What would they gain from this? I agree with the previous poster that mentioned that your league doesn’t make you better per say. I mentioned it a while back, on one Saturday in the fall LB played for a state championship in Volleyball, soccer and in the D5 playoffs. Playing smaller schools has not stopped from winning 8ish (too lazy to count) state championships since 2000. Also what does a “true” D6-7 look like? Is the issue that LB has open enrollment? Of course this adds to their size, but their division reflects this, when their open enrollment number is lower they drop down to D6, have been 2 out of 7 years, which isn’t a lot, but shows they are not some monstrosity of a D5 school.
Leipsic Leaving BVC
- Thread starter jafo
- Start date
There's no way the Defiance County schools would dump Edgerton to join with Delphos and Spencerville. Crestview maybe, although as is it's closer from Convoy to Edgerton than Convoy to Ada. Wait til Antwerp inevitably goes 8 man, I bet Crestview or Montpelier are the GMCs top choices. Likely Crestview.
Basement Bias
Well-known member
I can see Delphos & Spencerville if the situation happens going with some of the southern schools of BVC and other eastern schools of the current NWC to form a new conference. They'd probably pick up Perry from the NWCC as well as a few others. I'd be fine with Crestview going to the GMC for football and possibly bringing Lincolnview for basketball. Most of the youth sports have been with GMC conference teams for my step kids. The school in conference terms is in no man's land (for football). There biggest rivals (Football) are non-conference and in two different leagues from their own. Parkway in the MAC and Wayne Trace in the GMC.
scbuckeye99
Well-known member
Perry is fine where they are competitively. Why would they rejoin a league they could not compete in?
Basement Bias
Well-known member
Just saying dominoes could fall and all of these conferences could change into different/new ones.
RollingTrain
Well-known member
Right now I'd say the three main conference to watch are the SBC River (two potential openings or more), BVC, what's left of the TAAC football playing schools and Elmwood/Woodmore. And of course, our good friend 8-man football.
Yeah that I can definitely see. I heard rumors early on this round that it could be Crestview instead of Paulding, but I think it was just more fan talk than anything. But say Antwerp or Ayersville goes 8 man in the future, the Crestview/Lincolnview combo would slide in well. 8 football schools, 10 basketball. Convoy being right on 49 helps, they already play WT and Hicksville. It's only about 45-50 minutes up to Edgerton. 50 minutes to Timora, so travel isn't too crazy when you figure they're already going to Ada, Bluffton, and now Leipsic.
Only thing that would stand in the way would be if the TAAC falls apart and some combination of Montpelier, Edon, and Hilltop need a home, but I see the latter 2 going 8 man sooner than lster anyway.
Rolly67
Well-known member
Looking at the possibility of Patrick Henry leaving the NWOAL, putting aside the history and stability they have had in the NWOAL along with the rivalries that have been built. They are the smallest school in their league(by around 150 and 130 boys to Bryan and Wauseon respectively) and have had the biggest drop in enrollment the last 5 years. I don't know the exact figures but remember hearing that they had a 10% decrease and 3 of the 4 biggest schools in the league had a 10-25% increase. I'm not sure how the All Sports standings work with PH not having soccer but I would venture it has been a while since the Boys or Girls have been in the upper half of the All Sports standings. Travel shouldn't be a huge factor as they already travel 40-50 minutes to play 4 of their current league teams. Probably won't happen but if you are looking at the trends and an opportunity presents itself, it would not be a bad idea for them to look into it at least.
Basement Bias
Well-known member
My wife must be a speed demon lol as those drives have felt pretty short. The key is that those schools are easy to get to from the highways and backways where as the drive to the others is a pain bc of the counties they are in it feels like. I know it was said that for Spencerville and Delphos, but we know all the little backways to those from our area. It just odd that the youth sports have been with the GMC schools for hoops & wrestling but they stay in the NWC. Now baseball has been all local with Parkway, Van Wert, and Lincolnview towns in the same league as Crestview. Football was similar as it was Crestview, Delphos, and Van Wert basically at the early stage.
Crestview is going nowhere. Crestview's biggest football rivals are actually Delphos and Spencerville with Wayne Trace close behind. We had some moster battles with Grove and Ada several years back as well.
Lincolnview is our biggest rival in all other sports. We have great rivalries with all schools in XC, softball, baseball, and track. We have a women's soccer league in the NWC. Crestview is set.
