Northwest Ohio Realignment

That’s part of the issue though. There’s no way you can have Lima Senior in the lower division for boys basketball.

To be honest a lot of my opinions are based on the SBC’s failures. That conference did the split divisions and it’s been a complete clusterf*ck. Willard will more than likely leave to the N10 and Oak Harbor might be joining the NBC. I know for a fact they’re not thrilled that they have to schedule City League teams to fill Week 4-5. Especially when they had great rivalries with Perkins and Clyde that are just about gone now. A 6/6 league is just doubtful to work long term
N10 won't take them, they need a partner and I know that there are several N10 schools who don't want Pleasant who is the current partner with Willard

and as someone else said, OH doesn't want to play the SBC Lake teams. They could have scheduled any of them weeks 1-5 and they haven't. Even when they were loaded. They are content with Woodward and fostoria, and rogers or whoever they can get out of the TCL

If OH wants out to the NBC they had a chance. Actually, if OH and Vermilion left, the SBC could combine the Lake and Bay and have a really nice league.
 
NWOAL All-sports standings so far-
Boys:
Wauseon 49
Archbold 40
Liberty Center 34
Bryan 34
Evergreen 28.5
Delta 23
Swanton 21.5
Patrick Henry 19
Not to excuse the Fulton county 3 for trying to leave but the current All-sports standings are how things look most years, some years a few teams interchange in the middle section but for the most part this is how it has been the last decade or so. Bryan will jump LC for the final standings and the "Big 3" will finish 1-2-3.
Unofficial Final All-Sports standings:
Wauseon 63
Archbold 53
Bryan 48
Liberty Center 40.5
Evergreen 37.5
Delta 30.5
Patrick Henry 24.5
Swanton 24

Evergreen's anointed "Big 3" finish 1-2-3 and claim every league title except for one by Liberty Center...in bowling.
 
That’s part of the issue though. There’s no way you can have Lima Senior in the lower division for boys basketball.

To be honest a lot of my opinions are based on the SBC’s failures. That conference did the split divisions and it’s been a complete clusterf*ck. Willard will more than likely leave to the N10 and Oak Harbor might be joining the NBC. I know for a fact they’re not thrilled that they have to schedule City League teams to fill Week 4-5. Especially when they had great rivalries with Perkins and Clyde that are just about gone now. A 6/6 league is just doubtful to work long term
It wasn't eventually going to be a cluster with Margaretta and SMCC showing discontent? Heck, even with split, and essentially being same-sized, Huron wants nothing to do with Bellevue nor Clyde.
 
Unofficial Final All-Sports standings:
Wauseon 63
Archbold 53
Bryan 48
Liberty Center 40.5
Evergreen 37.5
Delta 30.5
Patrick Henry 24.5
Swanton 24

Evergreen's anointed "Big 3" finish 1-2-3 and claim every league title except for one by Liberty Center...in bowling.
I look at All-Sports Standings as an indicator of depth of athletes (i.e., size of the school). Bigger schools are better able to field competitive teams in multiple sports per season as opposed to just one sport (or none). Schools like PH and LC (the two smallest) have more football league titles in the past 30 years than the rest of the league but my bet is they've NEVER won the All-Sports Standings. So my takeaway from these standing is that Bryan and especially Swanton are punching below their weight whereas Archbold and LC are punching above their weight. The others pretty well fall in line with their size.
 
I look at All-Sports Standings as an indicator of depth of athletes (i.e., size of the school). Bigger schools are better able to field competitive teams in multiple sports per season as opposed to just one sport (or none). Schools like PH and LC (the two smallest) have more football league titles in the past 30 years than the rest of the league but my bet is they've NEVER won the All-Sports Standings. So my takeaway from these standing is that Bryan and especially Swanton are punching below their weight whereas Archbold and LC are punching above their weight. The others pretty well fall in line with their size.
Just to add some information on the topic:

It's kind of hard to find prior year all sport standings, but here is the last full school year. Archbold 53.5, Bryan 53, Wauseon 48.5, Liberty Center 48, Swanton 35.5, Evergreen 29.5, Patrick Henry 27.5 and Delta 23.5.
Last year, Wauseon was first in the boys standings with 47 points. Bryan was runner-up at 39.5 points, Archbold had 37.5, Liberty Center 35.5, Swanton 26, Evergreen 25, Patrick Henry 19.5 and Delta 19.

