Ohio Southwest Region defunct athletic conferences
This is a list of former high school athletic conferences in the Southwest Region of Ohio, as designated by the OHSAA. If a conference had members that span multiple regions, the conference is placed in the article of the region most of its former members hail from. Because the names of localities and their corresponding high schools do not always match and because there is often a possibility of ambiguity with respect to either the name of a locality or the name of a high school, the following table gives both in every case, with the locality name first, in plain type, and the high school name second in boldface type. The school's team nickname is given last.
Brown County League
The BCL was one of the local small-school county leagues in Southwest Ohio. Consolidation reduced the number of teams to five by 1967, and in 1970 these five joined with the Adams and Highland county leagues to form the Southern Hills Athletic League.
- Aberdeen Pirates (1930s-53, consolidated into Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington)
- Decatur ?? (1930s-62, consolidated into Eastern Brown)
- Fayetteville-Perry Rockets (1930s-70, to Southern Hills)
- Georgetown G-Men (1930s-70, to Southern Hills)
- Hamersville Hornets (1930s-67, consolidated into Western Brown)
- Higginsport Wildcats (1930s-53, consolidated into Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington)
- Mount Orab Mounties (1930s-67, consolidated into Western Brown)
- Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington Bluejays (1930s-70, Ripley before 1953, to Southern Hills)
- Russellville Redskins (1930s-62, consolidated into Eastern Brown)
- Sardinia Spartans (1930s-62, consolidated into Eastern Brown)
- Sardinia Eastern Brown Warriors (1962–70, to Southern Hills)
- Mount Orab Western Brown Broncos (1967–70, to Southern Hills)
Cincinnati Public League/Interscholastic Athletic Association of Cincinnati
The Interscholastic Athletic Association was founded March 23, 1896, and continued for several years with both public and private high schools until 1931, when it rebranded itself as the Public High School League. Now encompassing solely the public high schools in Cincinnati, the league lasted until 1985, when reshuffling of city and suburban Cincinnati high schools took place, which led to the formation of the Cincinnati Hills League, Eastern Metro Conference, Metro County Conference, and Western Metro Conference.
- Cincinnati Courter Tech Cavaliers (1896–1973, was Cincinnati Tech until 1923, then Central Tech until 1960, school closed)
- Cincinnati Franklin Preparatory Falcons (1896–1926, school burned down and closed)
- Cincinnati Hughes Big Red (1896–1985, to Western Metro)
- Cincinnati Walnut Hills Eagles (1896–1985, to Metro County)
- Cincinnati Woodward Bulldogs (1896–85, to Western Metro)
- Covington (KY) Central Bulldogs (1898-1911, played solely in Kentucky)
- Cincinnati Ohio Military Cadets (1898-1910, to Independents, school closed 1951)
- Cincinnati St. Xavier Conquistadors (1898-1931, to Greater Catholic)
- Cincinnati Withrow Tigers (1919–85, to Eastern Metro)
- Cincinnati East Tech Engineers (1923–53, school closed)
- Cincinnati Western Hills Mustangs (1928–85, to Metro County)
- Cincinnati Aiken Falcons (1962–85, to Metro County)
- Cincinnati Taft Senators (1965–85, to Metro County)
- Cincinnati Academy of Physical Education (CAPE) Crusaders (1980–85, to Cincinnati Hills)
Clinton County League
This small-school county league is another that hosted members from outside their borders. In this case, Harveysburg from Warren County joined a few years before the conference ended, as the school would merge with three Clinton County schools to become Clinton-Massie. The school would actually be based in Harveysburg until a new school was built near Clarksville, in Clinton County. Blanchester was not included in the 1959-60 standings, due to growing to a AA-sized school by annexing Jefferson, but were allowed back into league play the following season. Blanchester and Clinton-Massie would concurrently play in the CCL and Fort Ancient Valley Conference for the 1964-65 school year, after which the other two CCL schools consolidated into East Clinton, who would join the FAVC nine years later.
- Ogden Adams Eagles (pre-1933-63, consolidated into Clinton Massie)
- Blanchester Wildcats (pre-1931-65, to Fort Ancient Valley Conference)
- Clarksville Indians (pre-1931-63, consolidated into Clinton-Massie)
- Midland Jefferson Blue Jays (pre-1931-59, consolidated into Blanchester)
- Kingman Bulldogs (pre-1931-63, consolidated into Clinton-Massie)
- Martinsville Rockets (pre-1931-63, consolidated into Wilmington)
- New Vienna Tigers (pre-1931-63, consolidated into New Kenton)
- Port William Bulldogs (pre-1931-63, consolidated into Wilmington)
- Sabina Golden Eagles (pre-1931-65, consolidated into East Clinton)
- Lees Creek Simon Kenton Tigers (was Wayne before 1953, pre-1931-63, consolidated into New Kenton)
- Harveysburg Tigers (from Warren County, 1960–63, consolidated into Clinton-Massie)
- Harveysburg/Clarksville Clinton-Massie Falcons (1963–65, to Fort Ancient Valley Conference)
- New Vienna New Kenton Tigers (1963–65, consolidated into East Clinton)
Darby Valley League
The DVL was formed in 1956, as the Madison County League was reduced through consolidation from nine schools to four over a two year period, forcing the schools to seek other schools to compete with. Growing from its five initial schools, the conference grew to 11 schools by 1963, but never achieved any sense of stability, as schools joined and left for other conferences throughout its existence. The conference folded in 1977, as five of its members left for other leagues at the same time.
