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Polk County remained in a potential reformation of the old Western Highlands Conference in the latest draft of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s realignment proposal for the 2025-2029 period.

On Tuesday, the NCHSAA Realignment Committee released the second draft of its proposed conferences beginning this fall. The NCHSAA realigns schools every four years into conferences, with the current process based solely on student enrollment.

The latest draft keeps Polk County in a seven-team 2A/3A conference with 2A members Avery and Mitchell and 3A members Hendersonville, Madison, Mountain Heritage and Owen. Those seven schools comprised the Western Highlands Conference for many years until Polk County and Hendersonville were moved into the Mountain Foothills 7 Conference in the current alignment.

Elsewhere in Western North Carolina, the second draft includes a massive 4A/5A conference that would include 11 schools – 4A members Brevard, East Henderson, Pisgah and Tuscola and 5A members Enka, Erwin, Franklin, North Buncombe, North Henderson, Smoky Mountain and West Henderson.

The draft places Asheville, A.C. Reynolds and T.C. Roberson in a new 6A/7A conference that includes Freedom, South Caldwell, Watauga and McDowell.

Remaining in the plan is the large 1A/2A conference that includes 2A schools Cherokee, Hayesville, Murphy and Swain and 1A members Andrews, Blue Ridge Early College, Highlands, Hiwassee Dam, Nantahala, Robbinsville, Rosman, Summit Charter and Tri-County Early College.

The current MF7 would be split in several places, with Chase, East Rutherford and R-S Central joining a 10-team 3A/4A league that would include Lincolnton, Shelby, West Lincoln, Burns, East Gaston, Lincoln Charter and Cramer. Patton, meanwhile, would move into a 3A/4A league with Ashe County, East Burke, Hibriten, Draughn and West Caldwell.

Schools have until January 28 to submit concerns about the second draft. A third draft is expected to be released in February that likely will be the final version that will go this spring to the NCHSAA Board of Directors for approval.