There are winners on the league website. Wauseon, Archbold and Bryan have won almost all of them with the current league make up (No Napoleon). Delta had 2 boys all sports titles in the mid 2000s. Other than that you have to go back to 1990-92 when Swanton won it.
 
The faster the big 3 take the hint and get out the better. Problem is there's no place for them to really go.

This is the pattern in the NWOAL. They voted Defiance out in the 50s. They slowly forced Napoleon out in the 70s by starting a new league and threatening to kill the NWOAL. Now this. Wauseon finally getting a taste of their own medicine from when they were a small school, but the message from the others is consistent. If you can't compete, quit and/or make them leave.
 
Evergreen BOE meeting spent less than a minute on league change. Basically saying that there has been no movement but they will continue to keep an eye out so that they are ready to be proactive if the need arises.

Evergreen and Delta do not need to jump until the schools that started the talk make a move.
 
Evergreen and Delta do not need to jump until the schools that started the talk make a move.
I spoke to an Evergreen assistant coach this morning who echoed this exact thought. He felt that across the district most people would be glad to go but they would be more content to begrudgingly follow and claim they wanted to stay and compete.
 
I spoke to an Evergreen assistant coach this morning who echoed this exact thought. He felt that across the district most people would be glad to go but they would be more content to begrudgingly follow and claim they wanted to stay and compete.
I've received a different vibe from the Delta and Evergreen folks I've talked to. Seems the sentiment is they don't want the move but school administration is pushing it. I feel like everyone with the exception of Swanton would be perfectly content if nothing happens.
 
The faster the big 3 take the hint and get out the better. Problem is there's no place for them to really go.

This is the pattern in the NWOAL. They voted Defiance out in the 50s. They slowly forced Napoleon out in the 70s by starting a new league and threatening to kill the NWOAL. Now this. Wauseon finally getting a taste of their own medicine from when they were a small school, but the message from the others is consistent. If you can't compete, quit and/or make them leave.
Others should be singular = Swanton
 
ON THE AGENDA, THURSDAY, MAY 20TH, WOODMORE SCHOOL BOE

13. BE IT RESOLVED by the Woodmore Local School District Board of Education that it leave the Northern Buckeye Conference effective no later than the 2022 - 2023 School year and accept the invitation of the Sandusky Bay Conference to join its River Division for all athletic teams commencing no later than the 2023 - 2024 school year; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board direct the Woodmore Local Schools Administration to immediately communicate this action to all affected parties.
 
If Oak Harbor doesn't leave...theyre either going all in on Northwood again or they're adding in another monster comparatively to get back to an even number (if BG even wants to leave the NLL)
 
If Oak Harbor doesn't leave...theyre either going all in on Northwood again or they're adding in another monster comparatively to get back to an even number (if BG even wants to leave the NLL)

If Swanton doesn't want to play Archbold any more, I doubt they'd want any part of Eastwood...but they would fit enrollment wise and give the NBC another "western" team to pair with Otsego.
 
I completly agree it would be a last resort move but need to remember Perrsburg, AW and S-NV (as of now) would not be in the same
division as Lima so they wouldn't have to make that drive or have Lima bring their handful of paying fans.

Outside of boys basketball Lima sports are a complete disarray right now so if other 5 small NLL schools want an easy win they would get it.

Lima Senior has always been a bottom feeder in sports like XC, Softball, Soccer (boys and girls), volleyball, etc... Football can't seem to do anything since Rush (unless you're Mike Fell). Baseball has a young coach who is a workaholic for that program but without any kind of suitable feeder program he is essentially coaching kids who have never played baseball til 9th grade. Girls bball has certainly been ok and with the hire of a new coach should continue to be alright, hopefully.

