Chapel Hill, N.C. — At the semi-annual N.C. High School Athletic Association Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, the 2009 Realignment proposal was approved and finalized, meaning the new conferences are official.

The new conferences will be implemented during the 2009-10 school year. The realignment process takes place every four years.

The NCHSAA stated prior to the meeting that there were no appeals on tap from schools or school systems, so the only changes would have to be made by the Board of Directors.

The biggest change in the Triangle area lies inside the Tri-Eight Conference. Holly Springs will leave the Greater Neuse River Conference to join the Tri-Eight Conference, but with no teams dropping from the Tri-Eight, the conference will have a total of nine teams.

This means a limited number of non-conference games, especially in football.

The Greater Neuse River Conference will replace Holly Springs with Harnett Central. The Trojans are moving up to 4-A status from 3-A, and will join the Greater Neuse which remains unchanged otherwise.

The Cap-Seven Conference will remain the same, but will likely receive Heritage High School which will open before the next realignment in 2013. The Realignment Committee, however, was not supposed to consider schools that are not in existance as part of their proposal.

Cardinal Gibbons will move up to 3-A status in 2009, leaving their current 2-A status. Gibbons, who has dominated athletics at the 2-A level in recent years, will join teams such as Oxford Webb and Northwood.

Three Cumberland County schools will be 3-A schools in 2009. Westover, Douglas Byrd, and Gray's Creek will be in a 3-A conference with Western Harnett, Southern Lee, Overhils, and Union Pines.

The remaining schools in Cumberland County will reamin at 4-A status, and they will make up their own conference.

The rest of the current Mid-Southeastern and Two Rivers Conference's will make up a conference of their own.