As Basement eludes to, we do play in Buckeye Boys in baseball and softball in youth. We have since the 80s. Our other youth sports jump around. Football used to be Crestview, Elida, Celina, and Van Wert. Now its Delphos and Van Wert and varies by the year. I believe youth volleyball plays tournaments various spots. No real home besides the YMCA. Youth basketball plays north in Antwerp and Defiance. Youth soccer plays in the Lima and Putnam County area. Wrestling is nothing but travel.
Crestview kids grow up traveling. Travel is our last concern as a school because we are a small D7 in the middle of no man's land. Does the GMC make sense on paper? Not really. Its the same amount of travel or maybe slightly more than the NWC, and there are still bad routes, such as trying to navigate to Fairview.
Basement Bias
Well-known member
Fairview was pretty easy just going up 127. Yeah you have the jot in northern Paulding county but it's all pretty easy to get to. I disagree about Delphos lately and iffy on Spencerville. Spencerville only because they've came in and pounded the ball in Wing T that has been hard for Crestview to defend. Parkway is a rival for everything as well. They may become more in football if the trend holds. Yes Grove and Ada have challenged the Knights recently as well. Wrestling has traveled, but the main tournaments for the youth have been the GMC tournaments. I believe the wrestling youth will venture into Indiana, as they should. There are high level wrestlers they can go against. There are a few, but not as many in the region.
All in all, its longer drive times. Less gate money. Less appeal. Longer drive times to tournaments and playoff games. And the history isn't as rich. Nor would Crestview ever part ways with Lincolnview who has been a rival in every sport imaginable since the early 1900s when it was Ridge, Union and Wren.
You maybe needed to be around in the days that Jefferson pounded us and Spencerville took it to us. Rolled over into track. We also had two coaches from Jefferson and one (Damon Ulm) that went back to coach them. Spencerville has been a thorn in the side of Coach Owens for 8 years and the winner often times in those 8 years has helped decide the NWC.
Parkway. They are a great team to have in all sports, but we are friendly. A very good neighbor-like rival. As of right now, Parkway's culture in sports is changing back to what it used to be. I would welcome them to the NWC.
Wrestling was all over the place this year. Depended on the age group and which tournaments you chose. In the end, we will be a much needed addition to the NWC in wrestling and can shore up meets with Van Wert and other local schools.
All of that said. Crestview will stay put. There has never been even a blink of an eye at another conference.
I don't see the drive time argument at all. Very similar and probably closer in the GMC. In the NWC you gave Delphos and Lincolnview within half an hour and Spencerville at 35 minites. In the GMC, you'd have all 3 Paulding County schools within half an hour, Hicksville at 36.
Fairview is simple to get to. If you can get to Paulding and Wayne Trace, you can get to Fairview. The rough one is Ayersville. There's no direct way i to Ayersville, but the Convoy to Defiance part is pretty straightforward.
I realize given the current climate Crestview goes nowhere. And they shouldn't, they compete well and the competition is better. I only brought up them to the GMC because 1 there was the theoretical NWC split with the East leaving the West behind, and 2 I'm pretty confident the GMC would want Crestview over Montpelier. Given those 2 theoreticals where Crestview had no home and the GMC was willing to expand, I think it would be a great fit on both sides. Otherwise, Crestview is good where they are.
Fairview is simple to get to. If you can get to Paulding and Wayne Trace, you can get to Fairview. The rough one is Ayersville. There's no direct way i to Ayersville, but the Convoy to Defiance part is pretty straightforward.
I realize given the current climate Crestview goes nowhere. And they shouldn't, they compete well and the competition is better. I only brought up them to the GMC because 1 there was the theoretical NWC split with the East leaving the West behind, and 2 I'm pretty confident the GMC would want Crestview over Montpelier. Given those 2 theoreticals where Crestview had no home and the GMC was willing to expand, I think it would be a great fit on both sides. Otherwise, Crestview is good where they are.
*67
Well-known member
1) Crestview's biggest football rival is Parkway. You might think it's a friendly or neighborly rivalry. You are misinformed. They hate each other. Heck, a third of Parkway's school district only goes to Parkway because they hated Convoy/Wren folks.
2) Travel from Crestview to Fairview is a bad route? How? You take 49 to 24 and shoot straight over. It's a 45-minute drive. Crestview's longest trip in the GMC would be the same as their longest trip in the NWC. Does Crestview belong in the GMC? Not if they don't want to be, but does it make sense if they ever wanted to make that move? Yeah. It does.
