SALINA — Great Bend High School traded Western Athletic Conference rival Hays for Newton in Class 5A District 6 football it was announced on Wednesday by the Kansas State High School Activities Association.
The top two finishers in each district qualifies for the football playoffs.
Great Bend will play Newton, Salina Central and Salina South in 5A District 6 in 2014 and 2015. The Panthers play Hays (4-1), Salina South (3-2) and Salina Central (1-4) this season.
“It’s promises to be a competitive district just like this year,” Great Bend head coach Bo Black said. “When you compete in Class 5A football, you don’t expect any easy games.”
David Meter, Great Bend athletic director, said Hays dropping to 4A the next two seasons made it easier to schedule. Meter said the Wichita City League has an informal agreement with WAC schools to fill in schedules.
“We only had one game to schedule after we filled in our Western Athletic (Conference) schools and added Wichita North,” he said.
Great Bend’s ninth game was going to be either Leavenworth in Week 1 or Maize in Week 2. When Hays opted to keep Great Bend in Week 2, the Panthers ended up with 5A Leavenworth, a 250-mile one-way trip.
The football scheduling meeting is coordinated by the KSHSAA, which started the meeting in 2001 as a solution for the intricacies of football scheduling.
Larned (4A) and Hoisington (3A) will play revamped schedules as new members of the Central Kansas League.
Larned, Hoisington, Nickerson, Smoky Valley, Kingman and Pratt will comprise the CKL Western Division. The CKL Eastern Division will be Hesston, Haven, Halstead, Sterling, Lyons and Hillsboro.  
The 4A Larned Indians, 5-0 this season, join Holcomb, Hugoton and Pratt in 4A Division-II District 8 for 2014 and 2015.
The Indians last qualified for the football playoffs in 1985. Larned will play six CKL teams.
“It will be exciting to compete in a new league and see new teams,” Larned head coach A.B. Stokes said. “We’re planning on being competitive. We want to be in the mix in our district and league.”
Hoisington will play new league rivals Lyons, Sterling and Ellsworth in 3A District 15.
Hoisington will play eight of nine games against CKL teams. It’s longest trip will be 97 miles to Kingman.
Eight-Man D-I District 5 features Central Plains, Ellinwood, Canton-Galva, Goessel, Little River and Solomon.
Eight-Man D-I District 6 showcases Macksville, St. John, Coldwater-South Central, Greensburg-Kiowa County, Kinsley and Pratt-Skyline.
Eight-Man D-II District 5 includes Stafford, Ashland, Bucklin, Cunningham, Fairfield and Minneola.
Eight-Man D-II District 7 includes Otis-Bison, Almena-Northern Valley, Beloit-St. John/Tipton Catholic, Kensington-Thunder Ridge, Natoma and Victoria.