6:10 p.m. update…

The focus is sharpening a bit. After several more phone conversations with many people on the high school scene — including one administrator who is vacationing at Disney World (oops, sorry to bother you) – I do not believe that the nine Lake schools officially voted to withdraw from the conference … at least not yet. But today’s actions are clearly a threat that is being levied at the MSHSL if it does not change its stance on placing the four Classic Lake schools in the Lake.

It’s pretty simple. The Lake would have accepted two teams from the Classic Lake. They got all four and they are angry. Now they are threatening the MSHSL, saying in essence: “Give us all four and you’ll end up with another five-team conference.”

We shall see if either side backs down. The MSHSL can stand by its decision and the Lake can do nothing about it. Except, of course, the much-discussed Dakota County conference can be brought to life, with the probable addition of both Bloomington schools. Which would mean the five-team league (Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Wayzata) would be a reality anyway.

Either way, at some point the Lake is likely to break apart, leaving Eden Prairie in a league with the four Classic Lake schools … any maybe nobody else.

I’ve got to concentrate on writing a story for tomorrow’s paper. More updates will follow here if anything major happens this evening.

5:15 p.m. update…  

I just got off the phone with Bloomington Jefferson principal Steve Hill, who, as chairman of the executive committee of the Lake Conference, was in charge of today’s meeting. He denied that the nine Lake schools voted to withdraw from the league. He said the only official action taken was a vote against appealing the placement of the Classic Lake schools into the Lake.

He did say that discussions continued after the on-the-record portion of the meeting ended. From our chat, I believe that some in the Lake are so offended by the placement of four new schools that they are firing a shot across the bow of the MSHSL. Hill made it clear that he wants the MSHSL to change the decision to add four schools to the Lake.

During a presentation to the placement committee earlier this month, the Lake said it was willing to accept two teams from the Classic Lake. But they are not happy taking all four.

“If the high school league makes some kind of determination that all four schools would not go into the Lake Conference, that could change all this speculation,” Hill said. “If two went north (to the Northwest Suburban) and two went south (to the Lake), or one north and three south, a very likely outcome is that we would run it as is; the Lake Conference would become a little bigger and we would go with that for a number of years. I think the concept that we voted out Eden Prairie, that’s inncaurate.”

When I told Hill that Mike Grant is certainly under the impression that his school has been voted off the island (see Grant quotes below), Hill said, “I can’t speak for what anyone told Mike Grant.”

This is pretty good intrigue for the high school world.

3:40 update …  

More details from today’s Lake Conference meeting:

–During the meeting, representatives from Eden Prairie made a motion to appeal the MSHSL decision that placed Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Wayzata in the Lake. That motion was seconded and much discussion followed. Ultimately, that motion failed on a voice vote.

–Chaska and Chanhassen were not represented at the meeting, a sure sign that they are being fast-tracked into the Missota for 2010-11. Northfield superintendent Dr. Chris Richardson confirmed to me that the Missota has received their letter of application. He said, “From my personal perspective, I think they look at us and with the size of their schools, they’re going to fit very nicely with the other conference schools.”

–The Lake schools are expected to announce their impending withdrawal from the conference in August, and their departure  would be effective in the fall of 2010. But when in August is key. The MSHSL board of directors will meet Aug. 11, and on the agenda is the placement of the four Classic Lake schools into the Lake in 2010. If the Lake announcement is made before Aug. 11, the board may not approve the Classic Lake placement. In other words, expect the Lake announcement to come no earlier than Aug. 12. 

Here’s a quote from Hopkins athletic director Dan Johnson: “All we want is a schedule and a place to play.”

And this from MSHSL executive director Dave Stead: “There are so many unknowns we have to figure out what the potential scenarios are.”

“I’m surprised. I really am. I knew the potential for something like this was there, but I didn’t know it would be there this quickly.”

3:30 P.M. UPDATE…

Reaction from Eden Prairie athletic director/football coach Mike Grant: “It’s the end of the Lake and it’s a sad day. That’s what everybody wanted. Nobody wanted to play us.”

“I don’t think they’re going to allow five schools in a conference again. Everybody will appeal and be placed. You know that’s going to happen.”

“It is what it is. I imagine we’ll still be playing. We have to play some games. Somebody has to play us.”

“They had this planned from day one. It was a given.” 

ORIGINAL POST … 

Lake Conference administrators met today, and the presumed purpose of the meeting was to decide whether to appeal last week’s decision by the MSHSL to add four Classic Lake Conference schools to the Lake lineup, beginning with the 2010-11 school year. As things turned out, the Lake went much, much further than that.

Because of the decisions made today, here’s what the landscape could look like in the fall of 2010 …

–Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Wayzata will be in one five-team conference;

–Apple Valley, Eagan, Eastview, Rosemount, Lakeville North, Lakeville South, Burnsville, Bloomington Kennedy and Bloomington Jefferson will be in another conference;

–Chaska and Chanhassen will be new members of the Missota Conference. 

I’m working on more details and will post further updates.

John Millea is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stribjohn�

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