1) I'm Crestview born and bred and have been around the football program since its inception. Parkway is a friendly rivalry, but no where near the hate in sports as other schools. Are you a Crestview guy? Wren actually chose Crestview and not Parkway. It wasn't vice versa. The animosity was more between Wren/Chat/Willshire than anything else.
2) Travel to Fairview and multiple other schools isn't that great. 49 to 24 is fine if no construction but you are pushing buses through small towns and on some winding roads. Not great. Other routes are even worse if you go through Paulding. I'm just not sure why anyone would think a lateral move in travel time to a less accomplished conference with less money would ever make sense?
Basement Bias
Well-known member
Wren and Willshire/Chatt do not have animosity. Never really have in my lifetime. The animosity has always been Willshire/Chatt vs Rockford. Smaller version is Wren vs Convoy. Even smaller is Ohio City vs Van Wert. Most of it has come from the youth baseball league and which kids end up on varsity in high school from those town baseball programs. The animosity has dwindled more as the kids from those towns are mixing over more. Plus there are more transplants in all of the towns mentioned than before. I've posted this many times before. My grandparents' time it was heated as that was before consolidations. It was reduced some in my parents' time as they just heard what their parents & grandparents thought. My generation didn't have much of it because it was way down the line. Wasn't as much mixing of different areas yet, but towns & schools were realizing it was holding them back more than joining together and moving forward. Now my step kids (kids too but they won't be in Ohio schools but will be in those areas near family members) generation will have none basically. Everyone has moved on and honestly the youth sports are not so much about winning as just getting kids out of the house to be active or another babysitter for some parents. Yes there will always be competitive parents, but those are dropping. That generation of kids will care more about their video games than the actual sports games they'll play. Sad but it is true even for these areas let alone bigger suburban and urban areas.
*67
Well-known member
1) Crestview's coaches spend all off season ending workouts, meetings, tweets, etc... with #BeatParkway...enough said. Also, Willshire went to Parkway, and didn't consolidate with Wren because the two towns hate each other. That's just the truth.
2) You're literally on highways and US routes to every school in the GMC except Ayersville, and you're on them for 90% of the drive to Ayersville. It ain't like you're taking Convoy-Heller for an hour to some of these schools like you're making it out to be.
*67
Well-known member
The animosity has always been between Willshire and Wren. You'd think they'd get along great sense they're all drunks.
There's no animosity between Willshire/Chatt and Rockford. There's been animosity between Mendon and Rockford/Willshire. But that's leveled off.
Basement Bias
Well-known member
The animosity has always been between Willshire and Wren. You'd think they'd get along great sense they're all drunks.
There's no animosity between Willshire/Chatt and Rockford. There's been animosity between Mendon and Rockford/Willshire. But that's leveled off.
That's not how it has been in my family at least. My mother went to Parkway and grew up in Willshire. There was always a hate with Rockford from all of my Willshire family (my dad's extended family included). They always like/liked Wrenians as well. Maybe because my dad & his buddies were the group tying people of Wren & Willshire together since they were Pleasant Millsans (River Rats!) & Boboans (Rivare-ans maybe?). Us AC folk just bring people together for the better (usually).
I've saw first hand how heated the Wren & Convoy youth baseball games have gotten. Almost fist fights in Convoy between fans & coaches over a play at the plate that wasn't malicious, but some folks thought so. Then bad blood between Convoy vs Wren at the former Willshire Days tournament. Then more bad blood in the little league finals that year between the 2 towns.
It's changed quite a bit as Willshire township has had Parkway (Willshire-ites) raise their kids near or in Wren. Somewhat changed with maybe a couple of Wrenians going to the Shire and raising Panthers. My grandfather went to Pleasant Mills but lived in Willshire during the Indiana & Ohio consolidations. He always claimed (wrong or right) that the biggest disappointment was that the little 3 (Wren, Willshire, & Ohio City) couldn't go together and build near Glenmore or Schumm. They instead got thrown with the big 3 (Convoy, Rockford, & Van Wert). I could have been raised unaware or to a certain bias because of all these factors. My dad's family definitely did when it came to Pleasant Mills consolidating into Adams Central with Monroe. That came from a youth baseball rivalry too. That has really been long gone and faded.
