New developments regarding the Mid-State League (08/04/22)

 
Good news for the Ohio Division. They now will not be forced to take teams they do not want. Having been a follower of the Ohio Division the last 5 or years it is a good competitive Division. You hear alot about it being a Country Club Division the schools to have great respect for each other.
Boys teams will end up being a 7 team league with Academy, Worthington Christian, Buckeye Valley, Grandview Heights, Bexley, Whitehall and Bishop Ready- add CSG for the girls to make a 8 team league. I think the Whitehall may think about a possible move to Columbus City League but if not they will be part of the Central Buckeye League. Yes there is a Central Buckeye Conference- this will be the Central Buckeye League. Maybe a new name will be brought forth. My suggestion would be Central Ohio Athletic League (COAL)- The COAL. I like it.
 
Unfortunately the COAL is already taken as a middle school league for numerous K-8 schools in the area. Not saying that would be a stopping point but it's been around for about 25 years I think.

I'm more a fan of cocky names. Make it like an AAU program. All-Ohio Select League.
 
Are they using the name of the original Central Buckeye League (CBL) from the late 70’s/early 80’s or could they not think of something new? Academy, Bexley, Grandview & Buckeye Valley were members of the old CBL.
 
So this pretty much squashes the idea of Whitehall possibly leaving to join the LCL? Does Prep get any sort of compensation for this move? Maybe double compensation if the MSL-Cardinal leaves?
 
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Also...do you think the Buckeye schools knew in advance this would happen, therefore abstaining. In light of the possibility of the Cardinal schools now leaving, perhaps the Buckeye wanted to be the only MSL Conference?
 
Also...do you think the Buckeye schools knew in advance this would happen, therefore abstaining. In light of the possibility of the Cardinal schools now leaving, perhaps the Buckeye wanted to be the only MSL Conference?
I can guarantee you that the Buckeye schools had no idea this was going to happen the way it did (Ohio leaving before the Cardinal could.

But more to the point: no, they do not want to be the only MSL division because that means the cookie has crumbled out to where they’re stuck playing Harvest Prep (an unwanted school.)
 
“Our official stance in regards to our membership in the Mid-State League has not changed,” Harvest Prep Head of School Andrew Mills said in a statement to ThisWeek. “We have been members for nearly 20 years and do not wish to leave nor do we have any plans to do so in the near future. We have learned that some of the member schools have expressed their desire to no longer compete with our school, but after meeting with the league commissioner in an attempt to seek resolution, we still do not believe the league has adequately defined the reasons for asking us to consider leaving. This has made it impossible to correct any perceived deficiencies or make an informed decision on changing our membership status. We firmly believe that such a decision impacts the well-being of our students and families, which we take seriously.”
 
“Our official stance in regards to our membership in the Mid-State League has not changed,” Harvest Prep Head of School Andrew Mills said in a statement to ThisWeek. “We have been members for nearly 20 years and do not wish to leave nor do we have any plans to do so in the near future. We have learned that some of the member schools have expressed their desire to no longer compete with our school, but after meeting with the league commissioner in an attempt to seek resolution, we still do not believe the league has adequately defined the reasons for asking us to consider leaving. This has made it impossible to correct any perceived deficiencies or make an informed decision on changing our membership status. We firmly believe that such a decision impacts the well-being of our students and families, which we take seriously.”
I've read the statement about 20 times today. Independent of whatever school it was that said it to begin with, and independent of the circumstances I'm familiar with (I've followed the three-division MSL since Moses wore short pants), this on its face is an unusual statement. Factoring in what school is saying it, and taking into account the circumstances that I stand to believe has been already discussed outside of "the big room", this statement may as well have a klaxon alarm blaring out.

For starters, it is very odd and unconventional that this is coming from up-top in the school's administration to begin with and not the athletic director. I would say that for any school. When public schools are in publicly-discussed happenings of league matters that hit the papers, it is generally rare for the PR statement to come from the district's superintendent or principal of the high school. When private schools are wearing that same shoe, again, it's very rare for it to come from either of the two highest administrators that are already drinking from a fire hose to begin with on the day-to-day operations and policy planning.

