History of Northern Region
Original Northern Region (1965-93)
The AAA Northern Region has undergone several changes over the years. The region was initially formed in 1965, with nineteen schools from Fairfax County, Alexandria and Arlington. Until 1975, the region was broken into 3 districts ( Great Falls, Northern & Alexandra (later changed to Gunston). In 1975, with several school additions, the region was expanded to 4 districts (Potomac District added). Membership included:
| SCHOOL | Opened | 1965-1975 | 1975-1993 |
| Annandale | 1954 | Northern | Potomac (1977-1993) |
| Centreville | 1988 | n/a | Northern (1988-1993) |
| Chantilly | 1973 | Great Falls | Great Falls (1974-77, 1988-93) Northern (1977-82) Potomac (1982-88) |
| Fairfax | 1972 | Northern | Potomac (1975-1993) |
| Falls Church | 1945 | Northern | Potomac (1975-1993) |
| Fort Hunt* | 1963 | Gunston | Northern(1975-76); Gunston (1976-85) |
| GC Marshall | 1962 | Great Falls | Potomac (1975-77); Great Falls (1977-1993) |
| Groveton* | unk | Gunston | Gunston (1975-1985) |
| Hayfield | 1968 | Gunston | Gunston (1975-1993) |
| Herndon | 1967 | Great Falls | Great Falls (1975-1993) |
| James Madison | 1959 | Great Falls | Potomac (1975-77); Great Falls (1977-1993) |
| JEB Stuart | 1959 | Northern | Potomac (1977-1993) |
| Jefferson ** | 1964-87 | Northern | Gunston (1975-77); Potomac (1977-1986) |
| TJHSST ** | 1985 | Northern | Potomac (1987-88); Gunston (1988-93) |
| Lake Braddock | 1973 | Northern | Northern (1975-93) |
| Langley | 1965 | Great Falls | Great Falls (1975-1993) |
| McLean | 1955 | Great Falls | Great Falls (1975-1993) |
| Mount Vernon | 1939 | Gunston | Gunston (1975-1993) |
| Oakton | 1967 | Great Falls | Potomac (1975-77); Great Falls (1977-80); Northern (1980-93) |
| Robert E. Lee | 1958 | Gunston | Gunston (1975-93) |
| Robinson | 1971 | Northern | Northern (1975-93) |
| South Lakes | 1979 | n/a | Great Falls (1978-1993) |
| TC Williams *** | 1965 | Great Falls (1971-74) | Northern (1975-93) |
| Thomas Edison | 1962 | Gunston | Gunston (1975-1993) |
| Wakefield | 1952 | Northern | Great Falls (1975-77); Potomac (1977-93) |
| Washington-Lee | 1925 | Great Falls | Great Falls (1975-77, 1979-88); Northern (1977-79); Potomac (1988-93) |
| West Potomac* | 1985* | n/a | Gunston (1985-93) |
| West Springfield | 1966 | Gunston | Northern (1975-93) |
| WT Woodson | 1962 | Northern | Potomac (1975-78); Northern (1980-93) |
| Yorktown | 1960 | Great Falls | Great Falls (1975-88); Potomac (1988-93) |
*- In 1985, Fort Hunt & Groveton combined to become West Potomac HS.
**- Jefferson HS was officially open from 1964-1987. In 1985, Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Techonology (TJHSST) opened, using the same building. Former Jefferson HS athletes were relocated to Annandale HS.
***- The current TC Williams HS was opened in 1971, taking students from former Hammond and George Washington High Schools. Currently, TC Williams has students 10-12, while 9th graders take classes at Minnie Howard MS. (Athletes 9-12 compete for TC Williams).
ReDistricting (1994-2013)
In 1993, the Northern Region created new districts, based predominantly on the Level 5 & 6 designations for football. These districts have been fairly stable, with some minor changes. In addition to the schools listed below, at several times, schools from Loudoun County have been added or removed.
| CONCORDE DISTRICT | LIBERTY DISTRICT | NATIONAL DISTRICT | PATRIOT DISTRICT |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Note: Loudoun County Schools (Stone Bridge, Park View, Broad Run, Loudoun Valley) only competed in cross country and outdoor track. Loudoun County does not offer indoor track.
Changes included:
– Falls Church- Was in Liberty District from 1994-96, before moving to National District.
