2022 EBC

Without going back 33 pages & nearly 1,000 posts, i'm guessing Minerva & Carrollton are looking to perhaps cut ties with the EBC, if so, here is my two cents.... BOTH join the IVC.... Put Carrollton in the South & Minerva in the North... Carrollton would be an excellent fit/addition to the South... Minerva being a D4 in football playing in the North may sound odd, but, realistically a good fit... Playing a schedule that consists of Buckeye Trail/Newcomerstown/Strasburg/TCC/Malvern/East Canton may not sound appealing, but gives them a chance at a few W's... According to Calpreps for this past season, Minerva would have wins over Strasburg by 10, TCC by 9, those being the bottom 2 teams in the IVC North... The Pride in Minerva football is now all but gone, time to be realistic and find a fit to at least be competitive once again... On a side note, those IVC North schools also produce some very good baseball/basketball teams as well... Again, just my two cents.... GO CARDS!!!!
 
Roobear33 said:
Without going back 33 pages & nearly 1,000 posts, i'm guessing Minerva & Carrollton are looking to perhaps cut ties with the EBC, if so, here is my two cents.... BOTH join the IVC.... Put Carrollton in the South & Minerva in the North... Carrollton would be an excellent fit/addition to the South... Minerva being a D4 in football playing in the North may sound odd, but, realistically a good fit... Playing a schedule that consists of Buckeye Trail/Newcomerstown/Strasburg/TCC/Malvern/East Canton may not sound appealing, but gives them a chance at a few W's... According to Calpreps for this past season, Minerva would have wins over Strasburg by 10, TCC by 9, those being the bottom 2 teams in the IVC North... The Pride in Minerva football is now all but gone, time to be realistic and find a fit to at least be competitive once again... On a side note, those IVC North schools also produce some very good baseball/basketball teams as well... Again, just my two cents.... GO CARDS!!!!
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Not happening — and that comes from a source who would know. They are solid in the EBC.
 
bootleg said:
Lville needing a league is not the EBC's problem. Having 6 teams may be a reason for some to push the panic button. Looking at the league football wise, I see there being advantages with just 6 teams.
1. Its an even number and allows them to have no floating bye week like the FED has.
2. 5 league games allows for two extra OOC games. Essentially allowing more harbin points to come into play for the league. Every team in the league theoretically could have a winning record and also make the playoffs, which isn't as big of a deal as it used to be.

The schools are finding plenty of games for weeks 4&5 and they are winnable games. I see the EBC being patient and adding 2 schools eventually. I think they are trying to bring in a duo that are natural rivals as the existing pairs really work for them. Min v Carr, Mar v All, Sal v WB
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This is exactly how the EBC schools feel….. great post!

Schools can find more OOC games in all sports that fit the skill level of their teams, while still having enough teams to have league championships.

Best 6 team league in the State!
 
NBC 1988 said:
I just hope Tim Speakman can keep the young athletes playing football and continues to develop an off season program that allows our kids to keep up physically with the other EBC schools. Other sports have proved that Minerva has the type of kids that can compete at a high level. There is not one logical excuse to justify a 3-77 record over the last 8 years! If you take football out of the equation the EBC is a very good league for Minerva but they would be dumb not to at least explore the PAC option. In 2014 we had a near 2000 yard rusher and a very deceiving 4-6 record losing a lot of close games to very solid playoff teams. A 44 game losing streak and 3-77 record since then. Yes we had some classes that were small in numbers and had little talent over the last 8 years the last 4 or 5 years it was just an poorly run program. The most disappointing season in this time was 2019 and 2020 and we actually won our 3 games in those years. They had some really good football players on those teams. By no means were they league champions type teams but they should not have been as bad as they were. So even if we were in the PAC the record would not be a whole lot better than 3-77.

I think Speakman is turning the page and building something special year. Minerva fans need to be really patient because it will probably another 2 rough years
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I know my take on this isn't the most popular of takes but I just don't agree with the notion that with football out of the equation, we are perfectly suited for the NBC/EBC. I completely get where you and others that make this argument are coming from 88 but the numbers just don't bare it out. In fact, I would go as far as to say that there are more sports than not, most years where we aren't even competitive. Any sport where there is a need for athleticism depth we struggle and struggle mightily. To me, having the right coaching fit is key but having the right conference fit is just as important. Until somebody who is a very important somebody stands up and admits this and gets us the heck out of this conference, we will stay on this rinse and repeat, never-ending hamster wheel, non competitive, coaching revolving door existence. Why in the world are we so afraid to admit that the old Senate League is the perfect model to try and get back to. We need the the Sandy's, Tusky's, Tuslaw, Claymont's league configuration and not just as our non league opponents. The old Senate league is basically the IVC with a few more miles traveled. I'll break it down into even simpler terms, if we are playing teams that have Walmart Supercenters and multiple Burger Kings in their towns, we aren't doing right by our kids. For the love of all that is holy, someone please start kicking some tires because what is going on at my school isn't normal. We need more than an occasional new coach and using hope as a tactic to get this fixed.
 
