In Part 1 of this series, I examined the league options that Louisville is considering after the Leopards were abandoned by its seven fellow Northeastern Buckeye Conference members. Here is a review:
OPTION 1: PIE IN THE SKY LEAGUE (Alliance, Canton South, Dover, Lake, Louisville, Marlington, New Philadelphia, and Northwest)
Fit for Louisville: A
My predicted chance of happening: 0.5%
OPTION 2: TWO-TIER FEDERAL LEAGUE (big and small school divisions)
Fit for Louisville: A-
My predicted chance of happening: 2%
OPTION THREE: ALL-AMERICAN CONFERENCE (20 schools mostly based in the Youngstown Area)
Fit for Louisville: C-
My predicted chance of happening: 7.5%
OPTION 4: EIGHT-TEAM FEDERAL LEAGUE
FIT FOR LOUISVILLE: C-
My predicted chance of happening: 15%
I feel Louisville’s future likely comes down to a three-horse race. The Federal League is one choice. Let’s now look at the other top contenders:
OPTION 5: THE SUBURBAN LEAGUE
This league, centered in neighboring Summit County to the north, has been in existence since 1949 in various forms. In 2013, after charter member Green announced it was moving to the Federal League, the Suburban League put plans into motion that eventually ended up with its current two-division line-up. Eight teams are in the larger-school National Division, and seven are in the smaller-school American Division.
Louisville Athletic Director John Twinem said that Louisville has had several positive discussions so far with Suburban League officials. Adding the Leopards would put the American Division at the ideal number of eight schools. Here are the current large division members:
Because each division has eight teams, Louisville would not be required to play any cross-over games against these schools. This is what the smaller-school division would look like:
Enrollment-wise, this league appears to be a very good fit for Louisville. The Leopards would definitely have an adjustment to make after always being the biggest and most successful school in the NBC. But these schools would provide a much better challenge for Louisville athletes throughout league play. Louisville’s steady Friday night football diet of second half running clocks would now be few and far between. Aurora (9-2), Copley (9-2), and Highland (6-5) all made the play-offs last year, while Barberton went 7-3. And the five schools bigger than Louisville are Division II in football, which would help in accumulating play-off points.
Since 2010, LHS boys’ and girls’ teams have won NBC titles 50% of the time. That title rate would definitely decrease with a jump to the Suburban. But the better competition would likely elevate Louisville sports programs while also making for much more exciting games for Leopard fans. Additionally, the close enrollment figures allow Louisville teams to have a fair opportunity to be competitive and successful on the playing field. That issue is a great concern when considering a leap to the Federal League and its much bigger schools. The Federal Leagues average enrollment is 732 boys, with Lake being the smallest at 447 boys.
Of course, the glaring red flag is travel. Currently, the average NBC road trip is 25 minutes; the longest is 41 minutes to Carrollton. That would now be the second shortest drive. The 48-minute average would be a big change for Louisville fans, as well as for the athletes riding a bus on a Tuesday night. Most of the drives would be through populated areas, which brings the perks of highway travel and nice restaurant options. But those who travel north know that rush hour traffic around Akron can be a bear. Furthermore, those Suburban League opponents would also have to make those same long trips to Constitution Town, which may hamper ticket sales.
So for Louisville, it may come down to choosing between the shorter travels of the Federal League (average trip time of 21 minutes), or the more evenly balanced competition level of the Suburban League.
FIT FOR LOUISVILLE: B-
LIKELIHOOD OF HAPPENING: 47%
OPTION 6: A NEW LEAGUE
Louisville Athletic Administrator John Twinem state that he, along with other Louisville officials, have had informal discussions with schools in Stark and surrounding counties about forming a new conference of schools. He felt it is best to not to name those schools at this time. A minimum of six schools would be needed to get the league off the ground. That solid foundation would hopefully attract more area schools in the near future.
This new league option is appealing for several reasons. One is that it is likely to include some Stark County schools. Local schools mean bigger crowds and bigger rivalries. And the creation of a new league would allow Louisville to have heavy input in finding a group of opponents that would provide challenging, intriguing match-ups. These opponents would raise the performance level of LHS sports programs, rather than overwhelm them.
This proposed union has one enormous hurdle to overcome. This new marriage would necessitate some schools to get a divorce from their current conference homes. Leaving a league is not like breaking up with your junior high sweetheart by passing a note in math class (or sending a text message or doing Snapchat or Instagram or whatever new-fangled tech things these young whippersnappers use nowadays). Many schools have strong, long-term relationships with fellow league members. A departure can have some long-lasting ripple effects.
On the other hand, competitive balance has become an ever-growing issue in high school sports. League set-ups are more fragile than ever, with schools switching conference dance partners to find a better fit for their student-athletes. A year ago, the Inter-Valley Conference added five teams to create big-small division set-up for long-term stability. That IVC gain created a loss of two teams for the Principals’ Athletic Conference (PAC-7). In order to survive, the PAC-7 added three schools. One school came from the Ohio Cardinal Conference, putting the O.C.C. in a bind. The IVC also got one East Central Ohio League school, upsetting the E.C.O.L.’s two-division set-up of five teams each. The Suburban and Federal Leagues also had to adjust to movement in recent years.
These domino effects have put many schools on notice as to their long-term future. The difficulties and uncertain future that Louisville is now facing is surely a wake-up call to many area schools. Louisville work to form a new league may provide a safe, secure harbor for area schools on unsure ground.
FIT FOR LOUISVILLE: A-/B+ (depending on what schools join)
LIKELIHOOD OF HAPPENING: 23%
In spite of this uncertain future, Leopard fans can be assured that Louisville officials and administrators have spent countless hours on this issue, leaving no stones unturned. However it plays out, we know that Leopard coaches and athletes will continue strive their best to continue Louisville’s long tradition of excellence, both on the playing fields and in the classroom.
***Please note that the author is a graduate of Louisville High School and is currently teaches 8th grade at Louisville Middle School. This blog originally ran as an article for the Louisville’s weekly newspaper, The Louisville Herald.