Chilly leaving SEOAL??

[JohnKnight]

http://www.chillicothegazette.com/artic ... |Frontpage

[C-Bolt]

He mentions the fan base travels well,,they must not like state route 180 then, at least in football because the games I remember Logan had way more fans in the visiting bleachers than them.......

[moonshine]

Guy's Logan was offered and it looks like if they are accepted Logan will leave the SEOAL

[noreply66]

Guy's Logan was offered and it looks like if they are accepted Logan will leave the SEOAL

Have to get the votes first

[NYBuckeye96]

That article made it sound like Chillicothe will willingly go to either the MSL or OCC, whichever one decides to accept them as league members. Which to me says, "We are gone from the SEOAL as of the end of our two year out-clause in the spring of 2013". From what I hear from the Logan side of things, Logan would leave to join the MSL if the MSL votes them in.

That would leave the SEOAL with: Gallia Academy, Jackson, Warren and Portsmouth.

Warren recently tried to re-join the TVC, but was just shy on receiving the number of votes to be re-admitted to the TVC. I'm sure Warren would try again to join the TVC or think of looking elsewhere - perhaps joining Marietta in the ECOL, or perhaps the MVL.

I think Portsmouth will eventually end up in the SOC. Maybe they have to be independent for awhile first. Bottom line is Portsmouth continues to shrink in size and at some point, Portsmouth will have to be seen on an even playing field by the other SOC schools, even though many of those schools fear a huge city school like Portsmouth joining, even though numbers show us that Portsmouth is no longer that huge city school district it once was.

I'm not sure what would become of Jackson and Gallia Academy. As leagues currently are alligned in southeastern Ohio, I don't think any will accept them as members. However if either the TVC or SOC realigned to form a big school division, I think Jackson and Gallia would fit nicely into such an arrangement. I know that Athens was a strong proponent of admitting Warren to the TVC. Athens-Warren-Gallia-Jackson would be a decent big school division. The problem with this arrangement is that Vinton County would be put in a big school division and there isn't a snowballs chance in hell that Vinton County would want this to happen.

I'm not sure how the SEOAL could expand to remain viable. With each expansion, the SEOAL has increased its geographic reach. Every school within the southeastern 25% of Ohio that would fit into the SEOAL was already a member of the SEOAL as of 2006. There is no where else to expand. I'm fairly confident that no school in the TVC, SOC, OVC, SCOL or MVL would even dream of leaving their home leagues that have very natural geographic rivalries in favor of a league that is so widely spread out like the SEOAL.

When Athens left the SEOAL, the reasons given were travel expenses and having kids out until midnight during the school week. A lot of people heavily criticized Athens for these excuses. And then Zanesville left for the same reasons. And then Ironton left for the same reasons. And then Marietta left for the same reasons. And now it looks like Chillicothe and Logan will leave for the same reasons.

In hindsight, perhaps not enough thought went into the 2006 expansion. That expansion could be the driving force behind the ultimate demise of the SEOAL. How is that for irony?

[bman]

The MSL plan still has to pass and I could see a few hang-ups. The MSL voted on expansion earlier before the Licking schools bolted and it went down, and that plan included some of these same schools.

[Ironmannut07]

NY96: What does Athens and Marietta leaving the SEOAL have to do with the ill advised 2006 expansion? Both were voting members that APPROVED that expansion.

I could have told anyone who cared that the odds of Ironton and Zanesville staying were slim to none. There were too many people in both districts who never wanted their schools to come to the SEOAL in the first place, and when situations changed at those schools, they made the decision to bolt in a New York second.

Athens voting FOR expansion and then leaving before a single game was even played was the lynchpin IMO. All they had to do was blackball the expansion and it never would have happened and they wouldnt have had to deal with weekday trips to Portsmouth, Ironton, and Zanesville.

As far as Marietta and Warren are concerned; rumors of their leaving have been circulating longer than Ive been following GAHS sports. I cant remember a time when those rumors werent circulating. That Marietta left was not a surprise anymore than Warren wanting to go back to the TVC is.

I am so sick and tired of five years of rumors and substantiated rumors becoming reality, and schools coming and going with reckless abandonment that no one seems to care a fiddler's fart about an 86 year old league with a proud history. Rumors abound about the TVC wanting to become a "Super Conference" and they wouldnt mind taking in GAHS, Jackson and Warren as long as we form our own division with a few more (VC, Meigs, Athens perhaps) grafting in. I suppose that will ultimately happen unfortunately.

