SCOL Expanding?

[noreply66]

Would Chillicothe want Unioto to be in the same conference?

At one time I thought there was a big thing between the schools. Seemed like when I would go to a track meet and both were there things were sort of bitter between them.

[thecommonwealth]

Would Chillicothe want Unioto to be in the same conference?

At one time I thought there was a big thing between the schools. Seemed like when I would go to a track meet and both were there things were sort of bitter between them.

Good point, I also doubt Unioto wants to leave conference where they are top dog in size

[sibibis45]

Chillicothe would love Unioto to be in the SCOL. Problem is I don't think Unioto wants to go to a league that will challenge them in anyway. They are by far the largest school in the SVC and even though they don't dominate in all sports it seems to many that they think that they are the cream of the league.

[king kong]

Concerning Unioto, they don't have to leave volunarily, they can be voted out!

[noreply66]

Unioto is fine right where they are

[domain master]

OHSAA enrollment #'s-- Unioto (444), SE (255), Adens (250), Huntington (248), PV (214). Fine right where they are??

[Dandy Don]

OHSAA enrollment #'s-- Unioto (444), SE (255), Adens (250), Huntington (248), PV (214). Fine right where they are??

Agree they are much larger than some of the other schools, but I don't think they are going anywhere soon. They are not really dominating with respect to all sports as compared to Athens and the TVC as an example.

But if you disagree with certain people you may get scolded to get back on topic

[thecommonwealth]

Wilmington has 657
Chillicothe 651
Hillsboro 605
Miami Trace 521
Washington 478
Clinton-Massie 455
Greenfield McClain 429
East Clinton with 298

Schools mention as additions:

Xenia 890
Taeys Valley 840
Jackson 551
Circleville 457
Logan Elm 436
Unioto 444
Waverly 408
Westfall 339
Lynchburg Clay 266


Only way anything ever happens is if there is a package deal with similar size schools making the move and allowing for a split in the league.

If LE, Cville, and Unioto joined together you could still go 5 big and 5 small assuming EC would leave. That would also keep the rivals LE and Cville, MT and WCH together, while splitting Unioto and chilly. Even package Jackson and Waverly/Westfall, now it would be 6 and 6 and Jackson wouldn't have to travel to Clinton Massie (except for football). The question there is the drive from Jackson to Wilmington is still 80 miles (hour and half drive)

[domain master]

Playing in a conference with teams half your size is not the way the elevate your athletic program and athletes or prepare for a playoff run. Some schools have different priorities ($, hanging league banners, big fish) and thats their call. If the certain teams are added to the SCOL, Unioto would be placed in the small division (same size as Greenfield) and not have to bang heads in football with the big boys (CM, Wilmington, Chilly,). C-M will never agree to play football in the small division, no matter who joins (nor should they). But I agree, at this point Unioto will not leave the SVC, unless they are asked to, which could happen if they continue to grow.

[thecommonwealth]

Playing in a conference with teams half your size is not the way the elevate your athletic program and athletes or prepare for a playoff run. Some schools have different priorities ($, hanging league banners, big fish) and thats their call. If the certain teams are added to the SCOL, Unioto would be placed in the small division (same size as Greenfield) and not have to bang heads in football with the big boys (CM, Wilmington, Chilly,). C-M will never agree to play football in the small division, no matter who joins (nor should they). But I agree, at this point Unioto will not leave the SVC, unless they are asked to, which could happen if they continue to grow.

I agree with this. I can't remember if it was one of the newspaper articles or mentioned in a comment, but CM would play in the "big school" league for football. My Assumption is football would have their own alignment? For what its worth, wilmington, CM and EC play tourney in SW and when Chilly is D1 they play in central. Outside of football that effects tourney seeding for those teams. Ive seen those schools loose respect from voting coaches based on an assumption of the conference lacking strength. This due in my opinion, mostly because those coaches haven't seen the conference opponents play. Several coaches in any specific region are unfamiliar with teams outside their region (except certain programs with a rich history and repeated postseason success).

[domain master]

All 8 schools have wrestling, along with football and offer swimming and bowling. East Clinton is not going anywhere, they are 1 of 3 Clinton Co schools and were voted in 7-0. I think the SCOL has 2 main goals: 1) create a big/small division (not east and west as some have stated) to help EC and McClain. 2) Keep your big names happy (CM, Wilmington, Chilly), for Chilly, by adding schools near Ross Co. I would go hard after Circleville, LE, Unioto, Westfall, Adena and Paint Valley. Hope for 6, settle for 4, take 2 if offered.

[thecommonwealth]

I would agree with all of this, with the exception that East Clinton is not going anywhere. SCOL wants them certainly. They have finished a best; 2nd place in the SCOL one time in all the sports combined. They want out, only thing keeping them is the struggle to find another league. If another league accepts, or reaches out to them, they go immediately.

[domain master]

Agreed, EC is struggling a bit now in the league, but you will have some down time when you are the smallest school, hence the quest to add some small schools. But disagree that they leave at the first offer. When the SBC (EC old league) lost 2 members earlier this year heard they sent out some feelers and EC said thanks but no. EC rides this out and hopes for expansion. If the right league with the right offer comes along maybe, but no way they join a league with no football. They are in the heart of the SCOL, travel is short, gates are big and its a good league.

[GoBucks1047]

Any new updates on SCOL expansion? I know schools have until midnight tomorrow night to apply if they're interested in joining the league. And I'm surprised no one else is mentioning Blanchester as a possible new league member. They would be a great addition for the smaller/less competative division. Slightly larger than East Clinton and only 15-20 minutes south-southwest of Clinton-Massie and Wilmington. I'd think they would get added along with Circleville, Logan Elm, and Unioto if the expansion is to 12 teams. Paint Valley would be the team on the 1st one out, Westfall 2nd. If it's to 10 teams, then I'd think Circleville gets in 1st and Logan Elm/Blanchester fight it out for the last spot, where I give Logan Elm the slight edge over Blanchester.

