Baseball-League Structure to Remain Intact : Realignment: Football only major sport facing changes in Northwest Valley Conference.

Northwest Valley Conference athletic administrators voted Wednesday to leave the conference’s baseball-league structure intact, leaving football as the only major sport in which league realignment is likely to be implemented next season.

Under the football plan, Granada Hills will move from the North Valley League to the West Valley, joining Taft, Chatsworth and El Camino Real. Chatsworth also played last season in the North Valley.

The North Valley League will consist of San Fernando, Kennedy, Cleveland and Reseda. Cleveland will move from the West Valley League, while Reseda moves from the Mid-Valley League of the Valley Pac-8 Conference. Canoga Park, currently in the West Valley League, will switch conferences with Reseda beginning next fall.

“Unless somebody has a major objection, we’re going to accept what the respective conferences want to do,” said City Section Commissioner Hal Harkness, adding that the Interscholastic Athletic Committee would address the issue April 23 if complaints are voiced.

“I think the best thing about the conference structure is that it allows us to make these changes,” said Darryl Stroh, football and baseball coach at Granada Hills. “It doesn’t change the competition, but it provides better balance. Three of the more powerful (football) teams were in the same league.”

In fact, Granada Hills, San Fernando and Kennedy of the North Valley League were so dominant in conference play that they were dubbed the “Big Three” by several opposing coaches. Even if the revisions are put in place, teams still will be required to play each of the seven teams in the conference.

The lone drawback, Stroh said, is that long-standing rivalries with San Fernando and Kennedy might be diminished. Over the past several seasons, Granada Hills and San Fernando often have battled for the league title late in the season. Under the revision, Granada Hills would play the four members of the North Valley League before starting a three-game schedule against West Valley League teams.

“That’s the only drawback I see,” Stroh said. “But I can live with that.”

Conference league alignment also will remain unchanged for basketball.

Valley Pac-8 Conference officials met Tuesday night at Sylmar High but voted to recommend that existing East and Mid-Valley league alignments be left intact, with the exception of basketball.

Sherman Oaks CES will be added to the East Valley League in boys’ and girls’ basketball, joining Birmingham, Grant, Poly and Sylmar. Sherman Oaks CES does not field a football or baseball team.

As planned, Canoga Park will assume Reseda’s berth in the Mid-Valley in all sports.