The reason the SEOAL had to reach out so far to keep their "big school" status was because even local schools with the same comparable enrollments in the area not only did not want any part of the SEOAL, but in most cases had LEFT the SEOAL because they couldnt compete year in and out. For that reason alone, the SEOAL has nowhere to go to expand.

In GAHS' case, we are still perceived as a big school in the face of declining enrollment (we are much smaller than Jackson, Warren, Logan, and Athens). Thus a conference which would provide us with better travel (OVC) would never consider us for membership.

Love it or hate it this is the truth.

[NYBuckeye96]

When Athens left, has anyone thought that maybe the reason they voted to expand the SEOAL is because Athens was already thinking about a possible move to the TVC and Athens wanted to make sure their would be enough members left to make the SEOAL viable? I remember conversations on local sports radio talk shows as far back as when I was in high school in the early/mid 90's that many people in Athens County thought it would be great if all of our schools were in the same league, and now they are. I'm not sure exactly when Athens decided they would like to leave the SEOAL for the TVC, but surely those conversations were happening well before the vote to expand the SEOAL because Athens voted to leave not long after that vote - long before a single game was played in the expanded SEOAL. Athens was around for two years in that expanded SEOAL, but only because they had to give the official two years notice.

Since the SEOAL expansion, Jackson had also attended TVC meetings and had an interest in the TVC. I'm not sure if Jackson also attended meetings with other leagues or not.

But what it comes down to is that in 2006, the SEOAL had 10 schools. Today it has 6. Two more schools are quite possibly gone in 2013. Of the four remaining schools, 2 [Jackson and Warren] have already inquired with other leagues at some point in the past few years about possibly joining those leagues. Only two schools - Gallia and Portsmouth - have not inquired with other leagues that I am aware of. Not sure if Portsmouth has inquired with the SOC since 2006 or not. If so, that would leave only Gallia Academy as the only school to not inquire with any other league.

[NYBuckeye96]

I do agree that Athens leaving the SEOAL created a gap. Athens was more or less the geographic center of the SEOAL. When Athens left, that created a huge gap in distances between schools from the North Division teams and the South Division teams. While distances from Portsmouth to Zanesville were always the same, I think Athens was kind of the glue that would psychologically hold all this together, and when Athens left, there was no psychological "geographic center" to the SEOAL that made any sense. All of a sudden, you had Warren and Marietta out there by themselves. Logan lost its only relatively close geographic rival. The South Division schools were all well seperated from the North Division schools, as Athens would have been the closest North school to each of them.

Having said that, I still think Athens joining the TVC was the best thing Athens could do for its athletic programs, and I think its safe to say that nearly everyone in Athens is happy to be in the TVC - students, fans and administrators. I have never seen such a high level of enthusiasm regarding sports at Athens as I have seen in the past few years. Afterall, which is better.........Athens playing NY or Alexander in a packed stadium for a league title and local bragging rights.......or Athens playing Portsmouth in front of a nearly empty stadium???

[Daniel Larusso]

Maybe Logan will decide to stay, and Athens will come back to save the SEOAL.

Logan
Warren
Athens
Gallia Academy
Jackson
Portsmouth

In all seriousness. If the SEOAL does crumble good luck getting Vinton County and Meigs to join a big school division with Gallia, Jackson, Warren, and Athens. The TVC schools have these big plans, but I'm not so sure Vinton County and Meigs will be as receptive to this third division idea. It sounds good to the other TVC schools because they aren't going to be the ones playing in it.

[GAHS83]

Like it or not, I don't see how Logan and Chillicothe leaving doesn't happen. Less overall travel and better overall competition makes it a no-brainer decision for those schools.

I hate to see it happen because it will leave GA in a bad spot.

I can't see Warren and Portsmouth wanting to travel to each other to stay in a 4-team league. Portsmouth almost has to join the SOC if they have any option to and Warren either has to join the TVC or look to the MVL or ECOL.

