Three Rivers joins pre-season meeting

PITTSBURG -- For the first time, Three Rivers League schools will be part of the annual KSEK High School Football Media Day, which will be held here Thursday.

The media day event, which began under sponsorship of KKOW-AM for many years before KSEK took over several years ago, has always included the Southeast Kansas League (SEK) and the Crawford Neosho Cherokee League (CNC).

Inclusion of the Three Rivers League was brought about by Northeast-Arma's switch from the CNC to the TRL, which takes effect this season. Also, KSEK has switched its all-sports format to its FM station at 99.1 and now has a wider coverage area that includes most of the towns and schools in the TRL.

KSEK's format switch was made after the station was awarded the rights to cover Fort Scott Community College athletics earlier this year. KSEK-AM (1340) switched to news/talk at the same time.

Northeast's switch reduces the CNC's membership to eight schools: Colgan, Baxter Springs, Galena, Girard, Frontenac, Erie, Southeast and Riverton. The Three Rivers grows to nine schools with as Northeast joins Uniontown and Oswego as 11-man football schools while Pleasanton, Marmaton Valley, Crest, Chetopa, Altoona-Midway and St. Paul play 8-man football. Jayhawk-Linn will return to the TRL next season but will not compete in league football until the 2012 season as the current two-year scheduling cycle covers 2010 and 2011.

SEK membership remains the same as it has for all but four school years since 1968: Fort Scott, Chanute, Coffeyville, Columbus, Independence, Iola, Labette County, Parsons and Pittsburg (Ottawa was a member for four years from 1987-88 to 1991-92).

The Tribune will have coverage of the media day in Friday's edition.