Hermiston first out of state school to be added to the WIAA

The Hermiston Bulldogs will have the chance to face the schools in the Mid-Columbia Conference now that it has become the first out of state school to join the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association as a full member.

School officials say the WIAA approved the application Sunday and Monday the Mid-Columbia Conference Schools voted to add the Bulldogs to the league.

Th move comes after the Oregon School Activities Association proposed redistricting the area. Hermiston's district would have had to travel on average 404 miles round trip for each game, which officials say results in 12-14 days of lost instruction per season for each athlete. Whereas the farthest school in the Mid-Columbia Conference is 57 miles away.

Hermiston will now play Washington high schools in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Walla Walla. The deal will last for four years until 2020.

The WIAA Executive Director Mike Colbrese said in a statement “This was a unique situation for both Hermiston and the WIAA. The Executive Board worked closely with the OSAA and IHSAA to put measures in place to evaluate the situation at hand, and set a standard going forward.”