SEOAL Expansion??

[NYBuckeye96]

Athens has filled stadiums in the TVC and competes for championships and has already proven it can make the playoffs as a member of the TVC. The rivalries with Nelsonville-York and Alexander have become the most intense and dramatic they have ever been. Why would Athens give that up to go back to the SEOAL?

[Daniel Larusso]

And the ECOL is rumored to be looking to expand further North. If that happens, nobody will want to drive further south than Cambridge.

Have not heard about anyone getting kicked out of a league, heck the SEOAL even let Logan stay even with them being out of the way for everyone else. By the way are you kicking Portsmouth out since no one likes going there I hear?

Who said anyone was getting kicked out of anything? I said "expansion." Article in today's Logan Daily News is even saying "two teams have expressed interest in joining the SEOAL"; which would back up what is already been said that Marietta and Ironton are looking to get back in to the SEOAL.

Ironton has nowhere else to go so this doesn't surprise me, but Marietta is in a league with pretty decent travel that is mostly all freeway. It would be foolish for Marietta to return unless the ECOL is serious about expanding north. They shouldn't expand any further in my opinion, but then again I'm not the one who calls the shots. Both Ironton and Marietta are on the extreme outside fringe of the SEOAL schools which is always going to make travel tough. Ironton left because of trips to places like Logan, Warren, and Marietta, and Marietta left because of trips to places like Portsmouth and Ironton. I can assure both schools that these trips didn't get any shorter in the last couple of years. This set up failed already am I right? The SEOAL needs a more centrally located school a la Athens, and then they can look at other options from there.

[NYBuckeye96]

Another point on Athens - it is shrinking. This is the last year Chauncey Elementary will be a school, as the school board voted to close the school as of the end of this school year and ship all Chauncey students to The Plains Elementary.

[Daniel Larusso]

Another point on Athens - it is shrinking. This is the last year Chauncey Elementary will be a school, as the school board voted to close the school as of the end of this school year and ship all Chauncey students to The Plains Elementary.

Every school in southeastern Ohio is shrinking.

[crazymidgets]

how will the seoal survive, looks more like its going to collapse. Athens has no desire to go back to the seoal.

[The Wizard]

No secret that the seoal invited/asked Marietta and others to come back. My question would be why should Marietta come back?

[Blackjack]

Hey midget - how is the SOC2 going to survive then?

SEOAL
Logan
Portsmouth
Gallia
Warren
Jackson

SOC2
Wheelersburg
Ports West
Minford
Valley
Waverly

Why does people think the SEOAL will fold?

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

personally i think eventually you will see portsmouth and ironton in the soc. i really think they will, several soc schools are considerably bigger than the 2 and it's obvious how it could help the gate.not trying to argue, but the storied past of the seoal is on shifting sands in my opinion, and gas prices ain't helping.i would love to see ironton in a league. but i simply don't see that being the seoal. it makes no sense for especially not portsmouth to not be in the soc, for whatever trivial reason there must be.and the ovc, or soc makes much more sense with ironton if they are not independant.

[teach1coach2]

Some ECOL news:
Orrville hosted a meeting to explore the possiblity of forming a new league last month. Dover attended. New Philly and Claymont did not attend, but rumor has it that if a new league formed they would be pressed hard to join. Dover and New Philly contacted another league somewhat in their area last year about possibly joining. Other ECOL schools are "looking" quitely so they are not left out in the cold if Dover and New Philly leaves.

If Marietta is not exploring other options, they are foolish.

If you look at school sizes, I just do not see Portsmouth staying in the SEOAL long term and does anyone want another two year Ironton stint?

SEOAL needs to convince Marietta to come back and stay with 6 but keep looking for a replacement for Portsmouth if and when they leave.

[NYBuckeye96]

http://www.chillicothegazette.com/artic ... akes-sense

Chillicothe, SCOL seen as match that makes sense

CHILLICOTHE -- The decision Thursday to allow Chillicothe into the South Central Ohio League was just the latest step in a move for the Cavaliers that simply seemed to make sense.

"When you look at the budget issues, the travel and things like that, it works very well for us," CHS Athletic Director Garin Veris said. "Parents won't have to be concerned that their kids will be on the road all night when it comes to away games, and that can be a major concern for people right now."

The Cavaliers were accepted into the SCOL by a 6-0 vote of current league schools on Thursday.

Final say on the move will be up to the Chillicothe school board at its March 19 meeting -- which might be a mere formality as Chillicothe's application packet to the league contained a letter of support from several school officials, including board chairman Randy Drewyor.

Chillicothe High School Principal Jeff Fisher said he and Veris presented a 57-page packet to the league outlining everything from the school's academic standards to athletic performance, staff and facilities in its bid to join the league.

"We're excited," Fisher said. "The administration is getting some very positive feedback."

Even so, there's a lot of work to be done between now and March 19.

"It still has to be approved by them, and we're going to spend the time between now and then gathering all the information we think is pertinent," Veris said. "We've already presented it to the board once, but there is even more that we can get together to bring to the board."

Chillicothe will continue in the Southeast Ohio Athletic League through the end of the next school year, when the school's contract with that league runs out.

"And that's a big point I want to make," Varis said. "I've talked to the other athletic directors in the SEOAL before we made the presentation to move to the SCOL or before we made any moves like that (CHS applied to the Mid-State League last year but was not accepted). I wanted to make sure that I let the league know what we were planning before we did anything, and I think they all understood our position.

"That league has been great to me ever since I got here, but we have to think about the reality that we're spending two hours on the bus to go to an away game sometimes when we have other leagues that are closer."

