The road might wend a little longer for the Durango High School football team.
The Colorado High School Activities Association football committee announced its recommendations for league alignment Thursday, and it features a major change for the Demons.
The Southwestern League proposed moving its Class 4A and Class 5A teams into metro-area leagues.
Alignment changes will need to be voted on at the Jan. 30 legislative council meeting before they can take effect for the 2014 through 2016 cycle.
Under the proposal, DHS would move into the Pikes Peak League with Air Academy, Liberty, Palmer Ridge, defending Class 4A champion Pine Creek and Rampart.
All of those schools are located in Colorado Springs, roughly a 5½-hour drive, compared to the 3½-hour drive to Grand Junction the Demons made for a majority of their league games in the SWL.
As for the rest of the SWL, Grand Junction would relocate to the South Metro League, Grand Junction Central to the Western Slope League, Montrose to the Foothills League and Fruita Monument to the Continental North League.
After its football team’s move down to Class 2A, Montezuma-Cortez High School was proposed to move into the Southwest League with Bayfield, Gunnison, Olathe, Pagosa Springs and Alamosa.
That league largely is made up of last season’s Western Slope League teams, minus Aspen, Basalt, Coal Ridge and Grand Valley.
Ignacio High School is slated to remain in the Southern Peaks League, while the league will add John Mall High School, which is moving from the Tri-Peaks league.
The proposed changes only would affect the schools’ football teams – not all sports.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
