League affiliation puzzle pieces continue to be on the move as Horton is still in search of a new league affiliation moving forward after the 2012-13 academic year, as the current Delaware Valley League will dispan. Horton most recently who was originally extended an invitation to join the Twin Valley League as now been denied access to join the TVL, after a TVL meeting last night.

TVL President and Centralia high school principal, John Whetzal said there were a couple of factors to not adding Horton into the Twin Valley League. The possible addition of another school with the travel time need to go to each school each way, affecting the budget, time away from school for students and etc. The other determining factor and the biggest factor according to Whetzal was the size of Horton a 3A school compared to the size of the schools in the TVL, with most schools being 1A and the biggest being a small 2A.

This leaves Horton still searching for a league affiliation moving forward and most likely could mean Horton will have to be independent for the 2013-14 school year and years moving forward. Horton is expected to apply to KSHSAA for placement into a league but that is a lengthy process that will take time.

This situation originally arose when eight of the current DVL schools decided to leave the DVL and form a new league, the "Northeast Kansas League", starting in the 2013-14 school year. Those schools include Oskaloosa, McLouth, Valley Falls, Jackson Heights, Maur-Hill Mount Academy, Pleasant Ridge, Jefferson County North and Immaculata. That left schools like ACCHS, Riverside, Horton, Doniphan West, Troy and KC Christian to look for a new league affiliation.

Both Doniphan West and Troy accepted invitations to join the TVL, moving the TVL to 14 schools starting the 2013-14 academic year. While ACCHS and Riverside both were accepted to the Big Seven league bring that league to 10 teams, allowing them to form two five team divisions. Horton applied for entry to the Big Seven alongside ACCHS and Riverside but was denied missing out by one vote, needing six votes and only receiving five (Holton, Perry Lecompton and Jeff West voted no). KC Christian remains without a league, also but will likely be independent or petition KSHSAA to for a league like they did to get placed in the DVL.

Horton now looks to move forward with putting together an independent schedule, as they weigh their options for the future.