As I have mentioned many times now, I would love to see Avon in a league with Brunswick, Medina, Strongsville and the bigger SWC schools…Avon Lake, Elyria, Olmsted Falls and either North Ridgeville (growing and my choice) or Berea-Midpark (probably the choice of the westside GCCers) to reach eight, but as you said…there is no urgency to break up the SWC and I’m sure the current GCC schools want to give the eight team GCC with both Heights a go before deciding if something else could be better. I know Brunswick and Strongsville have applied to the SWC before (not sure about Medina, an ex-SWC member), but I think they are going to try this latest GCC iteration and make it work.
GCC invites Cleveland Heights & Shaker ?
- Thread starter Mike Gully
- Start date
MentorGrad2002
Well-known member
I was clearly referring to D1 schools. Elyria , Berea and Lorain.
I wouldn't say heck they get beaten by D2 and d3 publics if I was including a long time below D1 school like Avon
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MentorGrad2002
Well-known member
Also I'd like to point out that saying Eastside or Westside in terms of geography is too simplistic. Try Google mapping Strongsville to shaker and Cleveland HTS (Euclid and Solon too) and then look at Strongsville to Avon, Avon lake and Lorain.
It's the same trip ... Actually you'd add a few minutes for Medina to go to Avon, Avon lake and Lorain vs going to Euclid ....
Even Elyria is a 10 minute or less difference to travel to vs Euclid for the 3 Westside gcc schools .
Berea is the one that fits geographically and size wise with the GCC. They've been approached and haven't been interested
It's the same trip ... Actually you'd add a few minutes for Medina to go to Avon, Avon lake and Lorain vs going to Euclid ....
Even Elyria is a 10 minute or less difference to travel to vs Euclid for the 3 Westside gcc schools .
Berea is the one that fits geographically and size wise with the GCC. They've been approached and haven't been interested
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I think I’m the only one pushing for a westside big school league at this point. The actual schools have no intention of breaking up the current SWC and the GCC has just stabilized itself. Both are at eight schools…the magic number. I don’t see any movement for at least a few years.
MentorGrad2002
Well-known member
Yeah there is nothing wrong with discussing what you'd like. I'm just saying it's not as simplistic as Eastside vs Westside in the conference. Adding Cleveland HTS and shaker hts is the same as adding Avon, Avon lake , Lorain or Elyria virtually in terms of travel ...
The only difference is the Eastside schools add less travel but that is a plus since the Westside school travel would be the same as adding those other westside schools I listed
Berea is the one those 3 Westside schools would want but they've been given many chances to join and don't want to
Since we always like to have some fun with the “what if’s” when it comes to leagues…what if the unthinkable happened and a big school westside league was formed? I could see an eastside league then of Mentor, Euclid, Solon, Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights as the core. I would try to add Stow and Riverside, but can’t think of another. And the one thing that could be a catalyst to big school league movement is if the Parma schools ever do consolidate.
MentorGrad2002
Well-known member
Mayfield could be last one. But the GCC is fine as it is. You could put all 3 Parma schools together after they are purged by private schools and they'd probably be no better than even Cleveland HTS at football.
Yeah, I don’t think a big Parma would be automatically good in anything, but they surely would be kicked out of their current league.
Mayfield over Brush? Isn’t Brush the bigger school? I know their football has not been good, but hoops has been very good under Chet the Jet.
MentorGrad2002
Well-known member
Doesn't mean we have to take them. No thanks
MentorGrad2002
Well-known member
Mayfield 463
Brush 406
Neither are ideal but in your scenario of schools , Mayfield may come if Riverside leaves
Not going to happen anyways. The GCC is perfectly fine. As I've shown, Lorain avon, Avon lake and Elyria are virtually no difference in travel for the Westside schools when compared to solon , Euclid , shaker hts, and Cleveland HTS.
Nathanial Durant
Member
East D-1 League (8 Teams)
Mentor - 884; Euclid - 653; Cleveland Heights - 651; Stow - 639; Riverside - 584; Shaker Heights - 570; Solon - 566; Hudson - 550
West D-1 League (8 Teams)
Lorain - 830; Brunswick - 822; Medina - 809; Strongsville - 686; Elyria - 683; Berea Midpark - 674; Avon - 572; North Ridgeville - 529
SWC D-2 and Lower (9 Teams)
Lakewood - 520; North Olmsted 480; Avon Lake 473; Olmsted Falls - 443; Amherst - 424; Westlake - 408; Midview - 383; Rocky River - 319; Bay Village - 278
Comments: Trying to match teams that are D-1 or trending quickly towards D-1. Wildcards are Lorain, Wadsworth (Possible to West), some Consolidated form of Parma schools, Lower enrollment schools in SWC, but they're playing D-2's as it is.