I mention that statements to the press on these matters come from the athletic director. HP's athletic director, David Dennis, has been in his role for a while now. He also is in his 15th year coaching varsity basketball on either of the girls' or boys' sides, there. Dennis also sits on the biannual realignment committee as one of the two Cardinal Division representatives. He's been in the big room for a good minute. His assistant AD has been at HP for a long time as well. HP's football coach has been in his current role since 2014. My interactions with either/both over the years have been generally sparse, but I can say that both of them basically recognize that their respective sports' competition against the Cardinal Division has outlived its usefulness and playing the Cardinal doesn't serve the best interests of their programs. Hence why they applied for the Ohio Division in May.

I'm sure Dennis would have told Frank DiRenna something more matter-of-the-fact and substantive on the matter. I'm sure Milan Smith would have, too, given that as of now his program is going to be an independent (or so we are led to believe preliminarily.) Both Dennis and Smith have to fight tooth-and-nail for their teams to get what they can get with scheduling. They love their kids, and they coach there because to them it is very fulfilling to do so. Admirable.

So, why is Prep going over them and having a gentleman (who hasn't been in his current role for very long, I do not believe) say a very postured statement on the matter of the MSL? Re-read the statement, folks. Look closely at what is said and what is not said. Football literally stands to lose a ton if they go back to competing in the Cardinal Division. Basketball is past the point of usefulness and the principle of friendly rivalry in the Cardinal has fallen long by the wayside. Baseball and softball aren't competitive in the Cardinal. The Cardinal and HP is a very acrimonious affair, and don't think for a second the guy who told DiRenna this somehow isn't aware of said acrimony.

If HP's contention publicly was that they're at serious risk of scheduling difficulty, a smart person (e.g. someone with a direct iron in that fire... like the AD or the coach of the affected program) would've had the PR guy plainly say so. "We stand to lose scheduling." Easy enough to say, and would've likely earned future support from peers sympathetic to that understandable and tangible plight.

My friends... buckle up.
 
“Our official stance in regards to our membership in the Mid-State League has not changed,” Harvest Prep Head of School Andrew Mills said in a statement to ThisWeek. “We have been members for nearly 20 years and do not wish to leave nor do we have any plans to do so in the near future. We have learned that some of the member schools have expressed their desire to no longer compete with our school, but after meeting with the league commissioner in an attempt to seek resolution, we still do not believe the league has adequately defined the reasons for asking us to consider leaving. This has made it impossible to correct any perceived deficiencies or make an informed decision on changing our membership status. We firmly believe that such a decision impacts the well-being of our students and families, which we take seriously.”
Very interesting response from Harvest Prep. They have no plans of going anywhere else.
 
Very interesting response from Harvest Prep. They have no plans of going anywhere else.
There is a principle underlying high school sports and athletic conference formation: competition is to be mutually beneficial for both parties. In the absence of parity, there has to be realistic motivation and value that makes up for the discrepancy between competing schools in order to reach that mutual benefit... such as gate revenue, very reasonable travel, or at minimum a pronounced and visible demonstration of common ground and respect. Which, there is none of that here to make as-beatings in basketball on one end and 30-run baseball games on the other end any more palatable. Probably ~95% of the time, the continuous changes in conference formations are necessary adaptations to the disparity of competition. Schools grow, programs get really good with every reason to believe that their dominance is here to stay, sometimes there are disagreements and they end up with polite "we wish our former competitors the best of luck in their future endeavors." The remaining ~5% come together out of tradition, opportunities and finances (which is why Logan and Teays Valley willfully signing up to play Pickerington Central every year in football in the coming years; why is why the Licking County League got back together, etc.)

Why the covenant that has guided high school sports through its evolution of the past ~35 years, particularly in the fast-growing Columbus metro, that schools ought to be team players and good actors that recognize when it's time to leave for the sake of the league that gave them a home to start with, is breaking... I don't know. This may very well be the first-of-its-kind situation in modern Ohio high school history.

