irish_buffalo
Well-known member
Biggest reason, no doubt, but there are other factors such as school size, travel, demographics, etc...I can assure you at the end of the day...these changes are only about one sport for a variety of reasons.
Biggest reason, no doubt, but there are other factors such as school size, travel, demographics, etc...I can assure you at the end of the day...these changes are only about one sport for a variety of reasons.
Figured this is a good thread to mention the Northern 8 Football conference has formed for 8-man football in Ohio.
The current teams are: Stryker, Toledo Christian, Holgate and Danbury. Probably a couple more coming.
Figured this is a good thread to mention the Northern 8 Football conference has formed for 8-man football in Ohio.
The current teams are: Stryker, Toledo Christian, Holgate and Danbury. Probably a couple more coming.
North Central has football?My guess is that North Central also joins the 8-man ranks and the Northern 8.
North Central has football?
Seems strange. I thought it was weird for Stryker to start it too. Considering the declining participation and the costs associated with starting a program.Its a bit of a sha
They started it with the intention of going varsity very soon.
In the past week, I've been hearing similar things, from two SBC schools.
Personally, what I would like to see is honest conversation between the TAAC and SBC-R schools. If the NBC small-schools are ready to move, have them join either conference (probably TAAC, for reasons to be explained). Then, pool all of the 11-man football schools from the actual leagues: Ottawa Hills, Northwood, Stritch, Woodmore, Gibsonburg, Elmwood, Fremont St. Joe, Margaretta, Lakota, Calvert, Hopewell-Loudon, and have them play a rotating seven- or eight-out-of-ten opponents against each other, as a football-only conference, keeping either name or create a new one. I think that the problems arise only because of the declining football numbers, and the risk of one or two of this group to go to 8-man in the future. Obviously, this really scr*ws with the TAAC-affiliate schools to the west. The TAAC and SBC should try to help negotiate the long-standing impasse between those schools and the GMC, and have the western schools form a similar football arrangement, because I wonder how many more of those schools could be contemplating 8-man?
One of the options that I'm hearing is to add teams to the SBC. But, with seven 11-man teams there now, adding two or three is going to inevitably cause the SBC-B schools to want a rebalancing, to try to quell the ongoing dispute of forced, in law or in "highly recommended" suggestion, cross-overs with the SBC-L. I don't have the enrollment numbers in front of me, but that could end up with teams ending up somewhere other than what was promised. If the divisions are not rebalanced, Willard has every right to ask WTF? In general, outright adding schools to the SBC, like Woodmore or Elmwood, is problematic because ever-smaller teams are going to get bounced to the Bay.
So, I would rather see a football-only solution, rather than bumping D6 schools up into the SBC-B or by blowing up two conferences, taking the most stable members from each and leaving everyone else to fend for themselves. Leaving one or two TAAC teams and one or two SBC-R teams out just continues the cycle of instability. May as well get everybody in the same room, so there is plenty of time to reorganize schedules in the Spring if a school decides that they are going to go to 8-man.
I think some of these solutions are relying to heavily on program history and not what schools have moving forward...
If this happens who replaces Paulding in the NWC?
Paulding is leaving the NWC if Holgate leaves the GMC. This is from rumor only. However they have been trying for years to get in that league. Geographically it really makes sense.
If this happens who replaces Paulding in the NWC?
I could see Delphos St. John. They leave the MAC and Fort Loramie joins that MAC.Parkway? Delphos St. John's?
Has Delphos St Johns fallen that far? They were always a contender or even a power up until a couple of years ago.I could see Delphos St. John. They leave the MAC and Fort Loramie joins that MAC.
They're the smallest football playing school in the MAC now but I think the only way they leave is if the school closes which is something I dont want to see. They are too proud of a school to just duck and run to a new conference.Has Delphos St Johns fallen that far? They were always a contender or even a power up until a couple of years ago.
. They are too proud of a school to just duck and run to a new conference.
So was Coldwater.I am sure you know the history but if not at one time DSJ was in the WBL and the later years in the WBL they would be lucky to win three games and outside of basketball struggled to compete in most sports. This was largely due to the enrollment differences. So they left to a league to be with more comparable sized schools. They are currently in same situation at the late 70's, early 80's.
To me that is not duck and running to a new conference that is doing what is best for the students of the school. Could you imagine if they didn't "duck and run" from the WBL schools and still needed to compete again schools the size or Wapak, Celina and Defiance.
In 2001, when Marion Pleasant played DSJ in the regional semis, I counted 98 DSJ players on the field for pregame warmups. I'm sure that included freshmen. That was division V as well. Still, that is a big drop off for DSJ.As of the last enrollment check Delphos St John's had a boy enrollment of 71 in grades 9-11. Earlier in the decade, they probably had that many on their football team.
Yea I think their #'s were in the 40's this past season. Sad to see. But they still would've beat a few teams in the D7 R28 playoff field. Damn that's quite the drop in #'s.In 2001, when Marion Pleasant played DSJ in the regional semis, I counted 98 DSJ players on the field for pregame warmups. I'm sure that included freshmen. That was division V as well. Still, that is a big drop off for DSJ.
Yes the futility has not been long but unless enrollment goes up I just don't see it changing playing in the MAC. Their best hope is that since Delphos City schools will be classified as a failing school district all kids in the DCS district can get vouchers to cover tuition at DSJ HS starting next year.So was Coldwater.
Now If St John's had the record that Parkway has in the MAC historically then I can see it. But keep in mind, DSJ won a state championship game 77-6 in this very decade so it's not like it's been a long stretch in futility. Of course their enrollment has dropped since. Wouldn't Delphos Jefferson block any move of DSJ to the NWC anyway? I just dont see it. Now if their enrollment continues to fall, that'll be a discussion to have later.
As of the last enrollment check Delphos St John's had a boy enrollment of 71 in grades 9-11. Earlier in the decade, they probably had that many on their football team. For reference, New Knoxville had 52 in grades 9-11 and a resurgent New Bremen had 83 boys in grades 9-11.