KINGOFTHEJUNGLE said:
I know my take on this isn't the most popular of takes but I just don't agree with the notion that with football out of the equation, we are perfectly suited for the NBC/EBC. I completely get where you and others that make this argument are coming from 88 but the numbers just don't bare it out. In fact, I would go as far as to say that there are more sports than not, most years where we aren't even competitive. Any sport where there is a need for athleticism depth we struggle and struggle mightily. To me, having the right coaching fit is key but having the right conference fit is just as important. Until somebody who is a very important somebody stands up and admits this and gets us the heck out of this conference, we will stay on this rinse and repeat, never-ending hamster wheel, non competitive, coaching revolving door existence. Why in the world are we so afraid to admit that the old Senate League is the perfect model to try and get back to. We need the the Sandy's, Tusky's, Tuslaw, Claymont's league configuration and not just as our non league opponents. The old Senate league is basically the IVC with a few more miles traveled. I'll break it down into even simpler terms, if we are playing teams that have Walmart Supercenters and multiple Burger Kings in their towns, we aren't doing right by our kids. For the love of all that is holy, someone please start kicking some tires because what is going on at my school isn't normal. We need more than an occasional new coach and using hope as a tactic to get this fixed.
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That would be a great option/ I don't necessarily disagree. I really think both Minerva and Carrollton can benefit from that. I just tried to separate football because what happened to the program is a travesty and it's not necessarily all because of tough competition. West Branch doesn't even have a real town and they win. No matter what league we get in we have to fix the football program- the teams the last 2 years would have been 0-10 no matter what league. You almost have to try to lose 77 games on 8 years!! We won 3 games King! 3 games!! It's hard to phathom.
 
KINGOFTHEJUNGLE said:
I know my take on this isn't the most popular of takes but I just don't agree with the notion that with football out of the equation, we are perfectly suited for the NBC/EBC. I completely get where you and others that make this argument are coming from 88 but the numbers just don't bare it out. In fact, I would go as far as to say that there are more sports than not, most years where we aren't even competitive. Any sport where there is a need for athleticism depth we struggle and struggle mightily. To me, having the right coaching fit is key but having the right conference fit is just as important. Until somebody who is a very important somebody stands up and admits this and gets us the heck out of this conference, we will stay on this rinse and repeat, never-ending hamster wheel, non competitive, coaching revolving door existence. Why in the world are we so afraid to admit that the old Senate League is the perfect model to try and get back to. We need the the Sandy's, Tusky's, Tuslaw, Claymont's league configuration and not just as our non league opponents. The old Senate league is basically the IVC with a few more miles traveled. I'll break it down into even simpler terms, if we are playing teams that have Walmart Supercenters and multiple Burger Kings in their towns, we aren't doing right by our kids. For the love of all that is holy, someone please start kicking some tires because what is going on at my school isn't normal. We need more than an occasional new coach and using hope as a tactic to get this fixed.
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Not a whole lot to argue with this statement. We need to play teams similar to us in every sport. For example, Louisville turned their sports programs around a few decades ago by getting out of the Federal League and joining the NBC. Rick Crislip would not have been the successful coach in the FED like he was in the NBC. He was a great coach but needed to play like competition to be successful and he was very successful and was a great coach. It think 8 years is a pretty good sample size and I would assume our administration has to be looking for a competitive option for our sports teams.
 
MINFAN said:
Not a whole lot to argue with this statement. We need to play teams similar to us in every sport. For example, Louisville turned their sports programs around a few decades ago by getting out of the Federal League and joining the NBC. Rick Crislip would not have been the successful coach in the FED like he was in the NBC. He was a great coach but needed to play like competition to be successful and he was very successful and was a great coach. It think 8 years is a pretty good sample size and I would assume our administration has to be looking for a competitive option for our sports teams.
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The problem is the AD just can't call these other schools and form a league. I have not heard anything about interest in joining the PAC. Other than Alliance all of the EBC schools are very similar in size and that is why i think it's a good situation as far as enrollment.. I think the root cause of the problem is the football program itself and not the league we are in. We might not be league contenders year in and year out but we should be able to contend for a top 16 region spot in the D4 playoffs without jumping to a new league. this season we played 6 D4 schools, 3 D5 schools and 2 D2 schools and Marlington is barely D4. I really don't know what else can be done without short of joining the IVC which is a lot of 1 hour plus drives .
 
West Branch is now the smallest school in the EBC (enrollment-wise) and they are doing pretty well. Minerva is not going to be sending middle school teams to Newcomertown, etc. and other far away IVC or PAC schools on a school night. Just not happening. That's not me saying that, but someone who would know. Minerva is solidly entrenched in the EBC. The Lions won a state girls' cross country championship as an EBC member last year and I believe was the league champ in wrestling. The key is getting the numbers up and improving the football team results.
 
