Several high schools will combine in the new North Central Washington Region for athletic competition this season. The schools involved elected to take this regional opportunity for scheduling interscholastic competition after the governor’s “Roadmap to Recovery” plan stated counties would be grouped together by region, according to a statement released by Moses Lake High School athletic director Loren Sandhop.

The conference will span three WIAA districts and seven athletic leagues. Local schools included in the new regional group include: Moses Lake, Ephrata, Quincy, Royal, Wahluke, Warden, Almira Coulee-Hartline, Moses Lake Christian Academy, Soap Lake and Wilson Creek.

Moses Lake will be one of three 4A schools involved, joined by Eastmont and Wenatchee. Ephrata is the only 2A school in the regional league. The state Department of Health allows school-based athletics contests to begin once a region has reached Phase 2.

The first date for practices for Season 1, including fall sports, is tentatively set for Feb. 22, with football beginning on Feb. 16. Competitions will begin Feb. 27 for most sports, with football kicking off March 4.

Spring sports in Season 2 will presumably begin practices two days after Season 1 ends on April 5 and go through May 15. Winter sports will kick off two days later and wrap up on June 19.

Details on how balancing competition will be done and how schedules will be divided were still being determined Thursday.

Casey McCarthy can be reached via email at cmccarthy@columbiabasinherald.com.