Rumors about the SWBL expansion to 12 teams...

looks like I am going to need a new car. The mileage for all of these back and forth for boys and girls soccer, football, volleyball and basketball will not be favorable to me coming out ahead on the financial side unless I downsize to a compact high mileage vehicle. With Talawanda, That could be as many as 20 trips a year between 90 minutes and 2+ hours commute. I will need a raise or retirement.
 
I really haven't been in favor of the SWBL expanding so quickly just because of the changes that took place with losing Dixie, PS, Northridge, MU, etc. Not after less than a full school year. I can make an easy argument that on the football side of the league, 2021 was as competitive as the league had been in quite some time. Outside of Madison, the league did well in football. It may end up working out, but it seems like they're attempting to expand almost desperately. Inviting schools from as far East as Trenton to as far West as Cedarville. It feels like a stretch.

If they are expanding, for football's sake, I think CM is still a must. As mentioned before, they'll bring a lot when it comes to football and they'll fluctuate on the other sports similar to many other smaller schools. I also don't know that it hurts travel wise any worse than adding some of the schools that have been mentioned. If the league is looking to expand in so many directions, they'll need to put in place some scheduling agreements to help on travel. Items to prevent sports travel during the week to the extreme distances that the league may now have in place. They may also need to consider the same based on school size for certain sports such as football.
 
How about these for PERMANENT crossovers? (Big school division schools on left, small school schools on the left)

Edgewood vs Valley View
Ross vs Eaton
Franklin vs Carlisle
Monroe vs Madison
Oakwood vs Brookville
Bellbrook vs Waynesville
 
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GCPRO said:
Would Harrison be able to join an Indiana league? They already play a few of those schools.
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No, I don't think so. That would be the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference. I could be wrong, it says "IHSAA-sanctioned" conference. I'm thinking you have to be in the IHSAA for membership.

EIAC consists of Batesville, Connersville, East Central, Franklin County, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, Rushville, South Dearborn.
 
ghsknightsfan said:
How about these for PERMANENT crossovers? (Big school division schools on left, small school schools on the left)

Edgewood vs Valley View
Ross vs Eaton
Franklin vs Carlisle
Monroe vs Madison
Oakwood vs Brookville
Bellbrook vs Waynesville
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problem with that is Oakwood is not on the big side. its not 6&6, its 5 big and 7 small.
 
ex_dc_atc said:
I really haven't been in favor of the SWBL expanding so quickly just because of the changes that took place with losing Dixie, PS, Northridge, MU, etc. Not after less than a full school year.
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They are being forced to, or the small schools are leaving. Waynesville, Madison, and Carlisle are not happy. They need to do something or risk the league falling apart.
 
I don't think the ECC would accept Harrison. They are so far away from most of the schools in the ECC.
ECC
Kings 11-1
Anderson 9-3
Winton Woods 13-3
Milford 7-5
Turpin 6-5
Lebanon 3-7
Little Miami 4-7
Loveland 2-8
West Clermont 2-9
Walnut Hills 2-9

Harrison best bet might be the GMC, but why would GMC want to take a D2 school to form an uneven 11 team league?
GMC
Lakota West 11-2
Princeton 11-2
Lakota East 7-4
Fairfield 6-5
Colerain 5-6
Sycamore 4-7
Mason 4-7
Hamilton 2-7
Middletown 1-8
Oak Hills 0-11
 
MickeyMantle said:
Yes, that league will be dead. This is a huge problem for Harrison. I can't think of a logical landing spot for the Wildcats. Top small for the GMC, too far west for the ECC and too big for the CHL.
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One solution would be if the SWBL expanded by 2 more. That would get Harrison in with Talawanda. Harrison borders Ross as does Talawanda. Otherwise you’re right. No other real good landing spot logistically unless they could get in unless they were permitted to join the conference in Indiana.
 
dograt said:
They are being forced to, or the small schools are leaving. Waynesville, Madison, and Carlisle are not happy. They need to do something or risk the league falling apart.
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I just don't see that these options necessarily are the best fix for that issue. But it does sound like the league has done their due diligence attempting to reach out to multiple schools.
 
firehawk said:
One solution would be if the SWBL expanded by 2 more. That would get Harrison in with Talawanda. Harrison borders Ross as does Talawanda. Otherwise you’re right. No other real good landing spot logistically unless they could get in unless they were permitted to join the conference in Indiana.
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That makes sense then. Admittedly, I'm not up to snuff on the geography of the SWBL. I kind of assumed Harrison was a long haul from most of the schools. I do think the Indiana conference makes a lot of sense, though. Didn't a NEO school join a Pennsylvania conference? Conneut, I believe, which is right on the border up there on I90.
 