To what end does Harvest Prep's administration being stubborn serve, to the point that they eventually are going to completely alienate themselves from every single school in the Central District if they don't change their minds and just leave, I don't know. I'm sure it's a pretty dumb end, though. And to head off someone asking "weLl hOw dO YoU knOw iTs a DuMb eNd?? HmMmMmmm" well... let's see... I wouldn't be arguing that "the well-being of our students and families" is somehow only possible by continuing to play in a league where everyone thinks your school is crooked and should be kicked out. But, what do I know? I'm not the one who "takes it seriously."
 
Harvest Prep may just have to go independent.......they have crushed the other schools in basketball and football league play I wouldn't want to have them in my division either........time to move on
 
There is a principle underlying high school sports and athletic conference formation: competition is to be mutually beneficial for both parties. In the absence of parity, there has to be realistic motivation and value that makes up for the discrepancy between competing schools in order to reach that mutual benefit... such as gate revenue, very reasonable travel, or at minimum a pronounced and visible demonstration of common ground and respect. Which, there is none of that here to make as-beatings in basketball on one end and 30-run baseball games on the other end any more palatable. Probably ~95% of the time, the continuous changes in conference formations are necessary adaptations to the disparity of competition. Schools grow, programs get really good with every reason to believe that their dominance is here to stay, sometimes there are disagreements and they end up with polite "we wish our former competitors the best of luck in their future endeavors." The remaining ~5% come together out of tradition, opportunities and finances (which is why Logan and Teays Valley willfully signing up to play Pickerington Central every year in football in the coming years; why is why the Licking County League got back together, etc.)

Why the covenant that has guided high school sports through its evolution of the past ~35 years, particularly in the fast-growing Columbus metro, that schools ought to be team players and good actors that recognize when it's time to leave for the sake of the league that gave them a home to start with, is breaking... I don't know. This may very well be the first-of-its-kind situation in modern Ohio high school history.

To what end does Harvest Prep's administration being stubborn serve, to the point that they eventually are going to completely alienate themselves from every single school in the Central District if they don't change their minds and just leave, I don't know. I'm sure it's a pretty dumb end, though. And to head off someone asking "weLl hOw dO YoU knOw iTs a DuMb eNd?? HmMmMmmm" well... let's see... I wouldn't be arguing that "the well-being of our students and families" is somehow only possible by continuing to play in a league where everyone thinks your school is crooked and should be kicked out. But, what do I know? I'm not the one who "takes it seriously."
Agree with what you have stated. Harvest Prep has shown by it actions that only Football, Boys Basketball and somewhat respectable Girls Basketball programs are the only ones that matter at the school. Harvest Prep has been given 20 years to prove otherwise in the Mid State League. Most all schools have the same opinion of the Harvest Prep athletic program by the actions of Harvest Prep itself. However, it seems Harvest Prep thinks the problems lie with all the other schools- they certainly have back themselves in a corner. Good Luck to them.
 
Saw on today, after a Twitter user asked, that the (supposedly) official position of Harvest Prep’s football program as to their future scheduling is “our administration will be directing those issues.”

Which, take a guess what that means.
 
It was interesting, when Harvest Prep joined the MSL, a friend of mine said that he would not be surprised if Harvest would cause the death of the Mid-State League and nearly twenty years later here we are. It is interesting the statement Harvest made about staying in the MSL. Why? Why stay in a league that one, schools don't want to play you (because of recruiting kids which Harvest did get in trouble before remember what happened to Girls BB years ago and being bigger and stronger in Football and Basketball compared to the competition you play against) and second, the way Harvest has handled themselves with those said schools. I know Football and Basketball run the ship there but it isn't fair to 8 to 12 schools who know they cannot compete on the same level year in year out. My sister used to teach at Harvest Prep and the students there for the most part are good kids and even they know at times who they play games against isn't always going to be close. I still think Harvest Prep would be better suited to play an Independent schedule and play schools that truly want to play against them. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED BETTER ALL THE WAY AROUND AND NEVER GOT TO THIS POINT!!! With what ever happens with the Cardinal schools, I wish what ever happens will truly benefit the student athletes down the road.
 
