[BD6372]

Originally Posted by Knite Flyer

It's really not all that hard to fill a 20 (you don't have to play 22, or even 20, for that matter) game hoops slate. NR will have little problems getting dates, they are good, and aren't afraid to schedule up. OF and even Bettsville can fill dates, but all 3 may have to travel a bit more.

They would still be able to play all 9 of the MAL schools "leaving," as they also will have dates to fill. Some games (more than "normal") might have to be played on weeknights, but they'll get their allotment of games.

Why would you want to schedule the teams that left you for dead? If you wanted to play the old MAL schools, you could also schedule most of the BVC and NBC, as well as some N10 schools. So you're probably correct, other than playing more weekday games you could probably work out the schedule. But once teams started playing their Conference schedule then NR, OF, and Bettsville would have problems finding Friday night games.

[Grantland]

August 7th was the date sited that the TAAC would be having a league meeting does anyone have any contacts involved with this meeting?

[strykerblue]

No vote on expansion was taken at TAAC meeting last week as Lakota was only school who formally applied...SJCC did not send in their paperwork yet and TAAC will not look at expanding unless they have 2 schools. Rumor has it SJCC and Calvert are trying one last ditch effort to keep MAL together...SMCC and Margaretta are listening and Gibsonburg and Danbury are being courted as well. Lakota will stay if they keep MAL afloat too. They are trying to schedule a meeting soon as if this falls through then SJCC may formally apply to TAAC with Lakota. Who really knows anymore?

[BigTenBuckeye]

Originally Posted by strykerblue

No vote on expansion was taken at TAAC meeting last week as Lakota was only school who formally applied...SJCC did not send in their paperwork yet and TAAC will not look at expanding unless they have 2 schools. Rumor has it SJCC and Calvert are trying one last ditch effort to keep MAL together...SMCC and Margaretta are listening and Gibsonburg and Danbury are being courted as well. Lakota will stay if they keep MAL afloat too. They are trying to schedule a meeting soon as if this falls through then SJCC may formally apply to TAAC with Lakota. Who really knows anymore?

I'd hate to see more league shuffling go on, but the way things have gone down, too many are getting left out. There definitely needs to be a smaller-sized school league for that area and if something like this takes place, I think it'd be great for all involved. SMCC, Margaretta, Gibsonburg, Danbury, SJCC, Lakota, Calvert, and another would be a great small-school football league setup, plus the four of Old Fort, Bettsville, New Riegel, and St. Wendelin to round it out for the other sports. Obviously this would subtract from other leagues, but I don't feel like trying to sort out those hypotheticals yet. I'd just like to see everyone that wants a league home to have one.

[fourthandone]

If I'm Calvert and St. Joe, I lobby hard (I know the diocese is in favor) to team up with Norwalk St. Paul and SMCC. If you can convince those two, to me, Monroeville and Margaretta are the next two targets.

A base of Calvert, SJCC, SMCC, NSP, Margaretta and Monroeville is solid. That group might get the attention of others. Lakota makes it seven schools and you need just one more. I'd think at least three schools would have significant interest at that point for the eighth spot.

I think you could make arguments both ways for Monroeville and NSP staying in the Fireland or joining a group like this. I doubt you could pry the two away, but if I am them I at least listen.

[sandeyagons]

What about getting a school like Arcadia to leave the BVC. The location seems to fit and the BVC seems to be elevating its already competitive league. I just think they fit nice in a Calvert, StJoe's...ect type league. Willard seems like another good fit.

[strykerblue]

I like the St Paul and Monroeville idea and I have always thought Arcadia fit better with MAL than BVC as they have trouble competing in most boys sports. We will see what happens as the clock is ticking on MAL right now.

[fourthandone]

Arcadia does not fit into a geography with SMCC, Margaretta, SJCC, etc. I think North Baltimore was somewhat of a sticking point back when the MAL was speaking with those two schools due to travel.

If Lakota, SJCC and Calvert can't scrape something together, and quick, their football options are going to get ugly. One could well get left in the cold if the TAAC does indeed expand.

Being the southern most of the three, I suppose Calvert could always petition to take Troy Christian's spot in the NWCC if worse came to worse for football. It wouldn't be any different than playing an independent schedule, which is what they are facing.

[BigTenBuckeye]

Originally Posted by fourthandone

I think you could make arguments both ways for Monroeville and NSP staying in the Fireland or joining a group like this. I doubt you could pry the two away, but if I am them I at least listen.

I think the rest of the Firelands would be alright if that happened too, likely pairing up with the 5 Mid-Buckeye Conference schools (Only Lucas, Loudonville, and Danville will have football out of those 5).

[Grantland]

Originally Posted by fourthandone

If I'm Calvert and St. Joe, I lobby hard (I know the diocese is in favor) to team up with Norwalk St. Paul and SMCC. If you can convince those two, to me, Monroeville and Margaretta are the next two targets.

A base of Calvert, SJCC, SMCC, NSP, Margaretta and Monroeville is solid. That group might get the attention of others. Lakota makes it seven schools and you need just one more. I'd think at least three schools would have significant interest at that point for the eighth spot.