I think the league picked up to really schools but the distance between big and small is the issue. If they could make it 14 and do away with crossovers, I think you could keep the small schools happy. But maybe there is something still in the works. I did read that Talawanda was in talks and they couldn't come to agreement. adding CM would be pretty awesome but that small side would be super heavy.
 
MickeyMantle said:
That makes sense then. Admittedly, I'm not up to snuff on the geography of the SWBL. I kind of assumed Harrison was a long haul from most of the schools. I do think the Indiana conference makes a lot of sense, though. Didn't a NEO school join a Pennsylvania conference? Conneut, I believe, which is right on the border up there on I90.
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ghsknightsfan said:
are you sure? that would make no sense logistically for scheduling
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Add Talawanda and Harrison from SWOC and you have 7 big 7 small. With Oakwood and Waynesville moving to the small.
 
ElderHSfan02 said:
I don't think the ECC would accept Harrison. They are so far away from most of the schools in the ECC.
ECC
Kings 11-1
Anderson 9-3
Winton Woods 13-3
Milford 7-5
Turpin 6-5
Lebanon 3-7
Little Miami 4-7
Loveland 2-8
West Clermont 2-9
Walnut Hills 2-9

Harrison best bet might be the GMC, but why would GMC want to take a D2 school to form an uneven 11 team league?
GMC
Lakota West 11-2
Princeton 11-2
Lakota East 7-4
Fairfield 6-5
Colerain 5-6
Sycamore 4-7
Mason 4-7
Hamilton 2-7
Middletown 1-8
Oak Hills 0-11
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Harrison was already in a league with many ECC schools in the 1990's and early 2000's--275 to Harrison is not a terrible drive as I did it many times with our 5 kids playing at Mason to Harrison back in the day when the FAVC had many of these same teams in it.

Make the league two divisions with Harrison, Little Miami, Lebanon, Winton Woods, Kings, Northwest or Mt. Healthy and the other division would be Loveland, Milford, West Clermont, Anderson, Turpin, and Walnut Hills.
 
firehawk said:
Add Talawanda and Harrison from SWOC and you have 7 big 7 small. With Oakwood and Waynesville moving to the small.
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no chance, Brookville to Harrison on a Monday night sound good to anyone?

Brookville is going to leave the league soon enough. they don’t fit. the only reason they are still their is history, nothing else
 
Jimurphey1 said:
Off topic some but why did Dixie and Preble not want to go with the TRC with milton and Northridge and go to the WOAC instead?
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WOAC already had a full conference if Dixie and PS joined TRC happened after that. Shawnee joined to be with the rest of the preble county teams besides Eaton. Dixie was probably about the same, they are not in preble county but are close to those schools.
 
Jimurphey1 said:
Off topic some but why did Dixie and Preble not want to go with the TRC with milton and Northridge and go to the WOAC instead?
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Dixie and Preble left first. They complained (rightfully) for years to the SWBL about the crossovers and wanted expansion to 8 and 8 big/small to eliminate them. The big schools were perfectly fine with their almost automatic wins in crossovers and shut down those discussions every year.

Meanwhile, much of the CCC wanted to boot Miami East, Fort Loramie, and Bethel (I don't believe Covington). They didn't have the votes ( or some other CCC constitution rights) to boot and keep the CCC name, so they left and reformed into the WOAC with the addition of Preble and Dixie.

East, Covington, and Bethel started the TRC discussions and invited Milton and (later) Northridge. Both leagues began play the same year, but the WOAC formation happened sooner.
 
Angry John said:
Another possibility for the TRC could be the duo of Brookville and Oakwood ?
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no chance they take Oakwood, and i bet Oakwood is plenty happy where they are at. i don’t think the rest of the TRC would even consider Oakwood.

if they add Brookville, it’s either because Lehman can’t field a team, or else they’re finding a school from western Clark/Champaign county to add with them.
 
In football I don't think its the right fit for Edgewood. Playing smaller schools does not help you get into the playoff seedings. Other sports it would be fine.
 
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