Western Buckeye League 2021
- Thread starter jonmoxon
- Start date
Beezer70
Member
I love your post so much knowledge and insite plus I think you dated my cousins daughter possibly lol. Moyer wont win a state title when his best players are allowed to slack these guys should be the team leaders and setting the example that the younger kids follow. Sitting in the weight room and bullying underclassman might wont do it. If this is the culture and he wins the WBL doing this imagine if these star players put in the work off the field. Im not a huge Truesdale fan after the last Trotwood game several times they lined up and we was out of position especially the trick play they called before half and didnt call a time out.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
Regarding double round robins and crossovers...compared to places north and west of Dayton, I'd argue to you almost have to schedule league play that way due to geography. The MAC, SCAL, CCC, WBL, etc. have several spots where there are a huge number of smaller schools clumped together because schools never consolidated and communities kept their own schools. You can play a huge number of non-conference games with very limited travel. Just my two cents.
thavoice
Well-known member
You do NOT want that. Been there, done that and after week 2-3 the pickings are extremely slim.
Maybe next year Wapak will be able to align to defend quads a lot better than they did last year.
ghsknightsfan
Well-known member
if Defiance were to in fact head back north (which it sounds like they are) then Bellefontaine should be the add and this should be the split. it makes sense for all involved. 4 division games with 3 crossovers and 3 OOC games so teams can add more close games and play whoever they want. you can avoid Van Wert to Bellefontaine/Kenton this way as well.
ghsknightsfan
Well-known member
crossovers could be as follows:
NORTH
Van Wert- Celina, St. Marys, Wapakoneta
Ottawa Glandorf- Kenton, Wapakoneta, St. Marys
Elida- St. Marys, Celina, Bellefontaine
Shawnee- Bellefontaine, Kenton, Celina
Bath- Wapakoneta, Bellefontaine, Kenton
SOUTH
Bellefontaine- Shawnee, Bath, Elida
Kenton- Ottawa Glandorf, Shawnee, Bath
Wapakoneta- Bath, Ottawa Glandorf, Van Wert
St Mary's- Elida, Van Wert, Ottawa Glandorf
Celina- Van Wert, Elida, Shawnee
NORTH
Van Wert- Celina, St. Marys, Wapakoneta
Ottawa Glandorf- Kenton, Wapakoneta, St. Marys
Elida- St. Marys, Celina, Bellefontaine
Shawnee- Bellefontaine, Kenton, Celina
Bath- Wapakoneta, Bellefontaine, Kenton
SOUTH
Bellefontaine- Shawnee, Bath, Elida
Kenton- Ottawa Glandorf, Shawnee, Bath
Wapakoneta- Bath, Ottawa Glandorf, Van Wert
St Mary's- Elida, Van Wert, Ottawa Glandorf
Celina- Van Wert, Elida, Shawnee
buckeyecoop43
New member
There will be realignment in NW Ohio, but Defiance is staying in the WBL.
FootballFan20
Member
Which is good because I'm looking forward to our winning streak extending against them to 12.
ghsknightsfan
Well-known member
i don’t buy it. Defiance has nothing to gain in the WBL.
Defiance ain't leaving.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
Extremely stable league with a lot of state level success across a number of sports...they haven't had any changes in roughly 40 years (Lima Shawnee in, Delphos St. John's out), and a handful of these schools have been together under the WBL banner for 80 years. Some of the travel trips are God awful, but this is one of the best leagues in the state for schools of this size and demographics. I could see it being very difficult to pull the trigger on getting out.
ghsknightsfan
Well-known member
change is good sometimes. they could find themselves in a better situation with Bryan, Napoleon, Wauseon, etc. the WBL is a great league. but Defiance heading closer to home makes sense for them.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
If this does actually go through, if the WBL wants to hold to 10 school lineup I'd agree that Bellefontaine is arguably the most logical target and it would be tempting if the league went to a divisional format.
That said, there would be several important details to bear in mind or beware of buyer's remorse later on. The travel in a divisional format is no better than in the CBC, and though not frequent in a divisional format, trips to Ottawa Glandorf and Van Wert would be brutally bad from Bellefontaine and vice versa. If I were those two, I wouldn't want Bellefontaine in my league unless there were literally no other options and they were stuck on nine schools. All sports across the board the WBL is light years better than the CBC and most years being lumped in a division with Wapak, Kenton and St. Mary's for football would be murderer's row. The current CBC Kenton Trail is no slouch in football by any means with room for improvement (Kenton Ridge), but it's nowhere near that tough and across the board is probably a much better fit for their entire athletic program.
HighSchoolFB45
Well-known member
I do remember that call you’re talking about. It wasn’t a trick play by Trotwood, just a great play. Truesdale called a mike blitz, and then Trotwood ran a 4 vert with the slot guy running open over the seam. Just a good call by Trotwood.
That Trotwood game was a very frustrating game. We forced a three and out, and scored on our opening drive and led the entire half 7-0. We were going to end the half with the lead, and Trotwood had the ball on their 3 yard line with a 3rd and long. They picked up the first down, then marched down the field and scored on the play i just mentioned. I don’t want to talk about the 21 points scored in 2 1/2 minutes off of a punt return TD, fumble recovery touchdown on the ensuing kickoff, and then a blown coverage by our defense after a 3 and out by our offense. We stormed back to only trail by 5, but they went down the field and scored again. Even more painful knowing Trotwood went on to win the title.