– West Potomac- Was in National District from 1994-96, before moving to Patriot District.
– WT Woodson- Was in Concorde District from 1994-99, before moving to Patriot District.
– Westfield – Opened in 2000, and was added to Concorde District.
– South Lakes- Was in Concorde District from 1994-2003, before moving to Liberty District.
– South County – Opened in 2005, and was added to Patriot District.
– Thomas Jefferson HSST- Was in Concorde District from 1994-2005, before moving to Liberty District.
– Robinson- Was in Patriot District from 1994-2005, before moving to Concorde District.
– Robert E. Lee- Was in Liberty District from 1994-2005, before moving to Patriot District.
– Fairfax- Was in Liberty District from 1994-2005, before moving to Concorde District from 2005-2009. In 2009, they returned to Liberty District.
– Hayfield- Was in Patriot District from 1994-2009, before moving into National District.
Loudoun County Schools include:
Broad Run- Competed in Liberty District from 1996-99.
Park View- Competed in Liberty District from 1996-99.
Potomac Falls- Competed for Concorde District from 1997-99.
Stone Bridge- Added to Liberty District from 2005-2013.
Loudoun Valley- Competed in National District from 2005-07.
ReClassification (2013- 2017)
In 2013-14, the VHSL expanded from three classifications, to six classifications, based predominantly on school population size. Each classification was divided into two regions each (Northern or Southern). Of the 29 schools from the former structure, 21 were classified as being members of Region 6A North, and were divided into three new conferences (Conference 5 (Concorde), Conference 6 (Liberty), Conference 7 (Patriot). The remaining 8 AAAschools were designated at Conference 13 (Capitol Conference) of Region 5A North.
In addition, for the first time, Prince Williams Schools were added to the Northern Region. The Cedar Run Conference (6A Conference 8) was added as the fourth conference to the 6A Northern Region.
| CONCORDE (6A Conference 5) | LIBERTY (6A Conference 6) | PATRIOT (6A Conference 7) | CEDAR RUN (6A Conference 8) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
| CAPITOL (5A Conference 13) |
|---|
|
Re-Classification (again) (2017-2019)
In 2017, the VHSL reorganized the 6 classifications, essentially splitting the 2 regions into 4. For the first time since the Northern Region was organized, most of the principal members were separated into two regions, each including schools from Fairfax County, Arlington/Alexandria and Prince William County. The former 6A Northern Region was separated into the Occoquan Region (including schools from the Patriot District, (newly reinstituted) Gunston District, and Cardinal District (PW schools)), also known as 6A Region C, and the Northern Region (including schools from the Concorde District, Liberty District, and Cedar Run Districts), also known as 6A Region D.
In addition, some schools who competed in the 5A National District, competed in the 6A Region & State Meets (GC Marshall- Northern Region; Stuart (Justice)- Occoquan Region).
OCCOQUAN REGION C
| PATRIOT (6A Conference 7) | GUNSTON DISTRICT (6A) | CARDINAL DISTRICT (6A) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
NORTHERN REGION D
| CONCORDE DISTRICT (6A) | LIBERTY DISTRICT (6A) | CEDAR RUN DISTRICT (6A) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| CAPITOL DISTRICT(5A) |
|---|
|
Re-Classification (again) (2019- present)
As a means of balancing region imbalances, and addressing travel, the VHSL reorganized again, starting in the fall of 2019. Northern Virginia (6A) remained divided into two regions (Region C- Occoquan Region and Region D- Northern Region), however the biggest difference was that the Prince William County schools who had joined the Northern/Occoquan regions in either 2013 or 2017 were removed. Each region is comprised of two districts (Region C- Patriot & Gunston Districts; Region D- Concorde & Liberty Districts). In addition, some 6A schools still competed in the 5A National District, but move to 6A regions for regional/state competition. ( Edison, Falls Church & Justice- Region C; GC Marshall & Wakefield- Region D)
The current distribution is as follows:
OCCOQUAN REGION C
| PATRIOT (6A Conference 7) | GUNSTON DISTRICT (6A) |
|---|---|
|
|
NORTHERN REGION D
| CONCORDE DISTRICT (6A) | LIBERTY DISTRICT (6A) |
|---|---|
|
|
| NATIONAL DISTRICT(5A/6A) |
|---|
|
Northern Virginia Cross Country/Track & Field Association 