Murray High moving to 4A next year
Feb 03, 2023 10:51AM ● By City Journals StaffMurray High athletics will drop a classification for the upcoming 2023-2025 school years from 5A to 4A. The move will see the Spartans reunite with crosstown rival Cottonwood High School in Region 10 along with former region foe Hillcrest. The region will also feature one other Salt Lake valley team in Jordan High. Rounding out the region are Park City, Stansbury and Tooele. Murray and its three geographic neighbors will be the only Salt Lake valley schools in 4A. Due to enrollment numbers and aiming for competitive balance, UHSAA unanimously approved the new realignment in December, a vote the board makes every two years. The previous two years saw 4A only have essentially 14 teams split between Logan, Cedar City and St. George. Over the next two years, 4A will now have 28 teams across four regions. Murray’s sports have remained competitive in Region 6 the past few years with boys soccer and softball winning region championships in 2022 while the boys basketball team reached the semis last year and the girls soccer team also making a semifinal run in 2020.
The only sport that will remain in 5A is baseball. Principal Quinn Linde and Athletic Director Brady Smith petitioned the UHSAA at its January meeting to allow baseball to stay in 5A, highlighting its .700 winning percentage and that its participation numbers remain high. Their petition was approved and the baseball team will play in Region 4 with Taylorsville, West Jordan, Kearns, Cyprus, Granger and Hunter.