Boys basketball is the one consistent but even they have the occasional .500 season. Spartan fans forget that prior to Quincy we were getting bounced from the tournament in the sectional semis lol.

The plus column for Lima Senior is they will at least field a team in everything. I mean I graduated from that school 22 years ago and they've actually increased their sports offerings in that time but have seen enrollment reduced by at least 25%. How you add girls soccer, boys lax and girls lax while losing a quarter of your enrollment is amazing to me haha.

So I don't know that I would use the word disarray or the phrase right now. Again, it's not like Lima was winning XC and Vball state titles the last 15-20 years then all of a sudden dropped off.

As a side note: Lima's boys and girls Lax programs did pretty well this spring. I'll be honest as an LSH alum Lacrosse is the absolute last sport I thought I'd ever see played inside the city limits. Now I'm waiting for that water polo program to take off next haha.
 
Sure Lima BB team would dominate now but they are coach leaving from possible being terrible like the rest of the sports at the school. Or LCC hires a coach that recruits all the good kids away from Lima.

To be clear I don't think Lima is a good fit for the NLL I just can't find a better one that would join.

With Q at the helm and Shawnee having recent success, LCC ain't gonna be good in boys bball again for a LONG time. LCC would have to hire the score of the century to attract a kid away from Q at this point.
 
If Swanton doesn't want to play Archbold any more, I doubt they'd want any part of Eastwood...but they would fit enrollment wise and give the NBC another "western" team to pair with Otsego.

Yeah...that's a possibility, but they'd be trading "big" schools in Wauseon and Bryan with schools that are larger or similarly sized in Maumee and Rossford respectively. Add in the fact that you've got two other schools who would compete you into the dirt in the NBC, it wouldn't make things any better at all for Swanton.
 
ON THE AGENDA, THURSDAY, MAY 20TH, WOODMORE SCHOOL BOE

13. BE IT RESOLVED by the Woodmore Local School District Board of Education that it leave the Northern Buckeye Conference effective no later than the 2022 - 2023 School year and accept the invitation of the Sandusky Bay Conference to join its River Division for all athletic teams commencing no later than the 2023 - 2024 school year; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board direct the Woodmore Local Schools Administration to immediately communicate this action to all affected parties.
Another SLL castoff. Unreal to see how much that lineup of schools has changed in just a decade. Probably best though, so much instability with Danbury now becoming an 8 man team & St Joe probably going the way of St Wendelin within the next decade. Current lineup is then...

Woodmore
Calvert
Lakota
Margaretta
Fremont St Joe
Hopewell Loudon
Gibsonburg
 
Lima Senior has always been a bottom feeder in sports like XC, Softball, Soccer (boys and girls), volleyball, etc... Football can't seem to do anything since Rush (unless you're Mike Fell). Baseball has a young coach who is a workaholic for that program but without any kind of suitable feeder program he is essentially coaching kids who have never played baseball til 9th grade. Girls bball has certainly been ok and with the hire of a new coach should continue to be alright, hopefully.

Boys basketball is the one consistent but even they have the occasional .500 season. Spartan fans forget that prior to Quincy we were getting bounced from the tournament in the sectional semis lol.

The plus column for Lima Senior is they will at least field a team in everything. I mean I graduated from that school 22 years ago and they've actually increased their sports offerings in that time but have seen enrollment reduced by at least 25%. How you add girls soccer, boys lax and girls lax while losing a quarter of your enrollment is amazing to me haha.

So I don't know that I would use the word disarray or the phrase right now. Again, it's not like Lima was winning XC and Vball state titles the last 15-20 years then all of a sudden dropped off.

As a side note: Lima's boys and girls Lax programs did pretty well this spring. I'll be honest as an LSH alum Lacrosse is the absolute last sport I thought I'd ever see played inside the city limits. Now I'm waiting for that water polo program to take off next haha.
You make some good points particularly about adding LAX. I am not sure if it is the reason the track program has taken a nose dive but has to be a factor. A few years ago they were doing big things down at the state meet this year the boys teams only scored 16 points at TRAC meet. 2nd to last was Clay with 49. Girls were better with 6 place but only 13 away from last and large % of points came from 2 girls. There were many events in for both boys and girls were they didn't even enter anybody including boys 4x100, 4x200x, 4x400.
 
