Ironton football: independance vs conference

[BigCarlito72]

In my humble opinion as a lifelong Fighting Tiger, I feel it was a grave mistake by the A.D. & admin to leave the SEOAL & personally would like to see us move ahead as a member of a conference. Also think it would be beneficial for some seo teams to consider vacating there current locations & possibly forming a conf. Where do you or what would you like to see as the program is concerned?

Lastly, as it pertains to Ironton vs Burg; its a week #1 game so expect both teams to start a little slow. However, this matcup comes down to size & more so than that....SPEED & Ironton has too much of it. I expect the Pirates will be pesky but as the game carries on the REAL orange & black will turn the corner & leave the burg standing still. :12224

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

i'm hearing burg may drop us, i liked the seoal as well. our best fit would be soc, along with portsmouth, but that ain't gonna happen. but gallipolis, jackson, and chillicothe have already dropped us.and if burg does , that's 4 opponents we have played for many years. i'd like to pick up portsmouth west. that's why we had to sign oak hill, to avoid 2 open weeks.

[fightingtigers45]

I do not believe it was a mistake to leave the conference. I think that Ironton was smart to get out when they did, as the conference was not going in the right direction. Why operate out of the red when you dont have to?

That being said, I would like to be apart of a conference and I know our AD would like to as well. The thing is...nobody will accept us due to our football program. Other schools will not accept us due to demographics. Its a sad truth, but a truth it is.

Do not worry BigCarlito...we have a great Athletic Director who has done nothing but improve our athletic department.

[noreply66]

I would same the best for Ironton is the best they can do. Like above too my teams in southeastern do not want to play Ironton because of football and possible basketball too. If thing keep going Ironton may be traveling more than what they did in the SEOAL.

[Gallipolis Blue Devil]

There are a lot of teams that will not schedule Ironton because they think their Coaches have been arrogant in the past. They have projected themselves as if they are better than everyone else.

[BigCarlito72]

The fact that jackson, chillicothe have both dropped us & that it appears Gallia & maybe Burg are next I think serves to point out leaving the SEOAL w/o more of an "exit strategy" in place was poorly thought out @ best. So instead we do what? Have a 9 game season with one of those being Oak Hill? Ghesh. Thank god for Ashland, Johnson Central, Hartley & Watterson or this schedule would be pretty sad. Speaking of, moving ahead is this the plan? To continue trying to find div 2 & 3 schools up north who need a game & then scheduling a patsy like Oak Hill? I like the Cbus schools cause we always play up BUT the Oak Hill game? May as well be playing 8 or schedule South Point or Rock Hill or Coal Grove or whatever other patsy. I like what Ashland did playing GW here in Charleston & thought what if Ironton added one of the better MSAC schools like SC or Capital or GW? Those are extremely talented schools with close to two thousand students each. Much better than the latter mentioned Oak Hils & etc.

[fightingtigers45]

There are a lot of teams that will not schedule Ironton because they think their Coaches have been arrogant in the past. They have projected themselves as if they are better than everyone else.

No offense...but I highly doubt a lot of it is due to arrogance. I am not being arrogant here, but a lot of teams arent comfortable taking losses.

Gallipolis has dropped us across the board. Football, boys basketball, girls basketball. Are all of those staffs arrogant?

[BigCarlito72]

There are a lot of teams that will not schedule Ironton because they think their Coaches have been arrogant in the past. They have projected themselves as if they are better than everyone else.

I'm not sure I agree with that...being that your a blue devil you should know part of it is these "local" schools are doormats for Ironton.

[BigCarlito72]

i'm hearing burg may drop us, i liked the seoal as well. our best fit would be soc, along with portsmouth, but that ain't gonna happen. but gallipolis, jackson, and chillicothe have already dropped us.and if burg does , that's 4 opponents we have played for many years. i'd like to pick up portsmouth west. that's why we had to sign oak hill, to avoid 2 open weeks.

PWest would be a great addition. Also I always liked the Belfry ky. series.

[GalliaGrad78]

There are a lot of teams that will not schedule Ironton because they think their Coaches have been arrogant in the past. They have projected themselves as if they are better than everyone else.

No offense...but I highly doubt a lot of it is due to arrogance. I am not being arrogant here, but a lot of teams arent comfortable taking losses.

Gallipolis has dropped us across the board. Football, boys basketball, girls basketball. Are all of those staffs arrogant?

I was unaware that Gallia Academy had "dropped" Ironton in any sports. I am sorry to hear this. But, if you think about it didn't Ironton "drop" the entire SEOAL?

