Conferences or Districts: Which is Better?

Throughout my high school career, there have been many changes in the teams that the high school athletics face. In my freshman year, we had things called districts, and we represented the Hogoheegee District along with George Wythe, Patrick Henry (PH), Chilhowie, Northwood, and Holston. Nowadays we represent the Mountain West Conference 46, which loses Holston and Patrick Henry and replaces them with Galax and Fort Chiswell. If a person asks me which system is better, I would personally say that districts are better than conferences. The reason I say that is when you win a district game, you win against the people you most likely know. For example, when Rural Retreat beats George Wythe in any sport, it increases the pride that the students have for their school. The same way goes with Holston or PH. However, if we beat Galax, people don't care as much as a local rival. The passion of our school's athletics increases when we play and beat our local rivals. It also feels more important when you play them in a game, you feel a lot more passion playing George Wythe and the Hogo rivals than when you play Bland or Galax. I believe that the conference should be abolished and districts be brought back, because I miss the passionate play of the Hogoheegee District.

Source

-Blake Holmes