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Show j f .Spotlight on Sports By Don Robinson Realignment of leagues and some more changes -in qualifying requirements were discussed this week with both good and bad results for Moab. The bad news, in my opinon, is the creation of a league in basketball that would combine the northern and southern division of the old Region Six with the exclus-ion exclus-ion of Union, Uintah and Manilla. ; '' That would mean Moab and San r. i 1 Juan (the only AA schools), Monti- cello, Greenriver, East Carbon, Du- chesne, Altamont and Tabiona would j, f ' , comprise the region. It would also ' n mean some traveling that borders on ! fp the ridiculous and a league season of ar.,...-n- 14 games startingin early December. Imagine San Juan having to travel to Tabiona and Altamont. That's-240 That's-240 mles from Moab plus 70 more from Blanding. -1 can't see how such an arrangement can be acceptable when the UHSAA prohibits round trips of over 600 miles. For Moab and San Juan the season hinges on beating each other anyway. The good news of the discussion is that it looks like the Class AA winner from this region would automatically automa-tically qualify for the state tourney. That, despite the reduction in tourney teams from 16 to eight. That makes little more sense than the winner this year having hav-ing to travel across the state to qualify for a 16 team tourney. School boards from San Juan and Grand once got their backs up and said their football teams would not make trips to the Uintah Basin. So maybe the latest answer is still not the answer. There's no question that some pople, both educators and others, have been disturbed over the amount of school time missed because of long trips and extended playoffs. Had Moab continued to win in basketball this year they would have missed six out of nine school days in a two week period and played eight games in eleven days That's a bit too much. If this mild weather continues, look for some fine early season baseball games, low golf scores ( and record breaking performances in track and field. Utah has been plagued for years with a short spring season and many are talking of a summer or fall baseball season. This year could be different. Tracksters locally have already bettered some of their marks of last year and will threaten five field marks in ther first outng. The golfers, who start competition March 17, have been on the links for two weeks already. |