piner following in 1967 and Cardinal Newman in 1969. The NBL II would change it’s name to the Sonoma County League in 1972.
In 1968 the new league’s were re-alignment again shown below.
NBL I
Hogan
Montgomery
Napa
Petaluma
Santa Rosa
Ukiah
Vallejo
NBL II
Analy
El Molino
Healdsburg
Piner
Sonoma Valley
First sign of Casa Grande was at the 1974 SCL finals which was won by Rancho Cotate.
1975 Girls divisions were added to both the NBL & SCL.
In 1976 Napa and Vintage were part of the NBL for the last time before moving out of the NCS to join the Sac-Joaquin Section.
Of course this whole article is because these two schools are coming back soon and looks like they will join our Casa Grande, Petaluma and Sonoma Valley plus Justin-Siena and American Canyon in a new Redwood Empire league.
1976 NBL looked like this.
Hogan
Montgomery
Napa
Petaluma
Santa Rosa
Ukiah
Vallejo
Vintage
1976 SCL looked like this.
Analy
Cardinal Newman
Casa Grande
El Molino
Healdsburg
Piner
Rancho Cotate
Sonoma Valley
After just one year the league’s were re-alignment again to this.
1977 NBL
Cardinal Newman
Montgomery
Petaluma
Rancho Cotate
Santa Rosa
Ukiah
1977 SCL
Analy
Casa Grande
El Molino
Healdsburg
Piner
Sonoma Valley
1987 Piner moves to the NBL while Petaluma in moves to the SCL.
Elsie Allen was added to the NBL in 1995 and Maria Carrillo in 1997.
Windsor was added to the SCL in 1998.
In 2013 Casa Grande and Windsor move to the NBL while Piner and Elsie Allen move to the SCL.
2017 North Bay League
Cardinal Newman
Casa Grande
Maria Carrillo
Montgomery
Rancho Cotate
Santa Rosa
Ukiah
Windsor
2017 Sonoma County League
Analy
El Molino
Elsie Allen
Healdsburg
Petaluma
Piner
Sonoma Valley
For the 2018/19 Season, for both our sports, schools were realigned into three different leagues.
Because of the addition of some Napa schools moving back into the NCS.
Every two years the NBL will readjust their two divisions.
Listed next to school is enrollment numbers for 2017
(Top 6 schools) North Bay League “Oak”
Healdsburg 607
Maria Carrillo 1601
Montgomery 1613
Piner 1170
Santa Rosa 2024
Ukiah 1715
(6 schools) North Bay League “Redwood”
Analy 1200
Cardinal Newman 621
El Molino 600
Elsie Allen 1082
Rancho Cotate 1476
Windsor 1805
Vine Valley Athletic League (7 schools) 3 of ours plus the new guys
American Canyon 1564
Casa Grande 1708
Justin-Siena 627
Napa 2045
Petaluma 1382
Sonoma Valley 1293
Vintage 1966
The first season of the new realignment saw neither the cross country or track seasons have normal league finals.
The 2018 cross country season had all the area league finals cancelled because of unsafe air quality from major fires during that time.
The 2019 track finals ended up having both NBL divisions having a combined finals because of new NCS rules regarding how athletes would qualify to the NCS Redwood meet.
Casa Grande and Petaluma, now VVAL, were in the same league for the first time since 2012 when Casa beat Petaluma by one point for the SCL track title.
The 2019 cross country season had a normal season but the Track & Field season ended before they even got to league meets in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some history on these cancellations
The school principles have already chosen new alignments for the 2020 & 2021 cross country seasons as shown below.
North Bay League “Oak”
Maria Carrillo 1601
Montgomery 1613
Piner 1170
Santa Rosa 2024
Windsor 1805
North Bay League “Redwood”
Analy 1200
Cardinal Newman 621
El Molino 600
Elsie Allen 1082
Healdsburg 607
Rancho Cotate 1476
St. Vincent 234
Ukiah 1715
With only five schools in the Oak division it will be the first time since the late 1960’s since we will have had a league that small.
St. Vincent was approved to move from the Coastal Mountain Conference into the North Bay League “Redwood” division. Founded in 1915. So far St. Vincent has never fielded a full team in any NBL meets.
Both the 2020 and 2021 league finals were canceled because of the pandemic.
The 2021/22 season saw El Molino close and most of the students from that area moved to the Analy campus with a rebranding name of West County.
That West County school was moved to the North Bay League “Oak” division.
North Bay League “Oak”
Maria Carrillo
Montgomery
Piner
Santa Rosa
West County/ Analy
Windsor
North Bay League “Redwood”
Cardinal Newman
Elsie Allen
Healdsburg
Rancho Cotate
St. Vincent
Ukiah
The 2022/23 season saw West County go back to the name Analy and moved back down to Redwood division.
For the 2024/25 season Piner is moving to Redwood division and Analy to the Oak.