SL expansion

Admitting Solon, IMHO, would be a huge mistake for the SL. In addition to being the northernmost geographically, they would be bigger than all but one school (Stow) and they have a track record in recent decades of having a hand in destroying every league they've been in. They played a major in the breakup of the original CVC in '96 (the league did continue, but in '96, 6 of the 8 were brand new members). A big reason that the WRC merged with the Pioneer to form the NOC was that a lot of the WRC schools wanted to not play Solon. Solon was a BIG reason Nordonia left the NOC for the SL in 2011, and then the 7 other schools following suit in 2015 (though other schools can be blamed for the latter). And now the GCC is on the verge of breaking up.

Saying they have had a hand of destroying leagues is disingenuous. The only thing Solon did was grow to be bigger than its former conference mates and build a state-level football program. There is nothing nefarious about that.

Personally, in a situation where only one school is added, Solon absolutely makes the most sense.
 
Saying they have had a hand of destroying leagues is disingenuous. The only thing Solon did was grow to be bigger than its former conference mates and build a state-level football program. There is nothing nefarious about that.

Personally, in a situation where only one school is added, Solon absolutely makes the most sense.
Yeah nobody gets punished for doing that in football or basketball or anything ...
 
Yeah nobody gets punished for doing that in football or basketball or anything ...

Never said schools don't get punished for their success. But this person was making it seem like Solon was actively sabotaging whatever leagues it has been in, which isn't the case.
 
What schools are most influential in building the Suburan League. It's always felt like more of a Akron League and even though it certainly has come to encompass more than that I wonder if these proposed changes would be fought against by the schools that are more historically tied together in suburban Akron.
 
I hate all these leagues that have 2-3 tiers to them. All leagues should have 1 tier and have 7-8 teams. Take the Suburban National/American and make 2 seperate leagues and be done with it.

Amen! The two tier of the existing suburban league is okay, because they don’t have cross-over games and they don’t shuffle teams around every year. It’s important to keep the rivalries and a smaller league of 7-8 teams, so that all teams play one another and the league title means something. Solon would be a great fit..the right size and location. And the Suburban League has some great academic schools. Solon would further enhance that status.
 
This is just speculation, but going off what I've been hearing and some of what has been talked about here, I think what is being figured out is whether a third division could be created, that would also help out the existing schools.

I'll put it on here, but there may be legs to something like:

Suburban National
1. Medina
2. Strongsville
3. Brunswick
4. Solon
5. Stow
6. Hudson
7. Wadsworth
8. Barberton

While Stow may have been anti-Solon in the past, they have played them in football the past few years so they can't be that against it. It finds a landing spot for four of the GCC teams. Also, don't think Hudson would be against it as they have played (in football) Strongsville, Solon and I believe Brunswick in OOC recently. Medina and Wadsworth play every year. Barberton may be the head scratcher, but it's a geographical rival to Wadsworth and a school that has a long history in basketball and a football program that seems on the upswing and can handle playing bigger schools; plus, they are kind of the red-headed step child of the SL since they were originally booted then let back in.

Suburban American
1. North Royalton
2. Brecksville
3. Nordonia (anti-Solon but won't have to play them)
4. Twinsburg
5. Revere
6. Aurora
7. Copley
8. Highland

Solid D2/D3 league with a nice mix of rivalries/proximity

Suburban Metro (this going off Yappi's speculation)
1. Cuyahoga Falls
2. Tallmadge
3. Kent

Those are the three remaining SL schools. I can see an pretty easy case where five could join that and create a geographical fit:

4. Ravenna
5. Streetsboro
6/7/8 ... take the pick from the rest of the PTC Metro (the not chosen ones can move down to the PTC Trail ... and then just call it the PTC.) . ... Maybe even CVCA.


Wow, quite a wide ranging geographical league,,,,might as well add Massillon and Louisville since they both lack leagues
 
What the Suburban League (and some others) have embraced is utilizing the conference for more than just athletics. They have academic relationships with these schools, leadership conferences, and other things that are more beneficial with more schools; I feel it’s more of a consortium; they essentially operate separately as far as competition is concerned, which is the benefit of the eight team divisions. It also provides some flexibility for movement, as we saw with CF dropping to the American, as opposed to them looking for a new league altogether.
 
What the Suburban League (and some others) have embraced is utilizing the conference for more than just athletics. They have academic relationships with these schools, leadership conferences, and other things that are more beneficial with more schools; I feel it’s more of a consortium; they essentially operate separately as far as competition is concerned, which is the benefit of the eight team divisions. It also provides some flexibility for movement, as we saw with CF dropping to the American, as opposed to them looking for a new league altogether.

I'll also add that multi-tier leagues are a benefit to provide championship competition for sports not all schools offer, especially for smaller schools (Bowling, gymnastics, swimming, etc.). I actually graduated with a nationally-elite female bowler, but our school never has and still doesn't have a bowling team. I believe only 4 of the 8 teams in the WRC today have a bowling team.
 
Most likely. The 3 tier conference ideas seem to be just fans of schools not wanting to get left out here. They make little sense

I agree, the only reason I think it has legs is because I’ve been hearing from people they want to add more than one team. Based on past history, it would be best to add one or nine; anything in between could get sloppy.
 
The 3 tier idea sounds way to similar to the old crazy league called the NOC. Anytime you get three divisions, the biggest issue is crossover games and who gets stuck playing the great big division teams and who get the worst big teams. i would just add one team as well if I was making the call. Why bother with those big schools that have been part of the destruction of many leagues.
 
