Northside will enter a new era of 3A Classification athletic competition with the start of the SY 2017-2018 season.

This move after 16 years in the 2A ranks was the result of Northside's increasing student population and the NCHSAA's 4 year Realignment process; the most recent for the period of 2017-2021.

The Monarchs will say "Goodbye" to their very competitive friends in the 2A East Central Conference (Croatan, Dixon, East Duplin, North Brunswick and Southwest) and "Hello" to their new 3A Coastal Conference members Havelock, Jacksonville, Swansboro, West Carteret.and White Oak.

There will certainly be new challenges and higher level of competition for all of the NHS Fall-Winter-Spring sports to face. It should be an exciting athletic year as the Monarchs meet these new challenges.  Hopefully this new year will find additional students interested in athletic competition (there are a lot of choices), fans to support their teams both at home and away games(many are nearby) and for "single sport" athletes to try becoming more well-rounded as a  "multi-sport" athlete during the three sport seasons.

Perhaps the move to 3A will be as challenging as the opening of Northside in 2001 fielding a full 2A varsity athletic program with 580 students and no Senior Class? Time will tell, but the Monarchs played hard, learned and improved each game and proved to be successful each year!  GO MONARCHS! (NHS History Note: The 2001-2002 NHS student body was composed of approximately 250 students from Jacksonville Commons, 250 from Jacksonville High and approximately 80 from White Oak...the 2017-2018 NHS student body will number over twice as many students and several additional sports than in 2001.)

New changes will also be faced by the Northside fans...new prices, new game start times, new game days, new locations (check the DIRECTIONS link above-we're updating it).  Conference admission charges are Football=$7 ages under 5 free; all other sports=$6 with Track=$2...Conference Soccer plays on Tues & Thur which will split the fan base if you like Soccer & JV Football...Volleyball, Basketball & Soccer times will start 15 minutes after the first game ends so it's hard to give you a firm start time so don't be late!...better yet, go to all the games and cheer for the Monarchs!

What has the NCHSAA Realignment done to our former ECC Schools? Three have become members of the new Coastal 8 1A/2A Conference (CROATAN (2A), DIXON (2A), Trask (2A), Richlands (2A), SOUTHWEST (2A), East Carteret (1A), Lejeune (1A) and Pender 1A). EAST DUPLIN is now in the very tough East Central 2A Conference with Clinton, Goldsboro, James Kenan, Midway, Spring Creek and Wallace-Rose Hill.  NORTH BRUNSWICK also moved up to 3A and is in the Mideastern 3A/4A Conference with New Hanover (3A), South Brunswick (3A), Topsail (3A), West Brunswick (3A), Ashley (4A), Hoggard (4A) and Laney (4A).

FYI...There are 17-3A Conferences in the NCHSAA with 113 schools represented...Only 6 Conferences are composed of 6 schools like the Coastal 3A.

GO MONARCHS!...SUPPORT THE MONARCHS!