[greenshoes]

Blanchard Valley Conference Says "YES" To Expansion

A tweet from The Courier (Findlay) - Blanchard Valley Conference administrators have approved expansion.

details to come later today...keep an on updates at - www.********************************.com/ohio.htm

[greenshoes]

Hopewell- Loudon and North Baltimore get invited...8 to 0 vote, 2 abstain...more details to follow

[Hank_Hill]

So they add a top tier athletic program in H-L, but a bottom feeder in NB. Guess location wins out over quality.

[Grantland]

Two years ago the MAL was a very stable conference that considered adding a couple of more football schools. Now whats going to happens to the remaining three football schools in the MAL? Are they forced to be independent in football? Is it every school for itself or do they try and broker a deal for all three to join a league? I understand that their is 4 other schools involved, but football seems to be the driving force behind all of the shake ups.


to North Baltimore congrats your school has waited patiently for this opportunity, and to Hopewell good luck going into the future.

[BigTenBuckeye]

If both leave (and I'm sure they will):

I'm not sure if the TAAC is still considering expansion, but I bet Calvert, Lakota, and St. Joe's will probably be in contact with them one way or another. I can't even picture what St. Wendelin and the non-football schools will do. This is very unfortunate.

[Hank_Hill]

What's going to happen is you're going to see alot of trips for Calvert to places like Danville, Lucas, etc.....what an absolute travesty. They will never be able to replace the gates they once had from the county schools.

I place the blame squarely on Wynford officials for all of this. Had they honored their commitment to the NCC this mess wouldn't exist. Toss in Care and Mohawk as well. They knew long long ago the desire to get back to the NCC schools.

[BD6372]

Originally Posted by Hank_Hill

What's going to happen is you're going to see alot of trips for Calvert to places like Danville, Lucas, etc.....what an absolute travesty. They will never be able to replace the gates they once had from the county schools.

I place the blame squarely on Wynford officials for all of this. Had they honored their commitment to the NCC this mess wouldn't exist. Toss in Care and Mohawk as well. They knew long long ago the desire to get back to the NCC schools.

The MAL was and is a League in decline as far as producing quality football teams (or any boys sport). It had only 3-4 teams that were decent and the rest were awful. This League needed to expand or fold and unfortunately it appears that fold will be the option. You can't blame Carey, Mohawk, and Seneca East for trying to get the best competition available for their athletes and the handwriting was on the wall ever since St. Wendelin quit the League, the other 2 catholic schools (Calvert and St. Joe) will face similar issues in the next few years. This was a very strong football conference through the 90's but over particularly the last 5 years has really been on the decline. I think that H-L will be a nice fit in the BVC but other than giving the BVC bottom feeders someone to compete with what would the BVC want with North Baltimore? Wynford was the driving force behind creating the N10 and I still haven't figured that one out as they completely dominated the NCC and made the playoffs each season. The N10 will be a very competitive League in all sports (all schools of similar size). The MAL used to be a basketball powerhouse but now it is mostly a joke with few if any of it's teams getting past sectionals and if they do its only because they played each other to then get crushed at districts. The MAL is still pretty good in girls sports but boys sports not so much anymore. The addition of Lakota to the MAL was a terrible move as they brought nothing to the table, had that spot been filled with Elmwood things might have turned out different. I also think the MAL should have gone to 10 football playing members at that time. I feel bad for the schools like New Reigle, and Old Fort who don't play football, who is going to take them in their conference? It appears that the MAL is done, so I want to wish each of the remaining schools who have not found a new home yet good luck and I hope things work out for everyone but I really worry about the non football playing schools.

[Grantland]

I respect you feel compelled to defend the schools who left the MAL for the N10, but throwing the remaining schools under the bus is bush league. Every league has the haves and the have nots. That is an inescapable fact. bringing Elmwood, Woodmore, Gibsonburg, Northwood or any other school like these into the league would have not swayed the current outcome from happening. These schools chose to leave for geographical considerations. If they would have mentioned that they might be leaving the MAL the vote on admitting Elmwood into the League might have turned out differntly. I have no hard feeling for these school doing what they felt was in their best interest, but don't blame the competition.

[Ericles]

Colonel Crawford was more the driving force behind the formation of the N10 than was Wynford. Wynford took most of the blame, though, because its Principal was the president if the NCC and the back-handed manner in which he allowed everything to take place was downright shameful.

