VALLEY CITY, ND (NewsDakota.com)  The drive for three divisions of high school basketball has hit it’s first threshold required by the North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA).

Valley City Superintendent Josh Johnson, representing the focus group spearheading the effort, announced Wednesday that the 75th letter of support from the NDHSAA membership, which represents 60% of the membership, a threshold required by the association before the board would consider the plan.

Plan details would put schools with 180-575 students in grades 9-12 in the middle division of basketball.  The divsion would contain 27 teams split into two regions.  The east would include Carrington, Central Cass, Devils Lake, Dunseith, Fargo Oak Grove, Four Winds-Minnewauken, Grafton, Hillsboro-Central Valley, Kindred, Lisbon, Northern Cass, Thompson, Turtle Mountain, Valley City, and Wahpeton.

West-region teams would include Beulah, Bismarck Shiloh Christian, Bottineau, Des Lacs-Burlington, Dickinson Trinity, Hazen, Heart River, Killdeer, Nedrose, New Town, Rugby, Stanley, South Prairie and Watford City.

The focus group for the three-class basketball plan has received the necessary 60% support from member schools and will now request to propose the official plan to the NDHSAA Board of Directors on or before Monday, November 14, 2022.

Valley City Public Schools Superintendent Josh Johnson said the current two divisions in ND basketball has been in place for the past 59 years. He said the focus group is proposing the addition of a third class in basketball that will aim to improve competitive balance, increase student participation, and allow more schools to compete in the sport of basketball in ND. Johnson talked about the next step.

This is a developing story.  Check here for further details throughout the day.