As expected, the seven Tri-City high schools and Walla Walla High officially submitted a letter to the Columbia Basin Big Nine to withdraw from the league at the end of the school year.

The eight schools will form a new league featuring four Class 4A schools and four Class 3A schools.

"The next step is the athletic directors and principals will begin the process of putting together the league schedules, developing new bylaws for the new league and working with students and staff for a new name of the league and logos and those types of things," said Richland Superintendent Jim Busey.

The athletic directors and principals will meet Tuesday to begin discussions, including playoff formats.

Davis and Eisenhower will petition to the WIAA to move from District 5 to District 6 to join Eastmont, Wenatchee and Moses Lake. Four teams are needed to be recognized for a state berth, as the WIAA recognizes districts, not leagues, for state allocations.

How the playoff allocations will be distributed between the Greater Spokane League, the CBBN and the new Tri-Cities league will have to be decided at later meetings.

For now, though, Tri-City athletic directors will concentrate on their own league.

"I think we are through the rockiest part," Richland athletic director Mike Edwards said. "It is kind of exciting to see how it will go from here. Obviously, we will have some growing pains. It is something to start something brand new -- that is also exciting to me."

The CBBN will remain with Class 4A schools Davis, Eisenhower, Wenatchee, Eastmont and Moses Lake and Class 3A Sunnyside.

Both Busey and Edwards hope there will be no ill-will from the CBBN schools in regard to helping fill nonleague schedules going forward.

"My thoughts would be to be professional toward each other," Edwards said. "We need to remember what our goal was in the beginning -- to do our best with travel."

* Craig Craker: 509-582-1509; ccraker@tricityherald.com