It is interesting the statement Harvest made about staying in the MSL. Why?
I really do think the school’s administration making the statement that they did is just further burning the school’s reputation and ability to craft relationships down the road. In the same vein, again, I have a hard time imagining it accurately reflects what the football coach feels and, to a certain extent, how the boys’ basketball coach (who is also the AD) feels.

I don’t see why the football coach would want to go back to the Cardinal: already went through that rodeo once, was voted out, it was a pointless saga that didn’t serve as a useful mean to the ultimate desired goal of winning a state championship. Now that they’re a D5 program, to reiterate, playing those schools isn’t adequate preparation for Ironton, Wheelersburg, Versailles and whatever schools are further down the playoff road. I also don’t see how the basketball coach really thinks it serves his kids well to continue playing in a league where no one wants to play them — a point that the competing schools go out of their way to get the point across through less-than-ideal means like “we’re not voting your kids for all-league honors.”
 
I think a major factor when it comes to the dislike of HP across the board with Cardinal Div schools (and prob most of the Ohio Div schools since they said see ya) is the parents of the HP athletes. I know that when we (as in Berne Union, I own it, not hiding behind a keyboard) played at HP in JR High FB, we were down by 28 early. After what seemed like every score, a parent from HP who was running on the track would stop and yell "Hang a hundred on em Prep!" We had 13 players that season between 7th & 8th grade. When we did finally punch one in the end zone to make it 40 something to 6, our 2 boys on the sideline yelled and celebrated when the other 11 came off the field and were told by the chain gang, which were parents of the HP jr high players) to "ease your roll boys, scoreboard doesnt lie, gonna need 7 or 8 more of them touchdowns". I immediately went to their AD on their side of the field and told them about these grown men talking to 12-14 yr old kids and he replaced them with HP HS players for the remainder. Not to mention that cult leader Rod Parsley gets kicked out of EVERY bball game when HP comes down to play BU. Im sure things like this happen with most teams HP plays, not just BU.
 
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I have heard the rumors of this happening since the spring. I can promise the Cardinal will not allow them back in. Already talk of teams not making the trip to the Cave this winter and paying the fine.

They need to go independent and play the right schools in basketball and football. It will also help in scheduling the other sports because that is where the schools return the favor, Licking Heights in 2013.
 
My personal interactions and impression of HP parents isn’t negative. The folks are good people. My observation is when issues do arise with spectators, it’s pretty much confined to happening at HP and I suspect that the majority of the time the problem folks who misbehave have a faint connection to the program… and only act a fool because they’re idiots who think they can be shielded in a crowd and hard to get kicked out. Granted, improper behavior gets more pronounced and noticeable when it’s done while beating your overmatched opponents into submission.

The schools ultimately don’t want the friction: BU, FC and MP have been hammered by HP for a long time, and their history with HP goes back to pre-OHSAA intervention. ~20 years — its run its course. There’s damn near a thousand kids, by now, across the other schools that know nothing else than “playing for second” in boys’ hoops. (Sh)it’s sad. The school’s word-salad, fluffed and disingenuous statement that staying in the MSL is good for their kids and families is sadder.
 
1. Harvest Prep has absolutely no business playing in the Cardinal Division for either football or boys basketball.

2. The fact that Prep has dominated the Cardinal Division in boys basketball for a decade is a testament to the relation between the Mid-State League divisions being broke.

3. Harvest Prep would have won, at the very least, 5-6 championships in either the Buckeye or Ohio divisions during that decade. Simply put, that's why neither the Buckeye nor Ohio have wanted Prep and why they have been stuck in the Cardinal, which doesn't do Prep or the other Cardinal schools any good.

4. It's been clear for a few years that the Prep would either have to go independent or it would likely destroy most of if not the entire Mid-State League, which is not in the interest of any party.

5. Prep should have proposed/accepted an affiliation agreement, based on the Bishop Ready football one, to help them make the transition of playing five MSL schools in football and 10 in basketball. Those schools would have nothing to lose, because Prep would not be a member of their division and hence not eligible for all-league or championship honors. Now, Prep is looking at probably having to schedule 10 football games, 22 basketball games, and 27 baseball games as an independent, potentially starting as soon as next year or by 2024-25 at the latest unless they are willing to play ball and make some key compromises.
 
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