I for one don't think the coaches are arrogant, but the fans surely are. Just yesterday a certain fan/allumni made the comment, " I hope our playoff games are on Saturdays this year so I can go"

[billcox]

Ironton
Jackson
Portsmouth
Wheelersburg
P West
Waverly

How about that for a new conference?

[Gus]

There are a lot of teams that will not schedule Ironton because they think their Coaches have been arrogant in the past. They have projected themselves as if they are better than everyone else.

No offense...but I highly doubt a lot of it is due to arrogance. I am not being arrogant here, but a lot of teams arent comfortable taking losses.

Gallipolis has dropped us across the board. Football, boys basketball, girls basketball. Are all of those staffs arrogant?

I was unaware that Gallia Academy had "dropped" Ironton in any sports. I am sorry to hear this. But, if you think about it didn't Ironton "drop" the entire SEOAL?

I for one don't think the coaches are arrogant, but the fans surely are. Just yesterday a certain fan/allumni made the comment, " I hope our playoff games are on Saturdays this year so I can go"

Dont think that statement is arrogant. I just think Ironton fans expect it. That is what they are used to, I mean it has been 20 some straight years in a row.

[2trap_4ever]

Ironton
Jackson
Portsmouth
Wheelersburg
P West
Waverly

How about that for a new conference?

Never happen,,,,,Ironton's best bet for a conference will be when the SOC and OVC finally merge. I believe it is a matter of time for this to happen and when it does then Ironton can be brought in as well to play in a big school division.

[BigCarlito72]

Ironton
Jackson
Portsmouth
Wheelersburg
P West
Waverly

How about that for a new conference?

Dunno bout the probability BUT I like it!

[Orange and Brown]

It's tough all the way around. Ironton has an independent spirit when it comes to athletics, but on the same token they know that being in a league makes scheduling a lot easier.

I think a league with a couple few divisions would be best for Ironton. If you have a league with 2 six team divisions, then Ironton can have a guaranteed league schedule and they can still go out and play teams from Canada, D.C., Florida, Virginia, or anywhere else they choose to.

As an independent, the hardest part of the schedule to fill is weeks 6 thru 10..........

Whatever Ironton does, I wish them a lot of luck and good fortune. I hope they continue to be a force in SEO and beyond....

[BigCarlito72]

I think a SE Ohio super conference would truly benefit all.

[Orange and Brown]

I think a SE Ohio super conference would truly benefit all.

When you say Super Conference, how many teams are you referring to? How many divisions? and define your boundrys for SEO

[NYBuckeye96]

If Ironton and NY both have openings in the future in the first half of the season, I'm sure NY would play Ironton again. When they played in the past, it was Week 9, and NY couldn't continue the game in Week 9 when that week was needed for TVC commitments. If Ironton had an opening in weeks 2 or 3 in the future, I think it would be easy to schedule Ironton-NY again.

[wipala]

It is hard to play a indi schedule over a long period of time. You will have some success in scheduling but you will
have the times where 9 or even 8 games might be your season. I would like to see Ironton in the SOC along with
Portsmouth and some of the above,,,,but we all know this is not going to happen....The SOC still does not want
either team......wake up SOC, times have changed.......

[pembrook burrows III]

Carlito-

Ironton has created some ill will by leaving the SEOAL a second time, and it will take an expert diplomatic effort to get back into the good graces of some of those old line schools. That is just a fact. But it is also a fact that Ironton needs to be in a conference in today's high school sports world, just as I believe that Notre Dame needs a college conference affiliation. Finding the right fit is the key.

I, too, like the idea of a SE Ohio superconference. I wrote about such an idea on this forum about a year ago. My name for this superconference was "The Big Southeast". Here was my idea:

http://southeasternohiopreps.com/forum/ ... =1&t=81238

The recent shakeup in college conferences has produced much fan interest and hand-wringing. For the first time in 2011, Nebraska will compete for a Big Ten title. If anything, it shows that the one inevitable thing in this world is change. Nothing stays the same forever.

I have been reading with interest the rumor mill surrounding the future of the SEOAL. That venerable league has been an institution in southeast Ohio for decades, and has produced tremendous memories for the young men and women who have competed for the member schools. I have no idea what the immediate future holds, and whether schools like Logan, Chillicothe, or Warren will retain membership or take their leave for other opportunities. If they all leave, the SEOAL will be come a not-so-viable shell of its former self, which would be a real shame.

Similarly, the OVC will soon be down to a small nucleus of 5 schools once River Valley completes its transition to the TVC. The OVC could once boast a membership that included Oak Hill, Buffalo-Wayne, Wayne, and Cerdo Kenova. Those schools have been lost to either other conferences or consolidation. The proud legacy of the OVC has not been spared the indignities of defection and minimalization. A five team league may still be viable, but it leaves a lot of scheduling still to be done.

