RISON - The Rison Wildcats and Woodlawn Bears will once again be conference opponents in non-football sports starting with the 2026-27 school year based. The Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) recently released its proposed conference assignments of the next biennial athletic cycle, which will cover the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. Rison and Woodlawn have both been assigned to the new eight-school 7-2A conference for non-football sports like basketball, baseball and softball. The other 7-2A conference members include Cutter-Morning Star, England, Magnet Cove, Mountain Pine, Ouachita and Poyen.Every two years, the AAA adjusts athletic classifications and conference assignments based on the most recent average student enrollment figures for each participating school district. In some instances, a school will rise or fall in classification based on enrollment, and as a result, conference assignments are adjusted to accommodate those changes.Rison is one such school. After competing in Class 3A for all athletics over the past two years, Rison will return to Class 2A for all sports other than football for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. Rison will remain in Class 3A for football.Woodlawn High School, meanwhile, will remain in Class 2A for all sports.Rison and Woodlawn will both be seeing some conference opponents under the new 7-2A alignment.Traditionally, both Rison and Woodlawn have been assigned conferences with schools mostly to the south and east of Cleveland County. The new 7-2A will consist mostly of schools to the west and north of the county.Rison currently competes in the 8-3A conference with DeWitt, Drew Central, Dumas, Helena and McGehee.Woodlawn currently competes in the 8-2A with Fordyce, Gurdon, Hampton, Junction City, Ouachita, Parkers Chapel and Poyen.Under the new conference assignment, Rison will have all seven opponents within a 90 mile radius of campus. Moun...
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