- Ashville-Harrison Broncos1 (1956-62, consolidated into Teays Valley)
- Jamestown Greeneview Rams2 (1956-77, to Kenton Trace Conference)
- Newport Madison-South Lions3 (1956-73, consolidated into Madison-Plains)
- North Lewisburg Triad Cardinals4 (1956-74, to West Central Ohio League)
- West Jefferson Roughriders3 (1956-63, to Franklin County League)
- Plain City Jonathan Alder Pioneers6 (1957-77, to Central Buckeye League)
- Mount Sterling The Plains Blue Devils (1957-73, consolidated into Madison-Plains)
- Cedarville Indians (1961-77, to Kenton Trace Conference)
- West Liberty-Salem Tigers (1961-67, to Logan County League)
- Yellow Springs Bulldogs (1961-77)
- Ashville Teays Valley Vikings (1962-64, to South Suburban League)
- Mechanicsburg Indians (1963-74, to West Central Ohio League)
- South Charleston Southeastern Trojans (1963-77, to Kenton Trace Conference)
- Xenia Woodrow Wilson Cadets (1972-77)
- London Madison-Plains Golden Eagles5 (1974-77, to South Central Ohio League)
- Liberty Jefferson Township Broncos (1975-77)
- Concurrent with Pickaway County League 1956-61.
- Concurrent with Greene County League 1956-61.
- Concurrent with Madison County League 1956-57.
- Concurrent with Champaign County League 1956-61.
- Concurrent with South Central Ohio League 1974-75.
- Concurrent with Central Buckeye League 1976-77)
Eastern Hills League
This conference began as Milford and New Richmond, kicked out of the Clermont County League after becoming exempt schools, joined with neighbors from far eastern Hamilton County. The league ended in 1985, as major realignment took place in the Cincinnati area.
- Indian Hill Braves (1957-85, to Cincinnati Hills League)
- Loveland Tigers (1957-85, to Cincinnati Hills League)
- Madeira Mustangs (1957-85, to Cincinnati Hills League)
- Mariemont Warriors (1957-85, to Cincinnati Hills League)
- Milford Eagles (1957-85, to Eastern Metro Conference)
- New Richmond Lions (1957-69, to Clermont County League)
- Deer Park Wildcats (1963-74, to Hamilton County League)
- Montgomery Sycamore Aviators (1965-85, to Eastern Metro Conference)
- Glen Este Trojans (1967-85, to Eastern Metro Conference)
Eastern Metro Conference
One of the short-lived conferences resulting from realignment in the Cincinnati area, the league merged into the Queen City Conference superconference in 1990.
- Batavia Amelia Barons (1985–90, to Queen City)
- Cincinnati Anderson Redskins (1985–90, to Queen City)
- Cincinnati Glen Este Trojans (1985–90, to Queen City)
- Milford Eagles (1985–89, to Greater Miami)
- Norwood Indians (1985–90, to Queen City)
- Cincinnati Sycamore Aviators (1985–89, to Greater Miami)
- Cincinnati Turpin Spartans (1985–90, to Queen City)
- Cincinnati Withrow Tigers (1985–90, to Queen City)
Fort Ancient Valley Conference
The FAVC started in 1964, as schools from the dwindling Clinton County League joined with the Warren County League, by 1999 the league became a superconference in the Southwest Region, as a large chunk of the Queen City Conference joined to help form two divisions. A later expansion took place in 2006, as the Mid-Miami League folded. However, this aggressive expansion also led to the conference's demise, as the schools decided to split into the Eastern Cincinnati Conference and Southwest Ohio Conference in 2012.