A better day for all said:
West Branch is now the smallest school in the EBC (enrollment-wise) and they are doing pretty well. Minerva is not going to be sending middle school teams to Newcomertown, etc. and other far away IVC or PAC schools on a school night. Just not happening. That's not me saying that, but someone who would know. Minerva is solidly entrenched in the EBC. The Lions won a state girls' cross country championship as an EBC member last year and I believe was the league champ in wrestling. The key is getting the numbers up and improving the football team results.
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Guys I appreciate what you are saying and respectfully, I just don't agree with it. At what point in time do we say to ourselves that hoping this and that happens is going to fix us? "Hope numbers get up," hope new coach sticks around and works out." If we are using a girls cross country state championship and the wrestling team's first conference Championship since 1987 as proof that we are where we need to be, that kind of proves my point. We have made those those trips before when we were in the Senate League and I would strongly disagree with multiple one hour drives assertion. Fellas, it's not just the losing and it's not even just the lack of our competitiveness in so many sports. We have kids and families moving out of our community and transferring to other schools and that is, in my opinion, the red herring in all of this. I love this school so much and it's my biggest worry that we (decision makers) are going to be ok with this being our new normal.
 
ShootNation said:
That's not what "red herring" means but people leaving the community has little to do with athletic success
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In literature red herring means a false or misleading clue, look it up. While you are at it check my punctuation and spelling if you would. Nowhere did I say people leaving the community affected our athletic success. Try reading it again and go slowly.
 
KINGOFTHEJUNGLE said:
In literature red herring means a false or misleading clue, look it up. While you are at it check my punctuation and spelling if you would. Nowhere did I say people leaving the community affected our athletic success. Try reading it again and go slowly.
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You drew a correlation between the two and your post indicated that losing students was the biggest area of concern for Minerva
 
KINGOFTHEJUNGLE said:
Guys I appreciate what you are saying and respectfully, I just don't agree with it. At what point in time do we say to ourselves that hoping this and that happens is going to fix us? "Hope numbers get up," hope new coach sticks around and works out." If we are using a girls cross country state championship and the wrestling team's first conference Championship since 1987 as proof that we are where we need to be, that kind of proves my point. We have made those those trips before when we were in the Senate League and I would strongly disagree with multiple one hour drives assertion. Fellas, it's not just the losing and it's not even just the lack of our competitiveness in so many sports. We have kids and families moving out of our community and transferring to other schools and that is, in my opinion, the red herring in all of this. I love this school so much and it's my biggest worry that we (decision makers) are going to be ok with this being our new normal.
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King, I certainly understand where you are coming from. Believe me, I understand the frustration. I remember those great Minerva Tri-County and Senate League teams that would beat opponents 50-0 and 60-0 on Friday nights with those great running games. I just know the EBC is best with a strong Minerva football program in it, and hopefully that's going to happen with coach Speakman.
 
ShootNation said:
You drew a correlation between the two and your post indicated that losing students was the biggest area of concern for Minerva
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I think he was referring to kids we lost to open enrollment and transfers. But our biggest problem is we have really good athletes walking the hallways and not play football. A lot of them play other sports. I really do respect King's opinion and many others have the same opinion but I really don't agree running to another league is the solution. Our football program needs fixed, it's been broken for years and flipping leagues isn't going to help. We don't have the hardest OOC schedule and we are still getting destroyed every game. There are way too many issues in our program and switching leagues will not fix them- we need patience. The difference between us and Salem has nothing to do with a Walmart, it has everything to do with Salem kids off season program makes them bigger, stronger and faster. And love him or hate him, the had a very good coach that established and consistent program
 
If I had to start a league from scratch, I would pick:
Minerva
Carrollton
West Branch
Salem
Marlington
Beaver Local

I would add Alliance too but they are a bigger school and if enrollment stays same I can see them leaving.

I would not take the PAC path
 
NBC 1988 said:
If I had to start a league from scratch, I would pick:
Minerva
Carrollton
West Branch
Salem
Marlington
Beaver Local

I would add Alliance too but they are a bigger school and if enrollment stays same I can see them leaving.

I would not take the PAC path
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I kinda of like this idea you have for a league.
1. I like 6 team leagues
2. Taking a little more Stark county out of this league and keep moving east.
3. Probably should just go ahead and switch Marlington with East Liverpool now
4. Marlington, Alliance, Louisville, Howland, Canfield could then form their own league.
 
ShootNation said:
You drew a correlation between the two and your post indicated that losing students was the biggest area of concern for Minerva
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"Losing students was the biggest area of concern for Minerva." That's is what I indicated? Have you read any of my previous 100 posts screaming from the mountain tops that us (Minerva) needing another conference was my "biggest area of concern?" Not trying to be ugly but spend less time playing the punctuation police and bring more substance to the conversation.
 
Switching gears here, but I was told from a Salem HS teacher that Ron Johnson is applying for the head baseball job. I can only hope that this means he's resigning as the football coach.
 
Talking to some of the EBC power brokers, the league is solid at six teams. No movement. It's a great league the way it is, with a long-range goal of adding a seventh and eighth school — after some dominoes fall with another league in the coming year/years.
 
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