I think GA is going to have to look at the TVC or OVC, but I'm not sure either league will have them. The simple fact is that GA is going to have to start scheduling smaller schools, whether it be in a league or as in independent. They're going to have to start looking at the D4 & D5 schools in the area. River Valley, Oak Hill, Minford, Wellston, Ironton, Meigs, Alexander, Vinton County, Nelsonville York, etc. The problem is that some of these types of schools aren't going to want to schedule us. Gallia still has a big school image although they're very small D3 and could be D4 within a few years if population keeps declining. However, some D4/D5 schools in the area seem to not want to play them because of how big they used to be.

I could see a shedule of:
Point Pleasant
Ironton
Nelsonville York
River Valley
Athens
Warren
Meigs
Alexander
Vinton County
Jackson

But if that's going to be the schedule then we might as well be in the TVC.

[GAHS83]

Maybe Logan will decide to stay, and Athens will come back to save the SEOAL.

Logan
Warren
Athens
Gallia Academy
Jackson
Portsmouth

In all seriousness. If the SEOAL does crumble good luck getting Vinton County and Meigs to join a big school division with Gallia, Jackson, Warren, and Athens. The TVC schools have these big plans, but I'm not so sure Vinton County and Meigs will be as receptive to this third division idea. It sounds good to the other TVC schools because they aren't going to be the ones playing in it.

If Vinton and Meigs aren't interested, do you think NY would be interested in playing in a potential big school division?

[ironmen1987]

I wish the SOC would look at how well they compete against us in the sports that we already schedule them in and ignore our "big school" image. I think we would make a great addition to their conference. I have no interest in a big school division in the TVC.

[GAHS83]

Was looking into this a bit more and it appears as if several of the MSL Buckeye schools along with Logan and Chillicothe are also looking into the OCC. Either way, we're in for a shake up.

Here's wishful thinking........

If the OCC takes Canal Winchester, Teays Valley and Hamilton Twp and leaves Logan and Chillicothe out in the cold.

Could we look at a league of Circleville, Logan Elm, Amanda, Chillicothe, Logan, Jackson and Gallia Academy? I REALLY like the looks of this competitively, but the travel might be a bit tough.

[Orange and Brown]

Vinton county will leave the TVC if it expands to include Jackson and Gallia Academy. Meigs won't like it but they will suck it up and tough it out.

[LucasJackson]

If Logan and chilly leaves the SEOAL Gallia Jacksonand Portsmouth need to grab Ironton and try to entice a few others to join.

[meatswinger]

Guy's Logan was offered and it looks like if they are accepted Logan will leave the SEOAL

Have to get the votes first

Logan must have hired an admin with some cajones. Seems they were happy being a shark in a goldfish bowl. Now we will see what kind of program they have.

[noreply66]

If Logan and chilly leaves the SEOAL Gallia Jacksonand Portsmouth need to grab Ironton and try to entice a few others to join.

I can not see this league letting Ironton back in-will not make a difference what teams are left

[FANOSPORTS]

Vinton county will leave the TVC if it expands to include Jackson and Gallia Academy. Meigs won't like it but they will suck it up and tough it out.

If the TVC teams don't think they can compete with SEOAL schools then just don't vote them in when they ask but don't cry when it happens eventually. Most of the schools ran from these matchups in sports years ago and they continue to do so today. Vinton County wouldn't win the league in basketball and N-Y wouldn't win in football every year if they ever had to play the Gallipolis & Jackson's of the world so let's not let them play., waah, waah !!!!! It all makes sense on the economic and fiscal responsibility sides, Meigs-Gallia-Jackson-Vinton and Athens county teams in a league together but too many "I'm afraid to play them" mentalitites are left down there I believe. JMO

[FANOSPORTS]

Maybe Logan will decide to stay, and Athens will come back to save the SEOAL.

Logan
Warren
Athens
Gallia Academy
Jackson
Portsmouth

In all seriousness. If the SEOAL does crumble good luck getting Vinton County and Meigs to join a big school division with Gallia, Jackson, Warren, and Athens. The TVC schools have these big plans, but I'm not so sure Vinton County and Meigs will be as receptive to this third division idea. It sounds good to the other TVC schools because they aren't going to be the ones playing in it.

If Vinton and Meigs aren't interested, do you think NY would be interested in playing in a potential big school division?

^^^^^
See my previous post above along with this one. N-Y would NEVER play in the big division if this ever happened. Much like Meigs and Vinton County, they would do everything in their power to escape this scenario unless they were absolutely forced into it. JMO of course.