I think you could make arguments both ways for Monroeville and NSP staying in the Fireland or joining a group like this. I doubt you could pry the two away, but if I am them I at least listen.

Your response has some merit, but it requires 3 other conferences to take a hit on their membership for it to work. assuming that if Danbury (earlier post stated that Danbury was a target) was to leave the TAAC to go to this new league and that Lakota would stay and not jump to the Taac to replace Danbury.

I doubt the TAAC would take all 3, but a 11 school football league is doable (not advocating one way or the other)

[strykerblue]

Maybe Calvert, SJCC and Lakota have a better shot at getting SMCC and Margaretta to listen to them this time around....on another forum site SBC schools are starting to get "ouchy" about SMCC and Margaretta low numbers for football. SMCC only has 27 kids total playing and Margaretta maybe 33 or so. SMCC has no JV or freshman teams so that is another date to fill on schedules plus gates are lousy. Both schools only fielding one combined jr high team this year too so that hurts as well. With Huron, Clyde, Perkins and OH having 50-60 kids playing not counting freshman there is no way for the little guys to compete anymore as their class sizes continue to shrink.

[Village Idiot]

Interesting, stryker. I still wouldn't think that St. Mary or Margaretta would jump at the chance to join a five-team football league, but knowing that there is some external pressure from the rest of the SBC that could put one of both of them into play is something that wasn't being discussed (actually, it was downplayed) over the past couple of years.

But, if one could shake SMCC loose, and from the discussion on the other board, they seem to be the school in the most danger, and one could put an interesting joint-proposal to the TAAC. TAAC-West: Edon, Hilltop, Ottawa Hills, Toledo Christian, Cardinal Stritch, Northwood; TAAC-East: Gibsonburg, Lakota, Tiffin Calvert, Fremont St. Joseph, Danbury, Sandusky St. Mary. Two divisions of six, play five division games, plus a home and an away, cross-division game, so only one road trip across the divide for each team. In sports other than football, replace Edon and Hilltop with Emmanuel Christian, Maumee Valley, New Riegel, Old Fort, Fostoria St. Wendelin, and Bettsville for a reasonable 15 league opponents for basketball, volleyball, softball, and baseball.

Of course, the SBC wouldn't want to get caught holding the bag with seven. Which is why they have to carefully balance their positions to either have two leave at the same time, or immediately have a replacement. Which probably explains why SBC-school-backers have generally stood up for the viability of SMCC to the outside world. Now that there is a second school with numbers issues, they can start poking a little harder.

Margaretta actually has teams at the 7th, 8th, 9th, jv, and varsity levels this year. Their varsity roster the other night had around 40 kids in grades 10-12.

[strykerblue]

Other forum indicating SMCC may have something to say before end of calendar year.....also some indicating MAL remaining football schools may be involved as well. May not be the MAL in name but at least they would have a place to go. I would hope NR and OF would be allowed in as non-football members too if something materializes. Could get interesting again.

[Village Idiot]

There is an awful lot of scuttlebutt happening on another forum about meetings of area D5 and D6 schools. There seems to be a lot of smoke being raised in several different districts.

I hope if this happening, that people are talking to each other and try to soften the landings for all involved (versus N10- or NBC-like shenanigans). I'm hoping that, if all of this is going on, that some concept similar to the one in my 8/27 post is the overall direction. Something that scoops up the pieces with one or two somewhat larger leagues, instead of "I've got my eight, now you three conferences scramble to fill in your spots."

[Hank_Hill]

I think SMCC, Margaretta, Woodmore and Elmwood are starting to see that from at least a football prospective, things aren't and won't work out. I knot that those schools (can't confirm Elmwood though) along with Danbury and the remaining MAL schools have met recently.

This could start more dominos.

[Hank_Hill]

One other thought.....I wonder if this new MAL cones about if anyone changes their mind about leaving....remember, at least one school leaving had extremely split support for the move and another had big reservations.

[strykerblue]

Hank, you talking HL as I know a few of their coaches wanted to stay in MAL but football rules all. I heard AD really pushed it and even tried to get coaches who wanted to stay to vote to leave for BVC so he could say it was unanimous among coaches. Several refused to do so. That would be interesting if they snub the mighty BVC.

[BD6372]

Originally Posted by Hank_Hill

One other thought.....I wonder if this new MAL cones about if anyone changes their mind about leaving....remember, at least one school leaving had extremely split support for the move and another had big reservations.

Was Mohawk the school with reservations about leaving the MAL? I doubt that Hopewell-Louden will change their mind, the BVC is actually a pretty good place for them to be now that they're already in there. I don't know about Seneca East except that the N10 has some close schools for travel and natural rivalries. Carey's administration pushed their move through to the N10 with little or no in put from the community (who most favored staying in the MAL over a move to the N10) If a move for Carey had to be made the majority of people favored a move to the BVC.

[strykerblue]

Mohawk should reconsider as they will NOT be competitive in boys sports in N10...girls will be ok for awhile as they have some good classes up there now...SE will have losing records in most sports in N10 too other than CC and track but these guys made theirs beds so now they can sleep in them.