[The Exile]

Have been following this discussion from afar and still wonder what advantage(s) Circleville or Logan Elm would have going from the MSL-B to the SCOL, other than being in a conference with a few more SE district schools, which may be useful (or not, depending on if they like you) come tournament draw time. While Circleville was once in the SCOL, that was over 25 years ago. Logan Elm has been in the MSL since the 70s and never in the SCOL. There may be some concern that the MSL as an entire league will have to adjust to some movement as the Ohio Division loses members, and Teays Valley might (very shaky might) be offered a spot in the OCC, but there is no danger of the league folding or imploding from this.

MSL-B advantages: Balanced competition in most sports for decades, long-term stability (only one member change since 1991), easy travel (all well under one hour for both schools), well-established rivalries (particularly Teays Valley, Amanda-Clearcreek), Columbus media market (while not hugely significant, being in a "central" Ohio league gets them a bit more attention. Schools in the media coverage area but in "non-central" Ohio leagues, like Westfall, for instance, get much less attention). Both CV and LE also play the SCOL schools they want to (Washington C.H. and Miami Trace particularly) in non-conference already.

They would be trading membership in a predominately Div 3-4 football (2-3 other sports) league for membership in...the same, but further away (all trips would be longer than their longest trips in league now other than the Fayette County schools, Chillicothe, and maybe McClain).
The competition level would be maybe the same at best, or arguably worse (Clinton-Massie is better I think than any of the MSL-B schools currently, but the rest are on par or a bit worse. There are no MSL-B football programs that have struggled as consistently as McClain, Hillsboro, or East Clinton have recently, for example, other than maybe Fairfield Union).

I have no insider information, and am not saying they won't move, but I don't see any real advantages to such a move for those two schools.

[GoBucks1047]

That's an interesting view and some great points. I do have to admit I wasn't completely looking at it from an MSL-B and Circleville/Logan Elm and more mainly from an SCOL viewpoint. It makes me wonder now if the SCOL will be able to expand to 12 teams now. I think 10 teams is still possible, but 12 teams will be challenging and that could end up making them reconsider Jackson. It is still extremely unlikely Jackson will get in at least this time around unless geographic divisions are done and the SCOL looks more to the East for more teams to add who are willing to join.

[thecommonwealth]

Have been following this discussion from afar and still wonder what advantage(s) Circleville or Logan Elm would have going from the MSL-B to the SCOL, other than being in a conference with a few more SE district schools, which may be useful (or not, depending on if they like you) come tournament draw time. While Circleville was once in the SCOL, that was over 25 years ago. Logan Elm has been in the MSL since the 70s and never in the SCOL. There may be some concern that the MSL as an entire league will have to adjust to some movement as the Ohio Division loses members, and Teays Valley might (very shaky might) be offered a spot in the OCC, but there is no danger of the league folding or imploding from this.

MSL-B advantages: Balanced competition in most sports for decades, long-term stability (only one member change since 1991), easy travel (all well under one hour for both schools), well-established rivalries (particularly Teays Valley, Amanda-Clearcreek), Columbus media market (while not hugely significant, being in a "central" Ohio league gets them a bit more attention. Schools in the media coverage area but in "non-central" Ohio leagues, like Westfall, for instance, get much less attention). Both CV and LE also play the SCOL schools they want to (Washington C.H. and Miami Trace particularly) in non-conference already.

They would be trading membership in a predominately Div 3-4 football (2-3 other sports) league for membership in...the same, but further away (all trips would be longer than their longest trips in league now other than the Fayette County schools, Chillicothe, and maybe McClain).
The competition level would be maybe the same at best, or arguably worse (Clinton-Massie is better I think than any of the MSL-B schools currently, but the rest are on par or a bit worse. There are no MSL-B football programs that have struggled as consistently as McClain, Hillsboro, or East Clinton have recently, for example, other than maybe Fairfield Union).

I have no insider information, and am not saying they won't move, but I don't see any real advantages to such a move for those two schools.

all of this makes sense to me. do you know what the money situation looks like for LE and Cville? Are they getting good gates at football games and the basketball games? From what I have seen, a lot has to do with the amount of money being made, along with travel expenses. If both of theses are good then I agree they would have zero interest in moving to SCOL

[GoBucks1047]

Well March 7th, there will be a vote to determine whether or not Jackson will be the next member of the SCOL. Anyone know if there are others who might be getting accepted or denied for SCOL membership?

[ironman02]

I like this option for Jackson. For the athletic program, as a whole, it would be a great move. Some pretty long trips to Clinton-Massie, Wilmington, etc, but really no longer than the trips to Warren and Marietta that used to be the norm in the SEOAL.

I was looking forward to being an independent for football, but with a program like Clinton-Massie in the SCOL, as well as Chillicothe, Wilmington, and others, I think Jackson would have a very challenging schedule that would prepare them for the playoffs. Hopefully they would find a way to keep Wheelersburg on the schedule, and I would LOVE to see a Jackson/Logan matchup in Week 1.

I guess we'll see what happens in March, but hopefully it works out. Definitely sad to see the SEOAL coming to an end, but the SCOL would be great landing spot for Jackson.

[domain master]

From a Jackson point of view, it would be a great move. From a SCOL point of view, not a great move. 100 miles from CM to Jackson, how does this benefit the SCOL? re-read the initial article, this does not address the intent of expansion, unless they add 6 or 8 teams and go to a super conf.