by Michael Leonard
Sports Editor
Just two years after the Northeast Ohio Conference came into being, four of its local members could be looking for a way out.
Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, Stow-Munroe Falls and Nordonia have applied for membership into the Suburban League.
According to Suburban League commissioner Keith Walker, the league is reviewing two separate proposals.
One would involve bringing Nordonia into the Suburban League alone.
The other would involve bringing in Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson and Stow-Munroe Falls into the league together, bringing the league's total number of teams to 10. Both these proposals were given to the Suburban League in May and league officials met to discuss the potential moves June 11.
"We are in the process of evaluating both of those options," Walker said June 17, noting the high school principals of the Suburban League would have final say on the matter. "We hope to have a decision by next week. That is our plan."
The opening in the Suburban League was caused when Barberton announced its intention to leave the league in March. Barberton joined the Suburban League in the 2005-06 school year when Norton left to join the Portage Trail Conference.
Walker said Barberton is obligated to complete two more school years of league competition, meaning the Magics will stay in the league until the completion of the 2010-11 school year, unless the Suburban League agrees to release them sooner.
If no other schools join, the Suburban League will be comprised of Copley, Lodi Cloverleaf, Green, Medina Highland, Revere, Tallmadge and Wadsworth.
"But the current consensus is they would like to avoid having a seven-team format," Walker said. "I don't see it being a seven-team league."
Tallmadge athletic director Don Seeker said the league looked at the possibility of expansion to 12 teams in the past and turned it down. He said the league is studying the Western Buckeye Conference as an example of how a 10-team league could work.
"There's a lot of questions with a 10-team league," Seeker said. "I have no idea how this is going to turn out."
According to Northeast Ohio Conference commissioner Dan Jerome, the NOC had not received any formal requests to withdrawl from the conference as of June 17. However, Jerome said he was aware of the intention by Falls, Stow and Hudson to "find something better."
"You have to give a two-year notice if you want to leave," Jerome said. "It's almost impossible to make the move immediate. They're expecting to be in for at least two more years. At this point everybody's in."
Big three looking
for big move
Stow's lack of proximity to other NOC school is a major issue, said Stow-Munroe Falls athletic director Cyle Feldman.
"For volleyball, it's not good for me to tell the parents that we have to go Lakewood and Elyria [for division games]," Feldman said. "That's not what interscholastic athletics is all about. The No. 1 priority for us is the geography issue. It fits into gate receipts, rivalries and everything else you're looking for in a league."
"It's where we belong," Feldman added. "We belong in the Suburban League. The longer that we don't hear from them, the less likely I think there is to be a positive outcome."
Dr. Edwin Holland, superintendent of Cuyahoga Falls City Schools, echoes some of Feldman's criticisms.
"There's some dissatisfaction with the NOC, especially with Falls and Stow being the southern-most schools," Holland said. "Our middle school teams are sometimes not getting home until to 10 or 11 p.m. Our fans are not attending away games because they don't know where these other high schools are."
"Cuyahoga Falls is in the NOC unless we can find a better option," Holland added. "We've been looking for probably the last two years to see what options are out there. We're going to do what's right for the Cuyahoga Falls City School District."
Feldman also said he felt the system for switching teams between NOC's divisions was "one of the major flaws" of the conference. He noted Stow's boys soccer team is stuck in the loaded Valley Division with no way to adjust itself to the middle-ranked River Division.
"You either have to finish first or last and then you can be forced to move," Feldman said. "Sometimes, schools like Twinsburg can't be forced to moved. The application process isn't as easy as it sounds."
"Unless we improve our situation, we're going to continue to stay [in the NOC]," Feldman said. "However, we're going to continue to actively improve ... our league situation."
Holland said, if the Suburban League does offer membership, a final meeting between Falls, Stow and Hudson would occur to give the move the green light. Holland said Falls will only make a move if Stow and Hudson do too.
"We want to remain together," Holland said. "We also want to improve our relationships with other school districts. Maybe a strong league like the Suburban would encourage that."
Hudson athletic director Ray Ebersole did not return calls seeking comment.
Nordonia reacting to other movements
Nordonia athletic director Rob Eckenrode said any potential movement by the three districts south of Nordonia would be "a crushing blow" to the NOC and could prompt the Knights to leave the NOC.
"I'm perfectly happy with the NOC," Eckenrode said. "But, if we lose Stow, Falls and Hudson, the league's in big trouble"
Eckenrode said Nordonia's proximity to major highways alleviates most travel issues. Also, he made it clear Nordonia "has worked its tail off to make [the NOC] work."
So why the proposal to join the Suburban League?
"It's an extremely reactionary move," Eckenrode said. "I've got to protect my programs."
Even if the Suburban League offers membership, Eckenrode isn't convinced Nordonia will go through with the move.
"It would be an interesting opportunity," Eckenrode said. "I wouldn't be the one making the final decision. That would have to be made by the Board of Education."
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