BlackandGold
RollSide
Let's see if St. John can thrive long enough to make a long run in the NAC. They don't have a great history of sustaining conference affiliation due to low numbers, especially for football.
"The St. John football team joined the Northeastern Athletic Conference at the start of the 2020 season.
The Heralds’ other sports teams, except for wrestling and tennis, will be NAC members in the future.
On Monday, the NAC announced the St. John as its new member.
“St. John has been a valued partner and longtime friend of many of the members of our conference, and we’re excited to welcome them as full members,” the NAC announced in a statement.
“They will commence conference play with the 2022-2023 school year. Our conference plans on dividing into two divisions in certain sports for the 2022-2023 school year, as we have previously. The specifics of those divisions are still being finalized at this time.”
St. John athletic director and girls basketball coach Nick Iarocci is thrilled with the announcement.
“We’re super excited to be part of the NAC,” he said. “We’ve had great relationships with NAC schools. This makes sense enrollment-wise, competitiveness and travel. No school is more than 50 miles away.”
St. John boys basketball coach Curtis Turner said it’s been a long time coming.
“Being independent has its advantages, but there’s nothing like joining a well-established conference like the NAC,” he said. “It definitely gives our kids more exposure and opportunities to compete for awards.”
St. John volleyball coach Sarah Howe is thrilled to join the NAC.
“It is a natural fit for the volleyball team as we already have an established relationship with most of the teams in the conference,” she said. “We have always told our players they need to perform well when playing these schools since the majority of them are in our sectional/district.
“But now playing for a conference title, it adds a whole other dimension. I am excited to see how our girls respond.”
Current members of the NAC are Badger, Bloomfield, Bristol, Chalker, Fairport Harbor, Lordstown, Maplewood, Pymatuning Valley and Windham.
Badger, Bloomfield, Bristol, Lordstown and Maplewood don’t field football teams.
“I think the NAC is a cool, small conference,” Iarocci said.
Iarocci said the school’s tennis and wrestling teams will continue as independents. He added that the tier system will be a benefit for St. John.
“In basketball, we’ll play everyone on our side twice and the other side once,” he said. “That’s about 14 to 16 league games. We can still play our county schools in non-conference games.”
St. John has been independent since 2012.
“Our kids can compete for a conference title and receive all-conference recognition,” Iarocci said. “We feel this is a best of both worlds. There’s a tremendous amount of upside.”
NAC commissioner Pat Giuliano is glad to have St. John on board.
“We’re really happy to have the Heralds in the league,” he said. “I think there’s good competition across the board. It’s a good fit.”
The NAC will spread over four counties, including Ashtabula, Portage, Lake and Trumbull.
Giuliano said the timeline for establishing the tiers will probably be by August"
"The St. John football team joined the Northeastern Athletic Conference at the start of the 2020 season.
The Heralds’ other sports teams, except for wrestling and tennis, will be NAC members in the future.
On Monday, the NAC announced the St. John as its new member.
“St. John has been a valued partner and longtime friend of many of the members of our conference, and we’re excited to welcome them as full members,” the NAC announced in a statement.
“They will commence conference play with the 2022-2023 school year. Our conference plans on dividing into two divisions in certain sports for the 2022-2023 school year, as we have previously. The specifics of those divisions are still being finalized at this time.”
St. John athletic director and girls basketball coach Nick Iarocci is thrilled with the announcement.
“We’re super excited to be part of the NAC,” he said. “We’ve had great relationships with NAC schools. This makes sense enrollment-wise, competitiveness and travel. No school is more than 50 miles away.”
St. John boys basketball coach Curtis Turner said it’s been a long time coming.
“Being independent has its advantages, but there’s nothing like joining a well-established conference like the NAC,” he said. “It definitely gives our kids more exposure and opportunities to compete for awards.”
St. John volleyball coach Sarah Howe is thrilled to join the NAC.
“It is a natural fit for the volleyball team as we already have an established relationship with most of the teams in the conference,” she said. “We have always told our players they need to perform well when playing these schools since the majority of them are in our sectional/district.
“But now playing for a conference title, it adds a whole other dimension. I am excited to see how our girls respond.”
Current members of the NAC are Badger, Bloomfield, Bristol, Chalker, Fairport Harbor, Lordstown, Maplewood, Pymatuning Valley and Windham.
Badger, Bloomfield, Bristol, Lordstown and Maplewood don’t field football teams.
“I think the NAC is a cool, small conference,” Iarocci said.
Iarocci said the school’s tennis and wrestling teams will continue as independents. He added that the tier system will be a benefit for St. John.
“In basketball, we’ll play everyone on our side twice and the other side once,” he said. “That’s about 14 to 16 league games. We can still play our county schools in non-conference games.”
St. John has been independent since 2012.
“Our kids can compete for a conference title and receive all-conference recognition,” Iarocci said. “We feel this is a best of both worlds. There’s a tremendous amount of upside.”
NAC commissioner Pat Giuliano is glad to have St. John on board.
“We’re really happy to have the Heralds in the league,” he said. “I think there’s good competition across the board. It’s a good fit.”
The NAC will spread over four counties, including Ashtabula, Portage, Lake and Trumbull.
Giuliano said the timeline for establishing the tiers will probably be by August"