The 3 tier idea sounds way to similar to the old crazy league called the NOC. Anytime you get three divisions, the biggest issue is crossover games and who gets stuck playing the great big division teams and who get the worst big teams. i would just add one team as well if I was making the call. Why bother with those big schools that have been part of the destruction of many leagues.

Only difference, and a huge one, would be each division would be 8 teams under what some think might happen, therefore eliminating crossovers. Three totally separate divisions under one umbrella.
 
According to the OP it sounds like today is the day the decision will be made, with ADs meeting to discuss possible expansion. I’m curious, as I can see this ending a number of different ways, going all the way from adding a third division, to staying status quo and not inviting any teams (which the SL has done in the past)
 
Three tiers will never work because teams will keep coming and going. As long as it is one big conference, those teams looking for greener pastures will have to look outside the league unless they can find a partner school to trade with.
 
Wasn't the meeting for this last night after schools had to apply by Saturday ? Did anything happen ?
Reportedly 10 - 11 schools applied for membership. Interestingly, Louisville was added as the 16th team for the middle school basketball tournaments this weekend.
 
Reportedly 10 - 11 schools applied for membership. Interestingly, Louisville was added as the 16th team for the middle school basketball tournaments this weekend.
Based on the reported number, I'll guess it's the former PTC Metro schools (which may explain why no new conference name has surfaced), along with Brunswick, Medina, and Strongsville. Maybe Solon didn’t apply understanding they would not be accepted.
 
Based on the reported number, I'll guess it's the former PTC Metro schools (which may explain why no new conference name has surfaced), along with Brunswick, Medina, and Strongsville. Maybe Solon didn’t apply understanding they would not be accepted.

Solon applied
 
Reportedly 10 - 11 schools applied for membership. Interestingly, Louisville was added as the 16th team for the middle school basketball tournaments this weekend.
Louisville does not fit into the SL at all. Geographically, no school
In the SLN wants to travel down there. Solon is the answer.
 
I know for sure that Solon did apply, along with a number of others...heard it will probably only be one school gaining admittance. I guess it won’t be official until voted on by building principals in March. It’s interesting they are not calling a special meeting for it, but I guess in their opinion there’s not a whole lot to gain by moving it up for them.
 
Makes sense.
Maybe if they were doing some major restructuring, perhaps move it up to get things going.
But if only adding one team, no sense of being in a rush.
By holding off, the suspense deepens.

and educated guess is it’s the Comets. Makes the most sense.
 
I'm saying this with no inside information, just taking a shot in the dark. But if it's true that only one school is going to be added, it's definitely going to be an addition to the National Division (why announce that Cuyahoga Falls was moving down to the open spot in the American, if not?).

I'm going to predict that Strongsville is going to break away from its alliance with Brunswick (and Medina), and will get the spot. The move would lock up the Route 82 corridor of Strongsville/North Royalton/Brecksville/Nordonia/Twinsburg, and Strongsville has relatively quick access to Hudson and Stow via the turnpike/Route 8 (the league would pretty much be a "T" along 82 and 8). Wadsworth is an outlier even if it were Solon, and Strongsville is a little bit closer for them.

On top of that, Strongsville, while still bigger than Solon, is at least in the same student range now as the other SL schools and competitively, it competes more on that level, where Solon is in the GCC tier. Being a Strongsville grad, I know the district has, in the past, made it a point to try to compete at the top level possible (they used some pull in the NOC to stay in the Valley when by the bylaws of the league, should've went down). And while I'm now way outside the thought process of what the administrators are thinking, I have to believe, that they know they can't continue to compete at that level, especially since it looks like Brunswick is righting the ship (a lot of talent in the younger levels) and Medina is finally starting to build programs that match the "sleeping giant" talk that has been with them for the past 20 years.

From what I've gathered from conversations, Strongsville/Brunswick/Medina are trying to stay together, starting with the SWC and then the SL (adding a third tier). But if it comes down to one spot, I think it's going to be every school for itself, and Strongsville actually makes the most sense.

And selfishly, since I'm now vested into the Medina program, if the district still has its eyes set on the Suburban, it's going to set back everything that the football/basketball coaches have been building. Out of all the top athletes in those sports that went to MS at Root and Claggett the past two years, Medina High School has retained all outside of one. They have also added at least one St. Francis Xavier kid this year, who probably could've went to a good parochial basketball program. If they end up in the Suburban, I can guarantee that they will again start losing kids to both the Cleveland and Akron parochials, and good luck getting any good athlete from St. Francis Xavier to come over to Medina HS.

It sucks for scheduling, but a league of Medina, Brunswick, Solon, Mentor and Euclid (hopefully would stay) is enough to keep a football schedule at least manageable. The other sports, they can work that out.
 
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It sucks for scheduling, but a league of Medina, Brunswick, Solon, Mentor and Euclid (hopefully would stay) is enough to keep a football schedule at least manageable. The other sports, they can work that out.
I think a 5-school GCC would be a last resort for Euclid and Solon. I would guess they would begin rubbing elbows (if they already haven't) with the LEL and WRC with like-size, reasonably close schools.
 
Hearing Wooster applied? Not sure they would fit unless a bigger expansion of the American Division (or a third division) is made but that's an outsider perspective.
 
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