Yeah...that's a possibility, but they'd be trading "big" schools in Wauseon and Bryan with schools that are larger or similarly sized in Maumee and Rossford respectively. Add in the fact that you've got two other schools who would compete you into the dirt in the NBC, it wouldn't make things any better at all for Swanton.

Maumee is potentially Bryan and Eastwood would be Wauseon in this scenario. Rossford's enrollment is up, but they shouldn't scare anyone outside of basketball...and that group will have graduated by the time this stuff happens.
 
I've received a different vibe from the Delta and Evergreen folks I've talked to. Seems the sentiment is they don't want the move but school administration is pushing it. I feel like everyone with the exception of Swanton would be perfectly content if nothing happens.
I don't get the feeling there is a big push by non school officials to move in Swanton either. More like, if it happens, it happens. I doubt people are excited about joining a league with long drives to Montpelier and Edon though. Toledo area schools make more sense and would be more palatable.
 
What if LCC hires Q? ?

they had a chance to when Q was an assistant on staff at LCC before he was offered the senior high job. LCC stuck with Frank Kill, who is a good guy and good coach but Kill isn't leaving any time soon and LCC is probably not forcing him out any time soon either.
 
You make some good points particularly about adding LAX. I am not sure if it is the reason the track program has taken a nose dive but has to be a factor. A few years ago they were doing big things down at the state meet this year the boys teams only scored 16 points at TRAC meet. 2nd to last was Clay with 49. Girls were better with 6 place but only 13 away from last and large % of points came from 2 girls. There were many events in for both boys and girls were they didn't even enter anybody including boys 4x100, 4x200x, 4x400.

The boys track team was legit a couple years back but then again so was the football team during those years. Notice that both have followed the same trajectory. That group that came through during the Fell and early Q years was a special group of athletes. Tough to emulate year after year at senior high.

The numbers in the girls lax program are enough for a team but not sure they have so many girls out that it negatively impacts the track team.

I do know they're looking for a new XC and distance coach however
 
Another SLL castoff. Unreal to see how much that lineup of schools has changed in just a decade. Probably best though, so much instability with Danbury now becoming an 8 man team & St Joe probably going the way of St Wendelin within the next decade. Current lineup is then...

Woodmore
Calvert
Lakota
Margaretta
Fremont St Joe
Hopewell Loudon
Gibsonburg
Sandusky St. Mary as well. The moves makes sense for Woodmore and they really should have done it sooner.
 
Looks like Oak Harbor will still have the next crack at the NBC followed by Bowling Green. I can almost guarantee that the NBC will get one of them.
 
Looks like Oak Harbor will still have the next crack at the NBC followed by Bowling Green. I can almost guarantee that the NBC will get one of them.
I just have a hard time believing the SBC would fill an opening only to create another one with their addition of Woodmore. You’d have to think they got a commitment from OH.
 
The boys track team was legit a couple years back but then again so was the football team during those years. Notice that both have followed the same trajectory. That group that came through during the Fell and early Q years was a special group of athletes. Tough to emulate year after year at senior high.

The numbers in the girls lax program are enough for a team but not sure they have so many girls out that it negatively impacts the track team.

I do know they're looking for a new XC and distance coach however
I sure hope that is not true but if it is he should spend the rest of his days in jail.
 
I just have a hard time believing the SBC would fill an opening only to create another one with their addition of Woodmore. You’d have to think they got a commitment from OH.
From what I’ve gathered, fellow SBC schools wouldn’t be too heartbroken to see Oak Harbor leave…
 
From what I’ve gathered, fellow SBC schools wouldn’t be too heartbroken to see Oak Harbor leave…
CB7D64A0-0613-4F18-B529-6EA06EDA660B.gif
 
Top