VALLEY CITY, ND  (NewsDakota.com)  An avenue for an emergency co-op agreement, one that is available with stipulations under NDHSAA guidelines, could keep the Barnes County North and Valley City arrangement alive past 2025.

But there’s a catch.

North Dakota’s football classification guidelines provide for an emergency co-op to be considered if certain conditions are met.  Those conditions will take time to flesh out and could hinge on just a few students in either school.

The co-op became an issue when NDHSAA changed their classification numbers that separated the top two from the bottom two classes for the 2025 and 26 seasons.  That number moved to 150, with a combined enrollment of Valley City and Barnes County North at just under 169 students, when adjusted for the Free and Reduced Meals factor.

Valley City chose to eliminate the co-op and play in the A division, rather than play at the AA division, a division that will see turmoil play out in it’s final arrangement.  As it stands now, Minot, Minot North and Horace would play AA football, though they may choose to opt-up.

However, with Western Dakota Association football coaches wary of unbalanced regions and a QRF qualifying formula determining playoff teams, it is unlikely the AA division will be reduced enough to be hospitable for teams like Valley City, Central Cass, and Kindred, the latter two of which are above the cutoff and are forced to play AA.

Meanwhile, Barnes County North must search for other options, having ruled out starting their own nine-man and six-man teams for 2025.  That leaves pursuing co-ops with Jamestown, Griggs-Midkota and perhaps another area team to try to get on the field.

Griggs-Midkota would move back into 11-man football with the co-op in place.  Jamestown likely would not be interested in adding athletes.

Should the Bison athletes not have a chance for varsity football, Barnes County North could apply for an emergency co-op with Valley City after proving they have no options on their own.

However, before the co-op would be granted, a co-op for the following year must be signed.  If the numbers were to edge lower for 2026, the co-op could be signed.  If the numbers for 2026 were not below the 150 male student cutoff, Valley City would again be in a position to decline the offer.

Also, in an emergency co-op for 2025, only seniors at Barnes County North would be eligible for varsity play.  This is due to a stipulation that states if the co-op changes a teams classification, only seniors from the co-oping school would be eligible for varsity action.  Juniors and below could be JV, but not varsity.

That number would change the status of Valley City, which would rule out underclassmen at Barnes County North from being on the field in a varsity game.

The arrangement also comes with a price tag.  Barnes County North would be charged a fee of $500 for every player that plays football as a penalty for filing an emergency co-op, a fee called a “non-compliance fee”.

One final catch, the new division and regional assignment would still be up to the NDHSAA Realignment Committee.  The committee could rule the co-op belongs at the AA level in the end.

Final realignment is expected to take place the week of the Dakota Bowl in November.