AP - Notebook - SEOAL

[93Bulldog]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Jackson Ironmen will go out on top as the last Southeastern Ohio Athletic League football champion, after clinching the title with a 46-14 win against Logan on Friday.

The two schools are the only remaining original members of the league that was formed in 1925 but after 92 years will cease to exist at the end of the current school year. The SEOAL is the state's oldest, continuous running, non-city high school athletic conference, according to Craig Dunn, The Logan Daily News sports editor and SEOAL historian.

The league had 20 schools as members at various points throughout its history but just three are competing this season.

Jackson (5-2) is departing to join five soon-to-be former South Central Ohio League schools to form a new conference, leaving Logan and Vincent Warren without full-time league affiliations.

For Jackson, its third straight championship and 25th overall is second in league history to Logan's 26. Original members Gallipolis Gallia Academy (17), Ironton 14 and Athens (12) follow in titles.

In the clinching win, Jackson quarterback Bryce Hall, the son of Ironmen coach Andy Hall, threw for 334 yards and five touchdown passes to five receivers to beat Logan (1-6).

[Poo Bear]

So sad
Should never habe happened

Jackson
Logan
Warren
Gallia
Athens

Should be in the Seoal this very day

[Abe Froman]

So sad
Should never habe happened

Jackson
Logan
Warren
Gallia
Athens

Should be in the Seoal this very day

Ehh, I would substitute Chillicothe in this mythical list for Gallia, but that is just me.

Why in the world Athens-Jackson-Logan-Chillicothe don't play every year is beyond me. I know Jackson will be playing Chillicothe from here on out in league play, but Athens-Logan-Chilli-Athens are all within an hour or less of each other and you guys are grabbing non-conference games from Cincinnati and Columbus and beyond. Zero sense in that.

[Poo Bear]

Jackson vs Athens week 1 on a Saturday
Jackson vs Logan - iron chief trophy
Jackson vs chilly week 10

[Chieftain2009]

Hate to see the league go. For right now at least, it will be the worst for the kids at Warren and Logan because they don't have a league championship to play for after this year in any sport. Eventually, something will turn out though.

[ironman02]

So sad
Should never habe happened

Jackson
Logan
Warren
Gallia
Athens

Should be in the Seoal this very day

Ehh, I would substitute Chillicothe in this mythical list for Gallia, but that is just me.

Why in the world Athens-Jackson-Logan-Chillicothe don't play every year is beyond me. I know Jackson will be playing Chillicothe from here on out in league play, but Athens-Logan-Chilli-Athens are all within an hour or less of each other and you guys are grabbing non-conference games from Cincinnati and Columbus and beyond. Zero sense in that.

I'm sure that Jackson and Logan will be continuing their series as soon as current contracts expire and the two schools can find a common open week. Jackson will have league commitments in Weeks 6-10 next year, and Logan doesn't have an opening during Weeks 1-5 currently. Jackson has been playing Chillicothe nearly every year since they joined the SEOAL back in 2006. When Athens voted for SEOAL expansion and then bailed before ever playing a game in the new league, their football program was not in a good place. Ryan Adams has really turned that program around, and they had a superb group of athletes come through, which really put their program back on the map. Jackson beat Athens in the 2011 playoffs, but once they were willing to schedule Jackson again in the regular season, it happened, and Athens (with Burrow and company) beat Jackson twice. However, River Valley was added to the TVC and Athens had to drop Jackson from the schedule because they were forced to play an extra league game.

Basically, I said all of that to say this. Jackson/Athens/Logan do schedule each other. It's just a matter of getting the open weeks and getting the games back. I believe Jackson is scheduled to play Wellston and Wheelersburg in the non-conference next year, but I do not know who will be on the schedule for Weeks 2-4 at this point. In the near future, I would bet that Athens and Logan are two of those games.

[ironman02]

Really sad to see the end of the SEOAL. I grew up watching this league, playing sports in it, and studying its history. So many great memories that will last forever, but also hard to accept that Jackson will never play an SEOAL football game again.

[8332 Granite St]

What is the new league and who is all in it other then Jackson and Chillicothe?

[enigmaax]

Hate to see the league go. For right now at least, it will be the worst for the kids at Warren and Logan because they don't have a league championship to play for after this year in any sport. Eventually, something will turn out though.

I know some people aren't excited for it and there's not a round robin, but Warren is in the OVAC, which crowns league champs. In fact, in most sports, there is a mini tournament with 4 teams at the end of the year to crown a champ. Warren has barely been in the conversation for a football league title in 40 years, so that one doesn't make a big difference. The basketball schedule could be challenging - a good thing for where the program is right now.

The golf team just won the league and the volleyball team made the conference tournament. Warren will be fine IMO.

[mattash]

Warren to the TVC-Ohio and Logan to the league with Jackson?

[Orange and Brown]

Warren to the TVC-Ohio and Logan to the league with Jackson?

Warren has tried several times to get back into the TVC, but they can't get the votes.

[1987chieftains]

Warren to the TVC-Ohio and Logan to the league with Jackson?

Logan will mostly hold out for the MSL or a realignment of the OCC. But I don't see that happening any time soon. The powers that been in the MSL at TV and Hammy still think Logan is a 3 hour round trip. I just read this week on the MSL site. One poster saying Logan was a horrible idea to adding because of the 1 1/2 hour trip to Logan and the bad traffic on 33. That is the mentality working against Logan. I don't any of them have looked at Google maps.

[noreply66]

Biggest hang up getting to Logan coming East is being fix. Last week half of it was open. They need to do something at Sugar Grove and it would be a straight shot to the river. I get to Riverside Hospital from Logan in less than an hour.

[1987chieftains]

I was told the Sugar Grove light will never come out unless a over pass is put in. The fire dept can control the light when they are making a run to the other side of 33. I'm not sure how true that is but... I'd like to see the Pickerington rd intersection get a over pass. That is becoming as bad as the Carroll light was.

[ironman02]

What is the new league and who is all in it other then Jackson and Chillicothe?

No name for the league yet.

Jackson, Chillicothe, Washington Court House, Miami Trace, Greenfield-McClain, and Hillsboro.

[1987chieftains]

Wow, whats the hold up?

[noreply66]

I was told the Sugar Grove light will never come out unless a over pass is put in. The fire dept can control the light when they are making a run to the other side of 33. I'm not sure how true that is but... I'd like to see the Pickerington rd intersection get a over pass. That is becoming as bad as the Carroll light was.

I forgot about the Pickerington light.

[doubleplay643]

I know Alexander and Athens both played as an associate member in the SEOAL for boys and girls soccer, I have been reading in the local paper about how the league finished up for these squads.

Will the TVC have its own soccer next year? I assume the new league Jackson will be in will have its own soccer, will Athens, Warren, Logan and Alexander look to keep some type of league going?

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

Really sad to see the end of the SEOAL. I grew up watching this league, playing sports in it, and studying its history. So many great memories that will last forever, but also hard to accept that Jackson will never play an SEOAL football game again.

I'm honored I got to be a small part of it as well as a fighting tiger albeit only through my soph. year. I always loved the SEOAL. and very sad to see this end.