HighSchoolFB45
Well-known member
After Kenston and Alter, I would definitely argue Wapak and Norwalk were the two best teams in D3 that year. Would have been a great game. Wapak had a stingy defense, Norwalk had an imposing offensive line. My prediction would be a 24-14 Wapak win
ghsknightsfan
Well-known member
i agree. i think Bellefontaine will probably be stuck where they are as a program if they stay in the CBC Kenton Trail. other posters make it seem
as if they have a lot of talent coming up. i also think Bellefontaine is a better cultural fit in the WBL. Bellefontaine has been playing Kenton, Wapak, St Mary’s, and Lima Shawnee in sports for decades. the Clark county schools will start a league at some point soon. it’s coming. and if that happens, Bellefontaine will be left to dry. if Defiance leaves and they get the invite, Bellefontaine shouldn’t turn it down.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
If this actually happens it might spur the Clark county thing into happening much, much sooner than I otherwise would have anticipated. Eventually there's going to be a lot of small D4/large D5 schools clustered in our area between who's shrinking and who's growing.
I'm just not convinced that Defiance bolts on the stability of the WBL even if getting with some of the schools that are closer to Toledo looks better on paper. Same with some of the other moves that would need to be made up that direction for it to trickle down this way. The NLL is much the same as having a lot of long-term stability, and I could see the schools that are growing or shrinking out of it choosing familiarity over resizing the competitive landscape. As bad as the TRAC publics might want to punt the TRAC privates to the curb, they can't do it without the NLL opening the door and specifically Perrysburg and Anthony Wayne deciding it's time to compete with the big boys.
If the current CBC implodes at some point, the WBL would be a much better option for Bellefontaine than the MVL or anything that's off to the north/northwest of Columbus.
I still think the key for Defiance is what happens with Bryan, and MAYBE Wauseon. Face it, Defiance, Napoleon, Bryan, and Wauseon BELONG together somewhere. If those 3 are all in, I'm not sure we can afford to turn that down. If Bryan specifically is out, we may as well stay put. We already play Napoleon so that wouldn't be any change.
I do fear leaving then having this blow up in 5 years (or less) and being strandef again. But trading Kenton, Celina, St. Marys, etc. for the actual close to home schools that similar size would be a win to me. As long as we'd have 4 sticking together, I think we'd manage long term if things blew up.
I do fear leaving then having this blow up in 5 years (or less) and being strandef again. But trading Kenton, Celina, St. Marys, etc. for the actual close to home schools that similar size would be a win to me. As long as we'd have 4 sticking together, I think we'd manage long term if things blew up.
If Defiance were to leave the WBL, I know there's talk of Lima Senior, Liberty-Benton, or Bellefontaine replacing them, but I'm here to tell you the much more likely scenario is Kenton is strongly encouraged to seek membership in the CBC, and the WBL goes to 8 teams.
Would the CBC lose a team? Have a 14th in mind? There's no way they'd just go to 13.
More likely would be a deal with Lima Senior to play late season non league games without being in the league, while trying to nudge Kenton out.
Although FWIW, Tom Held claims he's heard NOTHING as far as leaving. Could just be a big bluff, but if true he's right that you'd think at the least the coach of the most successful program in the school would know.
There's already some talk of a current CBC team looking elsewhere. So I'm thinking Kenton will replace that school.
I believe Tom Held. People I've talked to have confirmed what he is saying. Defiance ain't leaving.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
It would take a lot to get Kenton into the CBC. Somebody would have to exit which I don't see being imminent unless Bellefontaine were a WBL expansion or North Union bails, and I think they'd have to get everyone to agree to realign the divisions into north and south.
I personally wouldn't mind them in a north/south divisional split, but I tend to think that if the CBC loses a school or two the league will just shrink as opposed to stretching the footprint again for expansion. Unless there's a massive blow up in this area, I think the current CBC lineup probably continues for as long as Jonathan Alder is a D3 football school and as long as North Union tolerates the travel. I think they're probably good for at least another 10 years barring some major OHC dominoes, in which case all bets are off.
I personally wouldn't mind them in a north/south divisional split, but I tend to think that if the CBC loses a school or two the league will just shrink as opposed to stretching the footprint again for expansion. Unless there's a massive blow up in this area, I think the current CBC lineup probably continues for as long as Jonathan Alder is a D3 football school and as long as North Union tolerates the travel. I think they're probably good for at least another 10 years barring some major OHC dominoes, in which case all bets are off.
One that has illusions of rapid, rapid growth in the next 5-10 years, and wanting to get into a conference with much larger members. Don't see either of those things happening, but we'll see.
Maybe "talking about leaving" is the wrong term. There's one CBC school that would be very interested in moving to another conference down the line, should their hopeful growth happen.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
Problem is, outside of Bryan, Napoleon, and Wauseon the travel is still huge. Toledo and BG are very similar drives to Lima, Van Wert, and even Wapak. It's really just Kenton, Celina, and St. Marys that are true killers. The only real argument is that 24 is an easier trip than any of the highways to WBL towns, which is accurate.
But believe me, I'd love to see at least the big 4 in the area together. The fact they're in 3 separate leagues and don't all play in football isn't doing anyone any favors.