The Virginia High School League needs a high school course in geography, or least consult someone who can read a map.

For that matter, VHSL officials also should brush up on math.

The VHSL is the governing body of, not surprisingly, high school sports played in the commonwealth’s public secondary schools. The reasoning for having such an overseeing body is obvious: It’s there to organize the thousands of athletes at the hundreds of high schools. For example, the VHSL organizes schools into groups based on school enrollment. It also aligns schools into districts, primarily based on geography.

But somehow, Southampton High School got stuck in the Bay Rivers District which has 10 other schools. Only one school is on this side of the James River. That creates long bus rides for players and long car rides for spectators, especially on Friday nights for football games.

School officials plan to petition the VHSL to join the Southside District, currently with seven members, all of whom are within easy driving distance. It should have been done properly the first time.