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Midvale • The Utah High School Activities Association's executive committee wants the organization's board of trustees to lift a moratorium on considering adding new sanctioned sports.

The executive committee met Wednesday to discuss a variety of issues relating to high school sports including realignment, television rights fees, ejections in fall sports and adding new sports.

With not all members agreeing, the executive group would like the board to end the moratorium primarily so the addition of lacrosse as a sanctioned sport could be discussed.

But doing so also has the potential to open up discussions to sanction other high school club sports, including rugby, hockey, rodeo, cheer squads, bowling and race walking.

Woods Cross principal John Hanning said the Region 6 schools he represents do not feel as though they can afford to add lacrosse because equipment costs would be similar to or greater than football.

But Jordan principal Tom Sherwood argued that lacrosse warrants a look because it is already being played by many Class 5A schools.

Administrators wondered if those pushing to add lacrosse might be willing to donate or have parents pay for expensive equipment such as helmets. This was compared to baseball players purchasing their own gloves and bats.

In other action Wednesday:

• The executive committee had little to say about realignment of regions and classifications that must be done this year because the state board of education has not released student numbers for each high school in Utah yet.

Those numbers are expected to be available any day. The board of trustees meets Nov. 20 to develop the first draft for the always controversial placement of schools into classifications and regions.

A public realignment hearing is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 at the UHSAA offices in Midvale to take comments on the Nov. 20 proposal. A final alignment vote is scheduled December 4.

• Jeff Cluff, who is charge of officiating for the UHSAA, said the number of ejections was up in football this season. There were 55 ejections in football, involving seven coaches and 48 players. Girls' soccer saw 12 ejections, including four coaches and eight players.

• Fees for televising prep sports events live were discussed. Sherwood said that when a home football game is televised at Jordan, live gate revenue is hurt and fees paid may not make up for that financial loss.

• The executive commented recommended that Providence Hall and American Preparatory Academy-West Valley be granted full member status in the UHSAA because the two schools were fielding teams in the spring, winter and fall.

— Tom Wharton