Edit to add that I can see both Parkway & Crestview enrollment dropping further as well as AC because the Amish are buying up a lot of land in their school districts now.
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They hashtag every game. Just so happens that Parkway is the first game on the schedule.......I don't know. Maybe you are from Parkway and see it in another light than me. As for me and my lifetime experience with Parkway, its been nothing but a friendly rivalry. Even back in the day when all of the small towns had baseball that played eachother....we didn't really give Rockford a thought as a rivalry. It was usually between Convoy/Wren and Rockford/Chatt/Willshire as the two rivalries in the Buckeye Boys leagues.
The trip to Tinora, Fairview, etc. are long and lonely drives. Take a trip from Wren to Fairview or Tinora. It seems like a lifetime. Needless to say. Its all good discussion but for nothing. Crestview will never leave the NWC. We travel. We enjoy our fellow schools. We are a school that bolsters the conference with championship pedigree every couple of years in various different sports. And besides. The NWC is literally ran by a president from Lincolnview. The small schools in Van Wert County do alot of bidding for the entire conference.
Basement Bias
Well-known member
I thought they went quickly but like I said before, maybe my wife drives faster than normal. I drove both on the way home, but didn't seem too bad. Maybe I was used to an occasional trip to Defiance College homecomings as a kid with my parents. Heck Archbold didn't seem too bad either. Trust me, I've had many Indiana playoff trips that seemed like forever. Worst one was to Kentland, Indiana (near Illinois) to get upset by a mistake of our own doing. Also drive to North Miami High School. It's not as far as it seems, but there is no good way to get there directly and it feels like forever.
RollingTrain
Well-known member
BVC has voted to let Leipsic leave after this sports season.
danville96
Well-known member
jonmoxon
Well-known member
Liberty Benton
PG
Van Buren
Riverdale
McComb
Arlington
Elmwood
North Baltimore
Arcadia
This would look like a good league, it’s basically the BVC schools that would probably have 11 man and Elmwood and they’re all geographically close
Plus would it be crazy to think that Liberty Benton would join the WBL if there was ever an opening? If Defiance or Kenton for example left. LB is just as big as Lima Bath and OG
PG
Van Buren
Riverdale
McComb
Arlington
Elmwood
North Baltimore
Arcadia
This would look like a good league, it’s basically the BVC schools that would probably have 11 man and Elmwood and they’re all geographically close
Plus would it be crazy to think that Liberty Benton would join the WBL if there was ever an opening? If Defiance or Kenton for example left. LB is just as big as Lima Bath and OG
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This is coming from a very reliable source, a former AD from an NWC school.
THE NWC sent invite letters to multiple schools originally... McComb, Patrick Henry, Parkway, Arlington, and Leipsic. The only two that came back for a second meeting and were obviously Leipsic, and Arlington. Arlington pulled out of the meeting. I was told just the other day that 4 schools have put letters and set up meetings to join the NWC. These 4 schools were the ones to send in letter from what I’ve heard.
Arlington, Riverdale, McComb, and Pandora Gilboa
Take what you want from this information. This was what I was told. Out of these 4, which would you believe would have the best shot at joining?
THE NWC sent invite letters to multiple schools originally... McComb, Patrick Henry, Parkway, Arlington, and Leipsic. The only two that came back for a second meeting and were obviously Leipsic, and Arlington. Arlington pulled out of the meeting. I was told just the other day that 4 schools have put letters and set up meetings to join the NWC. These 4 schools were the ones to send in letter from what I’ve heard.
Arlington, Riverdale, McComb, and Pandora Gilboa
Take what you want from this information. This was what I was told. Out of these 4, which would you believe would have the best shot at joining?
StateChampion2012
MAC Homer
With Leipsic already in the fold, I'd say Pandora Gilboa.
Would have to agree with StateChamp, but would like to see Arlington more than PG. Nothing against PG at all just more familiar with Arlington. Riverdale would be the least of these 4 to be invited in my opinion. That would take the boundaries another 25 miles east, which I don't think the western NWC schools would be too fond of
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Joining, or competing?
McComb would be a home run for any conference. With Leipsic and Bluffton in the league, PG and Arlington both make a lot of sense.
RollingTrain
Well-known member
If I am Liberty-Benton I'd be getting nervous. If the best of the rest leave they are going to be in some serious trouble because the leftovers of the BVC aren't going to work for them and vice versa. You'd think they'd be getting real proactive and I haven't heard a peep.