The Frontier League consists of the same teams that compete against each other in all sports and activities categories consistently every year. Paola’s Frontier League currently has six teams: De Soto, Ottawa, Spring Hill, Louisburg, Eudora and Baldwin. But that could change soon.Vice principal and activities director Jeff Hines has been dealing with the issue of schools planning to leave the Frontier League. He said rising enrollment is the biggest issue.

“Due to increasing enrollment for schools like De Soto and Spring Hill, there is a high possibility that they will seek a new league that will better match their own size,” Hines said.

Hines said De Soto is already a large 5A school with 850 students, and the numbers will continue to rise during the next two to three years. Spring Hill has nearly 750 students and is also experiencing increases in enrollment. Hines also said when schools get bigger, they no longer fit into their previous leagues.

“Schools that size do not fit very well with the rest of our league, which has enrollments between 400 and 700 students,” Hines said.

Although Hines anticipates De Soto and Spring Hill will leave, he said he does not believe other schools will follow them. But with the possibility of schools leaving, Hines became proactive to look for who will replace them, and how should the district choose which schools will fit into our league the best. Hines said he believes ​the most likely replacement schools would come from the Kaw Valley League and include schools such as Tonganoxie, Piper and Bonner Springs. When comes down to picking which schools make the cut, Hines said distance is one of the biggest factors.

“It’s only 20 minutes to Spring Hill and it’s over an hour to places like Tonganoxie, Piper, Bonner Springs, etc. That would be tough for our student athletes traveling during the school week,” Hines said. ​

Principal Phil Bressler agrees. He said the school’s best option is to try and prepare for upcoming changes and do its best to solve new problems.

“Although no schools have expressed a desire to leave the league, we know that significant enrollment increases in two schools will, at some point, cause them to seek larger schools for competitive reasons,” Bressler said.

Bressler also said Paola has already taken action toward adding new schools.

“As of today, there is not a change to league membership, but the league has extended invitations to three schools to join the Frontier League beginning with the 2018-19 school year,” Bressler said.

Junior Skyler Williams said she is optimistic for new changes and eager to see what will happen in the future.

“I’m very open and optimistic to the changes whenever they come. I probably won’t be around when they take place but I’d like to hope the younger kids will be excited to switch it up,” Williams said.

Williams also said basketball is the sport she is hopeful to see the most change in, especially when it comes to competition.

“In past years for basketball, I wish we would’ve had more competition out of our league to better prepare us for state. Because out of our 20-plus games we play in basketball, 12, if not more, are league schools,” Williams said.

She said if any changes were to take place, she would want to add a bigger school in order to gain harder competition.

“I personally would love to bring a 5 or 6A school in to give us a run for our money. Maybe like Blue Valley Southwest or something like that,” Williams said.

In the end, Williams said she is willing to accept all adjustments and take it one step at a time.

“I’m not worried about what will come, whatever is supposed to happen will happen,” said Williams.