TORRINGTON – The 3A class of soccer teams across the state will experience some change next spring, with the Wyoming High School Activities Association board of directors approving a motion to do away with quadrants and move to conferences.

Currently, there are 12 teams in 3A for soccer, but a motion passed during the 2017 board of directors meeting to move one team up to 4A, so there will be 14 teams in 4A next year, with the rest falling in to 3A.

In this year’s structure, the 3A teams fall into four quadrants, with three teams in each. With Star Valley moving up to 4A next year, based on attendance numbers, it would throw off the Southwest Quadrant, which is comprised of Star Valley, Riverton and Pinedale. The board of directors opted to switch the 3A structure to east and west conferences.

With the current teams, the east conference will be comprised of Torrington, Buffalo, Douglas, Newcastle and Rawlins, while the west is formed by Cody, Powell, Worland, Pinedale, Riverton and Lander. Lyman, who recently formed a team, is playing JV schedules until 2021, before it can move up to the varsity level. If and when that does happen, Riverton will switch to the east conference.

In the new conference structure, teams will have to play each other twice during the regular season. There will be no regional tournaments or play-in games for the state tournament. The top-four teams from both the east and west will advance to the state tournament.