A plan to solve scheduling problems – at least temporarily -- for the Classic Lake Conference schools is expected to be approved next week, with teams from the Northwest Suburban and South Suburban conferences filling non-conference holes in Classic Lake schedules.

The Classic Lake currently has five schools: Armstrong, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Wayzata. Armstrong will join the Northwest Suburban in the 2010-11 school year; Eden Prairie will take its place in the Classic Lake as most of the current Lake Conference schools form the new Southwest Suburban.

The scheduling plan is expected to take effect in football next fall, with boys' and girls' basketball and hockey, baseball and softball to follow in 2011-12. The five Classic Lake football teams will play only four conference games, leaving four dates for non-conference games. Teams from the Northwest Suburban and South Suburban will fill those spots, as well as provide non-conference opponents in the other sports in later years. The Classic Lake schools have applied and been rejected for admission to the Northwest and Lake conferences. As part of the proposal, Classic Lake schools will not seek membership in the Northwest Suburban and South Suburban for at last five years. Meetings have been held with members of the three conferences and the Minnesota State High School League. No participants were willing to speak on the record Thursday. As one school administrator said, "We're been put under the cone of silence." The Lake Conference is in its final year. Beginning next fall, Eden Prairie will be a member of the Classic Lake and Chaska and Chanhassen will leave the Lake for the Missota Conference. The remaining Lake schools – Apple Valley, Bloomington Jefferson, Bloomington Kennedy, Burnsville, Eagan, Eastview, Lakeville North, Lakeville South and Rosemount -- will form the South Suburban along with Prior Lake, which will leave the Missota. John Millea is on Twitter at twitter.com/stribjohn