Xavier to join ranks of the Premier Region

The Arizona Interscholastic Association’s divisions and regions seem to change every couple of years, due to the ebb and flow of attendance across the state.

The organization has made some adjustments for 2016-17 and at least one year after that, some of which will affect the athletes at Xavier Prep.

Xavier and brother school Brophy Prep (they are considered as one school) will be members of the new 6A conference Premier Region, which will be used in all of the team sports. All of the schools will remain under the Division I umbrella for individual sports such swimming and diving, golf, tennis and cross country, etc.

The Premier Region will feature Xavier/Brophy and all of the schools in the Chandler district – Chandler Basha, Chandler Hamilton, Chandler High and Perry, which is in Gilbert but is a Chandler school. Xavier previously was in a region consisting primarily of Mesa schools.

“We have no objection to the placement,’’ said XCP athletic director Sr. Lynn Winsor. “We are the only 6A conference-region with five schools. All the rest are larger.

“In many sports, the Chandler schools are the best, and when you add Xavier and Brophy to the region, we are a very competitive region. We believe that to get better, you must play the better teams and the Premier Region has really good teams.

“We (schools) voted to be called the Premier Region mainly because when you look at the number of state titles and runner-ups, the five schools in our region, as it is now set, it’s a lot of state titles. And Premier means top of the line or first class.’’

Schedules will be posted on the AIA Web site, azpreps365.com, as they become available.

2016-17 conferences

Metro Region

Phoenix Alhambra

Phoenix Central

Laveen Cesar Chavez

Phoenix Maryvale

Phoenix North

Phoenix Trevor Browne

Desert Valley Region

Anthem Boulder Creek

Scottsdale Desert Mountain

Phoenix Horizon

Glendale Mountain Ridge

Phoenix Pinnacle

Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor

Southwest Region

Glendale Copper Canyon

Avondale La Joya

Goodyear Millennium

Tolleson

Surprise Valley Vista

Avondale Westview

East Valley Region

Mesa Dobson

Mesa

Mesa Mountain View

Mesa Red Mountain

Mesa Skyline

Mesa Westwood

Southern Region

Yuma Cibola

Yuma Kofa

Tucson Rincon

Tucson Sunnyside

Tucson

Premier Region

Chandler Basha

Phoenix Brophy Prep

Chandler

Chandler Hamilton

Gilbert Perry

*PHOENIX XAVIER PREP

Central Region

Tempe Corona del Sol

Mesa Desert Ridge

Phoenix Desert Vista

Gilbert

Gilbert Highland

Phoenix Mountain Pointe