[BD6372]

Originally Posted by Grantland

I respect you feel compelled to defend the schools who left the MAL for the N10, but throwing the remaining schools under the bus is bush league. Every league has the haves and the have nots. That is an inescapable fact. bringing Elmwood, Woodmore, Gibsonburg, Northwood or any other school like these into the league would have not swayed the current outcome from happening. These schools chose to leave for geographical considerations. If they would have mentioned that they might be leaving the MAL the vote on admitting Elmwood into the League might have turned out differntly. I have no hard feeling for these school doing what they felt was in their best interest, but don't blame the competition.

I respectively disagree that had the MAL expanded to 10 football playing schools, this would have happened anyway. The geographical arguement can be made and the fact that most of them played in the same league years ago was probably a factor. I'm not throwing the rest of the MAL under the bus as you say, the MAL is a League on the decline including those schools who have chosen to leave. I don't know how you can argue that point. The results of post season play in all sports speak for themselves. And as I said the MAL girls teams still fair pretty well but the boys have taken a huge step backwards from where they were 10-15 years ago. I'm not blaming anyone those are just the facts (and I do realize that this sometimes runs in cycles) but with the declining enrollments I don't think that this is the case now. You will never be a top tier team if you play inferior competition week in and week out, you will play to the level of your competition and when you then go to post season play you are not prepared to face the Delphos St. John's and Marion Locals of the world. The MAL used to be superior to the BVC for example in both Football and Basketball (Liberty Benton basketball not withstanding) but in the last 10 years the BVC has become a stronger top to bottom Conference in all sports while the MAL has regressed. The BVC is now a stronger Conference in all boys sports when compared to the MAL. You are right to say that I'm defending my school for what they have chosen to do, but I'm saying it was not completely a geographical decision but a combination of factors that lead to this. I like the MAL and will miss playing Calvert, St. Joe, and H-L. Those games over the years have been pretty intense Again good luck to all the MAL schools, I hope things work out for all of them. (By the way I'm against the move to the N10, I as you probably can tell would have preferred the BVC if a move had to be made)just an opinion, I'm from Carey. (The opinions of most of the Careyites that I've talked to about the move is that we don't see this as an improvement in either travel or level of competition.)

[Grantland]

I do not intend to be disrespectful, but I had to laugh. If the level of competition has so deteriorated why have these three schools not absolutely dominated the league the last 10-15 years? Don't tell me the level of competition is has so declined that it cannot prepare you for post season, because Im going to ask you to explain Hopewll Loudon. They play in the MAL, they play the same schools. they were prepared for the post season.
The three schools that left the MAL for the N10 did so because they reasoned that it befitted themselves to do so. I have no problem with that. the Mal had an opportunity to bring Elmwood into the league the league chose not to. Im not sure if Gibsonburg or Woodmore were ever considered. tell me what efforts did these three members of the Mal do to try and lessen the blow of them leaving? (don't bother answering that because I really don't care what the answer is. the question to me is where do the three remaining schools go from here)
Please, if your soul intention in responding to my post is to further justify the three schools leaving, don't respond the point is moot. I really only care about the future of the remaining schools the three that left for the N10 already have their future decided.

[BD6372]

Originally Posted by Grantland

I do not intend to be disrespectful, but I had to laugh. If the level of competition has so deteriorated why have these three schools not absolutely dominated the league the last 10-15 years? Don't tell me the level of competition is has so declined that it cannot prepare you for post season, because Im going to ask you to explain Hopewll Loudon. They play in the MAL, they play the same schools. they were prepared for the post season.
The three schools that left the MAL for the N10 did so because they reasoned that it befitted themselves to do so. I have no problem with that. the Mal had an opportunity to bring Elmwood into the league the league chose not to. Im not sure if Gibsonburg or Woodmore were ever considered. tell me what efforts did these three members of the Mal do to try and lessen the blow of them leaving? (don't bother answering that because I really don't care what the answer is. the question to me is where do the three remaining schools go from here)
Please, if your soul intention in responding to my post is to further justify the three schools leaving, don't respond the point is moot. I really only care about the future of the remaining schools the three that left for the N10 already have their future decided.

Fair enough. I agree with 90% of what you are saying and the other 10% we'll never agree on so we'll just let it go.

