Football in SW Washington is on the verge of a major facelift in Class 2A.
The Evergreen Conference and Greater St. Helens League are in the process of merging the two leagues as one for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. News was first reported by the Tacoma News Tribune and confirmed by The Chronicle.
W.F. West athletic director Tommy Elder confirmed on Wednesday the merger is finalized. What remains on the table is a path to the postseason and how the league is shaped for the next two years. And how it looks for the potential future, with the new re-classification cycle due up for the 2028-29 year.
Elder stated there will be a meeting next week to hash out the final parameters.
“We have agreed in principle, just have to work out the details,” Elder said.
Tumwater AD Jordan Magrath feels this is the best decision moving forward for the EvCo.
“Trying to find a solution that works for everybody,” Magrath stated.
Centralia will reportedly not be part of the merger and has yet to determine its future for 2026. The 1A Evergreen League could be a potential landing spot. For a few seasons in the 2010s, both Aberdeen and Rochester played in a hybrid 2A/1A league.
Shelton already plays the 3A GSHL teams, which leaves four 2A programs in the league: Tumwater, W.F. West, Black Hills and Aberdeen.
In December, the EvCo petitioned to join the GSHL for football only and was rejected. Magrath and Elder confirmed that it was reversed by the District 4 Executive Board on Tuesday.
The eight 2A GSHL teams – Washougal, Columbia River, Ridgefield, Mark Morris, Woodland, Hockinson, Hudson’s Bay and R.A. Long – would welcome the aforementioned four into a brand new 12-team league.
One of the primary factors for this move is non-league scheduling. With only a handful of teams in the EvCo, weeks 1-5 have been difficult to fill.
“That’s why our conversations came up early,” Magrath said. “We can’t wait until March to find those games, we need to know as soon as possible.”
W.F. West head coach Dan Hill said finding non-league games was “not doable.” His initial thoughts on the merger were positive.
“Kind of sad our league is deteriorating, but combining with the GSHL, it is a great thing for both leagues,” he said. “I think we got something in the works to get it organized.”
There are travel hiccups for the GSHL. Washougal playing Aberdeen — the most extreme potential road trip for the two leagues — would be a 2.5 hour drive.
It was one of the reasons why the first petition last month was shut down. Nearly every school from the GSHL will need to travel at least 40 minutes one-way to play an EvCo team.
“We took two factors into consideration,” Elder said. “Travel and competitive balance. In all scenarios, those are factors we looked at to create a template. We’re pretty happy with the GSHL to get to this point.”
There are two viable options for how the league is divided: Three pods of four teams or two divisions of six teams.
However, as of Wednesday, there is no clear path to the postseason. In 2025, the EvCo had two teams automatically get into the Round of 32 and the GSHL had three. Aberdeen and Mark Morris faced off in a play-in game the Tuesday prior to reach the Round of 32.
That pigtail contest would be eliminated under the new league.
“The goal is to get the best teams allocated into the Round of 32,” Magrath said.
Hill said all he cares about is stepping onto the field and letting things get decided between the white lines.
“To play each other consistently, it is a good deal for everybody,” Hill said. “It will be a lot of fun. You still have to compete.”
The potential of two leagues – which, in every other sport, play each other to determine state bids – is something even Elder admits is fascinating.
“I think it is great,” he said. “It is a real credit to the GSHL to be open to that conversation and willing to work with us.”