I know it's fantasy but just thinking out loud.
Mentor - 884; Euclid - 653; Cleveland Heights - 651; Stow - 639; Riverside - 584; Shaker Heights - 570; Solon - 566; Hudson - 550
West D-1 League (8 Teams)
Lorain - 830; Brunswick - 822; Medina - 809; Strongsville - 686; Elyria - 683; Berea Midpark - 674; Avon - 572; North Ridgeville - 529
SWC D-2 and Lower (9 Teams)
Lakewood - 520; North Olmsted 480; Avon Lake 473; Olmsted Falls - 443; Amherst - 424; Westlake - 408; Midview - 383; Rocky River - 319; Bay Village - 278
Comments: Trying to match teams that are D-1 or trending quickly towards D-1. Wildcards are Lorain, Wadsworth (Possible to West), some Consolidated form of Parma schools, Lower enrollment schools in SWC, but they're playing D-2's as it is.
I know it's fantasy but just thinking out loud.
MentorGrad2002
Well-known member
The GCC is fine as it is. No thanks on any of this fantasy. Shaker and Cleveland HTS were ideal adds
Nathanial Durant
Member
I see what you're saying. No need to fix something that's not broken. The expanded playoffs make current mixed-division conferences easier to swallow as well.
E.S. Furgeson
Active member
Mentor's defense would shut most of these teams down. Just too sound.
SVillegrad
Well-known member
I may be in the minority, but I actually think one Parma school would be pretty good. I mean, Valley Forge has at least been a decent D2 team. I have to imagine, just adding 10 solid players to that (as bad as Parma and Normandy are, they have to at least to have 5 each that could help), would make the new Parma HS (mainly Valley Forge plus whatever) a competitive D1 team.
Basketball would definitely be more competitive, it wouldn't be just football.
MentorGrad2002
Well-known member
He's a troll from a crappy Akron city school. Best to just ignore him. I wouldn't have seen it if you didn't quote him.
Football and basketball and many other sports would be very good fits for both heights and shaker. I think shaker realizes that now
No good option for a DI league on the east side. Hudson aligns to Akron suburbs, Riverside sticks out like a sore thumb, and Solon just has little talent in the pipeline for the foreseeable future and will never get back to where they were from 2000-2017…at least not in Division I.
BlackandGold
RollSide
I would argue that Hudson aligns with the northern burbs Stow, Twinsburg, and Nordonia. Falls used to be part of the grouping, but has fell out with the inability to compete and declining enrollment. I would not say Hudson aligns with other Akron suburbs such as Barberton and Wadsworth on the southwest side. Historically, we’ve seen the northern burb schools align with Lake-Geauga schools in the former WRC, CVC, and the NOC.
neofootball10
Active member
These monster leagues have been done in the past. NEO. They never last because why would North Ridgeville want to play Medina, Strongsville, and Brunswick when they cant win much in their conference now. Teams hate crossover games and some schools have almost 300 boys than some of the others., The monster conference can only work if most schools are same size and no one division has a super team that wins every year like Mentor. It will never happen because SWC loves the location and competitiveness of it even if Avon dominates some years. .
Nathanial Durant
Member
For clarification's sake, I was not suggesting a monster league but rather 3 separate conferences. I certainly see your point with the 300 boy disparity but those games are already happening (Mentor vs. Solon/Shaker, etc.) One aspect of my proposal was to include rapidly growing communities like Avon and North Ridgeville. While it's true NR is not winning in the SWC now, it isn't hard to imagine a successful NR program in the future based on their population trajectory.
MentorGrad2002
Well-known member
So have they accepted yet ? I expected they'd have some announcement coming up and they have until April 15. But it's not official til the accept
BlackandGold
RollSide
Shaker has their BOE meeting tonight.
BlackandGold
RollSide
Both Shaker and Heights had their meetings last night to approve the move to the GCC. Not seeing any formal reports. Any word?
BlackandGold
RollSide
Per Shaker BOE meeting, Heights and Shaker have voted to join the GCC fall 2024.
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MentorGrad2002
Well-known member
Wouldn't it be fall of 2023?
Yeah the Cleveland HTS board meeting notes say 2023-2024 schools year so fall of 2023
Once it got out a few weeks ago it was a done deal. They just need formal approval from the BOE. Couldn’t make the move until the meeting, and they weren’t going to have a special meeting just for this.
MentorGrad2002
Well-known member
Yep it is indeed 2023-2024. Riverside guy read it wrong . Thrilled with the adds and welcome Cleveland HTS and shaker hts to the GCC!