[strykerblue]

Grantland...the 3 remaining schools you refer to... you mean schools with football I guess? (Calvert, SJCC and Lakota).....what about Old Fort, New Riegel and St. Wendelin who do not play in the league in football. It will be even harder for them to find a home. I am not even mentioning Bettsville as they may not even be around when all the MAL teams defect in two years. You have to wonder if the BVC or another nearby league would accept a school like New Riegel as a non-football member. NR has very competitive girls teams and most years boys basketball and baseball are respectable. Plus, they seem to support their teams and travel fairly well to games.

[Grantland]

Originally Posted by strykerblue

Grantland...the 3 remaining schools you refer to... you mean schools with football I guess? (Calvert, SJCC and Lakota).....what about Old Fort, New Riegel and St. Wendelin who do not play in the league in football. It will be even harder for them to find a home. I am not even mentioning Bettsville as they may not even be around when all the MAL teams defect in two years. You have to wonder if the BVC or another nearby league would accept a school like New Riegel as a non-football member. NR has very competitive girls teams and most years boys basketball and baseball are respectable. Plus, they seem to support their teams and travel fairly well to games.

You are correct in stating that there are 4 other schools whose future hang in the balance. These schools; might be added to existing leagues, might get folded into any deal involving the 3 football programs (schools), They possible can remain Independents as it is easier to schedule basketball, baseball, ect...
Football seems to be the most difficult to be an independent because after week 3 most schools are locked into league schedules.
This is just one ugly mess (No finger pointing needed) that I don't believe will be resolved with a one answer saves all result. I can envision St. Joe and Lakota trying to seek refuge in the TAAC as these two schools would not dramatically increase the TAAC footprint (which is quite large as it stands right now) and they fit the demographics. Maybe (A guess at best) Tiffin Calvert could be absorbed into the SBC (this answer is only an attempt at finding a possible home for TC don't hold me to it as being fact) The remaining four schools can band together to form a four school league until a long term answer can be found. (not an ideal resolution but a realistic one for the short run)

[BG Warthog]

North Baltimore BOE officially accepted last night the offer to join the BVC.

[ajm23t]

Hopewell-Loudon BOE officially accepted last night the offer to join the BVC starting August 2014.The Fostoria Review-Times has a small articl on this.

[BigTenBuckeye]

http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/201...2,J un,21&c=s

Another proposal still under consideration at Hopewell-Loudon would allow for dual league membership in sports other than football.

"When the Athletic Council met two-weeks ago to discuss the invitation, it was a 9-3 vote for the BVC and a 12-0 vote for the dual-membership," Hopewell-Loudon athletic director Steve Suter said. "A lot of the coaches grew up here and competed in the MAL, so it's hard to just up and change, but we have to do what we have to do."

I like that they're showing concern for keeping the MAL together. The league can survive as a non-football loop so long as the football schools can find a league (is the TAAC still considering more expansion?) and you won't have the non-football schools stuck in independent Siberia.

[Knite Flyer]

Originally Posted by strykerblue

Grantland...the 3 remaining schools you refer to... you mean schools with football I guess? (Calvert, SJCC and Lakota).....what about Old Fort, New Riegel and St. Wendelin who do not play in the league in football. It will be even harder for them to find a home. I am not even mentioning Bettsville as they may not even be around when all the MAL teams defect in two years. You have to wonder if the BVC or another nearby league would accept a school like New Riegel as a non-football member. NR has very competitive girls teams and most years boys basketball and baseball are respectable. Plus, they seem to support their teams and travel fairly well to games.

I really hate how morons on these boards keep saying "Bettsville may not be around....in 2 years." That's pure b.s. They'll be here, and the only way they won't is IF they'd ever merge with Old Fort.....which would take 4-5 years from today IF they were talking about this (and they ain't been talking about it). 2 years ago, there were talks......today......not so much.

It would be slightly more correct to say (as you did elsewhere) that Bettsville may not be playing a Varsity schedule. Please try to word things correctly, and not just make blanket statements.

[strykerblue]

Gee Knite Flyer, sorry if I hit a nerve. But yeah, Bettsville not having any varsity sports is probably a better way to say it. I do not know how long any of the merger or consolidation stuff takes but if they are down to less than 10 kids in many of the lower grades how long can the school survive? I have talked to a couple people who work at the school and that is where I heard the two year time frame but nothing official. This is a forum with a lot of rumors and half truths Flyer...lighten up a little as no malice intended.

[president]

Is the BVC done expanding after Hopewell-Loudon and North Baltimore? If not, who else is on the radar?