Chillicothe was accepted into the SCOL along with Wilmington, meaning a league made up of primarily Division III schools will have to contend with two new Division II members. Even so, Veris said there isn't that great of a difference in enrollment between Chillicothe and most league schools.

"It's not like anybody is going to be so much bigger than everybody else," Veris said. "It's a good mix."

Aaron Hammond, boys' athletic director at Miami Trace, acknowledged there initially was a little concern about enrollment that had to be overcome.

"From (Miami Trace's) perspective, size was not an issue," he said, indicating the Cavaliers' tradition and success will be an asset to the league. "For smaller members of the league, such as East Clinton, size probably was a concern, but I think ultimately the members came together to do what's right for the future of the league."

[seoal83]

To me if the SEOAL wants to survive that is up to Gallia Academy and Jackson. I think Logan will leave soon and i don't know about the future of Portsmouth and Warren could stay or go i think everyone could live with that one trip. Then i think those 2 members need to start looking for partners. I think Fairland and Wellston would be a great place to start. Then a Vinton county or a Athens or a Chesapeake or Waverly. And you would have a good foundation for the league. But i think to make any of the schools interested you need to guarantee them with some certainty that you are not going to add teams with long trips to your league. Now competitively this league may not be great but i think geography is going to be more important in the future if high schools sports are going to survive. Size it would make little since for Logan to stay in this league. Gallia Academy may be division IV in 2 years. they would not have to lose much enrollment so size should not be an issue to anyone. I think the SEOAL will survive but it will look much different then it does now..

Ironton and Marietta may be nice but i think the league will stay in flux. if it keeps reaching outward for teams on the outskirts of there territory. Nobody at Athens may say it but i think a SEOAL under one of these arrangements would be hard for them to pass up. Maybe even Meigs would possibly be a fit.

River Valley would probably not be a fit. As the sort of fall into same problem Warren does but at Different sizes. Warren and River Valley are both very rural schools where some kids have to travel long distances to practices so participation is always down. So size wise river valley fits competitively they do not.

[hsfbfan]

fairland, and chesapeake? do you know how long of a trek it is to both of those schools from all of the others you've mentioned?

[fortdawg]

I've heard that the 3 divisions in the TVC are toast---What's make anyone think that the TVC Ohio wants to add any SEOAL schools? Every school in the Ohio was in the SEOAL at one time and left, with the exception of Alex and Vinton. The Ohio seems to be doing just fine---It put 2 teams in the football playoffs and most schools are competitive in at least some sports. Someone mentioned Athens and Vinton leaving for the SEOAL---What would make this seem like a good idea to either of these schools, the travel alone would be a killer. Vinton is a charter member of the TVC and I doubt they would want to leave just for the sake of balancing up another league.

[hsfbfan]

the tvc ohio is considering becoming it's own governing body seperate from the hocking. the reason being that when anything comes up for league vote the hocking due to having 9 schools as oppossed to 6 for the ohio control the vote. so the ohio is at the mercy of the hocking come vote time

[NYBuckeye96]

the tvc ohio is considering becoming it's own governing body seperate from the hocking. the reason being that when anything comes up for league vote the hocking due to having 9 schools as oppossed to 6 for the ohio control the vote. so the ohio is at the mercy of the hocking come vote time

This makes sense. Most Ohio schools never play most other Hocking schools in any sport, period. NY still plays Trimble in all sports and Federal Hocking and Miller in many sports, but NY doesn't really play the other Hocking schools.

The TVC is really two seperate leagues in practice.

[NYBuckeye96]

SEOAL in 2013:

Gallipolis Gallia Academy Blue Devils
Jackson Ironmen
Logan Chieftains
Portsmouth Trojans
Vincent Warren Warriors


Former members of the SEOAL:

The Plains Athens Bulldogs
Chillicothe Cavaliers
Ironton Fighting Tigers
Marietta Tigers
Pomeroy Meigs Marauders {and formerly the Pomeroy Purple Panthers and the Middleport Yellow Jackets}
Nelsonville-York Buckeyes {and formerly the Nelsonville Greyhounds}
New Boston Tigers
Point Pleasant Big Blacks
Bidwell River Valley Raiders
Waverly Tigers
Wellston Golden Rockets
Zanesville Blue Devils

[warrior90]

SEOAL North
Logan
Marietta
Warren
Athens
Nelsonville
Jackson

SEOAL South
Vinton County
Wellston
Portsmouth
Meigs
Gallia
Alexander

Nelsonville wouldn't be a real good fit size wise, but location it would not be to bad.

[1987chieftains]

So just move the ohio schools to the seoal.

[goUK]

Gallia academy. 258
Fairland 235
South point 192
Chesapeake. 187
Portsmouth. 179
Ironton. 179
Rock hill. 170
Coal grove. 136


River valley leaves the OVC after the 2013 school yr.
Let ironton stay independant in football if they want.

[fortdawg]

I hate to say I agree that the Ohio may break away. This is such a shame and was really avoidable, I don't understand the rush to add teams?
We have added one team from Gallia County and now a second one is due to appear---does anyone stop and think about the distance our kids will have to travel. How far and how long is the trip from Belpre to River Valley? It's doable in football but when you look at Girl's basketball and softball and baseball---at some point don't we have to question how this effects academics? What time does the River Valley girls get home after a Monday or Thursday night game at Federal or Belpre? With gas fast approaching over $4 dollars, how does Miller justify two or three trips to South Gallia to get in a weather postponed softball or baseball game?