Like it or not, travel distances in this day and age of nearly $4.00/gallon gas prices have depressed visiting fan attendance and increased athletic departments costs, especially for the so-called non-revenue sports. Many school districts in southeast Ohio are already struggling with a tax revenue base that is either declining, or not increasing in any substantial amount. Boards are looking for ways to decrease travel and increase home gates. Pay-to-play is the unsavory revenue solution that everyone would like to avoid.

The most stable leagues in southeast Ohio seem to be the ones that are somewhat geographically limited, but which encompass a large number of schools representing a broad range of student populations. The SOC and the TVC come to mind. These leagues are conglomerates of many local teams which allow the various competitive advantages (and disadvantages) of the various schools to get sorted out through a multi-divisional format. There is much to be said for such a format, not the least of which is to minimze travel while maximizing local rivalries. Student athletes get to compete for team championships and individual all-league honors, while avoiding undue disruption to their academics with long bus rides on weeknights.

Which brings me to the point of this email. Let's assume hypothetically that in the next year or so, the SEOAL is down to Portsmouth, Jackson, and Gallia, while the OVC is holding steady with Fairland, Chesapeake, Rock Hill, Coal Grove, and South Point. I am not rooting for this to happen, I am just saying "what if?" Of course, you still have the independent-minded folks at Ironton and Ironton St. Joe out there foraging for opponents. And then you have the successful (at least outwardly so) SOC. Are there just too many competing interests and political grudges to bring all of these fine schools into a single superconference that could showcase many of the best teams and athletes in the Southeast District? I say it would be a student athlete's and a fan's dream conference - geographically compact, highly competitive at three different levels of competion, and ripe with many old and potentially new rivalries. A superconference like this would dominate local media coverage for southeast Ohio, and have the chance to make a nice statewide splash as well. Unfortunately, putting this superconferece together would likely take the wisdom of Solomon.

But let's play this out for fun. Because this is a superconference, I would dream big and call it The Big Southeast. Say we create three divisions of teams in the Big Southeast. We could even vary the divisions by sport, with teams being matched according to their relative competitiveness. For example, we could put a team like Chesapeake in the most competitive division in basketball, and the middle division in football. We would also strive to maintain traditional rivals in the same divisions as much as possible. A breakdown for football might look something like this:

A-Gallia
Ironton
Jackson
Minford
Portsmouth
Waverly
West
Wheelersburg

B-Chesapeake
Coal Grove
Fairland
Northwest
Oak Hill
Rock Hill
South Point
Valley

C-East
Green
Notre Dame
Symmes Valley

This alignment might need to be slightly varied - maybe Valley goes into A and Waverly into B, etc. But it would make for some very competitive championships. All of the OVC football rivalries would be retained in one division, and some of the SOC rivalries as well. And with seven league opponents for the A and B divisions, teams would still have enough flexibility to pick up other traditional games that aren't satisfied by this divisional format, such as Wheelersburg-Oak Hill. Admittedly, there are some downsides - Gallia and Jackson are both D-III in football, but would have no D-III opponents in the Big Southeast, making it more difficult for them to accumulate computer points. They would no doubt want to try to retain non-league games against teams like Chillicothe, Logan, etc. And the C division would encompass only four D-VI members. Perhaps some local out-of-state opponents would agree to join for football-only to fill out a league slate. If so, the most likely candidates would be Wahama, Hannan, Buffalo-Putnam, and Fairview. If nothing else, perhaps a scheduling consortium could be worked out with these WV and KY teams.

Basketball divisions would be similar, but tweaked slightly for competitive reasons. They might look something like this:

A-Chesapeake
Gallia
Ironton
Jackson
Oak Hill
Portsmouth
Waverly
Wheelersburg

B-Coal Grove
Fairland
Minford
Northwest
Rock Hill
South Point
South Webster
Valley
West

C-Clay
East
Eastern
Green
Ironton St. Joe
New Boston
Notre Dame
Symmes Valley
Western


Again, some adjustments may be necessary, maybe Fairland and Oak Hill trade places (Fairland is D-II in basketball like Gallia and Jackson). Overall, the Big Southeast can support three full-fledged and very competitive alignments. And with the move to a 22 game schedule for basketball in Ohio, all teams would have enough flexibility to cross-pollinate everyone's schedules with traditional and non-traditional opponents from outside of their respective divisions.

The Big Southeast will probably never happen in my lifetime. But it was fun to think about.