- Blanchester Wildcats (1964–1992, to Southern Buckeye Conference)
- Clarksville Clinton-Massie Falcons (1964–1977, to Kenton Trace Conference)
- Kings Mill Kings Knights (1964-2012, to Eastern Cincinnati Conference)
- Morrow Little Miami Panthers (1964-2012, to Southwest Ohio Conference)
- Mason Comets (1964–2008, to Greater Miami Conference)
- Springboro Panthers (1964–1998, to Mid-Miami League)
- Waynesville Spartans (1964–1977, to Kenton Trace Conference)
- Lees Creek East Clinton Astros (1974–1977, to Kenton Trace Conference)
- Lockland Panthers (1977–1980, to Hamilton County League)
- Hamilton Ross Rams (1977-2012, to Southwest Ohio Conference)
- Middletown Madison Mohawks (1979–1984, to Southwestern Buckeye Conference)
- Goshen Warriors (1986–2004, to Southern Buckeye Conference)
- Norwood Indians (1993-2012, to Southern Buckeye Conference)
- Wilmington Hurricanes (1992-2012, to South Central Ohio League)
- Lebanon Warriors (1997–2003, to Mid-Miami League)
- Loveland Tigers (1997-2012, Eastern Cincinnati Conference)
- Batavia Amelia Barons (1999–2010, to Southern Buckeye Conference)
- Cincinnati Anderson Redskins (1999-2012, to Eastern Cincinnati Conference)
- Cincinnati Glen Este Trojans (1999-2012, to Eastern Cincinnati Conference)
- Harrison Wildcats (1999-2012, to Southwest Ohio Conference)
- Cincinnati Northwest Knights (1999-2012, to Southwest Ohio Conference)
- Cincinnati Turpin Spartans (1999-2012, to Eastern Cincinnati Conference)
- Cincinnati Walnut Hills Eagles (2003-2012, to Eastern Cincinnati Conference)
- Cincinnati Winton Woods Warriors (1999-2012)
- Trenton Edgewood Cougars (2006-2012, to Southwest Ohio Conference)
- Cincinnati Mount Healthy Fighting Owls (2006-2012, to Southwest Ohio Conference)
- Oxford Talawanda Braves (2006-2012, to Southwest Ohio Conference)
- Milford Eagles (2008-2012, to Eastern Cincinnati Conference)
Football divisions
Girls Greater Catholic LeagueMain article: Girls' Greater Catholic League
Conference Website: http://ggcl.gclsports.com/ The Girls' Greater Catholic League merged with the Greater Catholic League under one banner in 2013.
Miami Central ConferenceThe Miami Central Conference began operation during the 1975-76 school year but folded at the conclusion of the 1981-82 school year. Vandalia-Butler, Northmont, Piqua, Sidney, Trotwood-Madison, and Tecumseh withdrew from the MCC to form the Greater Miami Valley Conference (GMVC) with Greenville from the Southwestern Buckeye League and Troy from the Western Ohio League. Fairborn Baker and Fairborn Park Hills merged to become Fairborn and joined the Western Ohio League, while Miamisburg and West Carrollton joined the Mid-Miami League at the start of the 1982-83 school year.
Greater Miami Valley ConferenceThe Greater Miami Valley Conference began operation during the 1982-83 school year but folded at the conclusion of the 200-01 school year when the league merged with the Western Ohio League, forming the Greater Western Ohio Conference. The initial GMVC was formed with six schools from the Miami Central Conference - Vandalia-Butler, Northmont, Piqua, Sidney, Trotwood-Madison, and Tecumseh. They were joined by Greenville from the Southwestern Buckeye League and Troy, which withdrew from the Western Ohio League. Tecumseh left the league at the conclusion of the 1989-90 school year and was replaced with West Carrollton from the Mid-Miami League. West Carrollton eventually left the GMVC after the 1998-99 school year to re-join the Mid-Miami League, but was not replaced, leaving the league with seven schools.
Greene County League
Kenton Trace Conference
Mad River Valley LeagueOriginally the Clark County League, the MRVL gained its name in 1955, as the five remaining CCL members added Mechanicsburg, and later others from outside the original boundaries. The league's demise started in 1973, as four schools broke off to form the Three Rivers League in 1973, and folded the next year as three of the five remaining schools formed the Central Buckeye Conference.
Metro County ConferenceA short-lived conference formed as a result of shifting Hamilton County schools in 1985, the league merged into the Queen City Conference in 1990.
Miami Valley LeagueThe Miami Valley League began competition during the 1926-27 school year, when the MVL held its first league championship in track. Football and basketball began with the 1927-28 school year. The league operated through the 1974-75 school year, when the three long-time members of the league formed the Miami Central Conference with similar-sized schools.
Mid-Miami League
Paper Valley LeagueStarted in 1956 as Little Southwestern League when Little Miami of the Warren County League joined with Bishop Fenwick and three Butler County League teams, who remained in the BCL initially. Little Miami returned to the WCL and was replaced by Lakota in 1959, prompting a rebrand to become the Southwestern Ohio Conference. While temporarily staving off defections to the Mid-Miami League by absorbing the rest of the BCL and having members concurrently in the MML and SOC, the conference was down to four members by 1970. After changing the name to the PVL in 1972, the league only lasted three years, as New Miami and Ross joined the Wayne Trace League, while Edgewood and Madison retained their membership in the MML.
Preble County League
Queen City Conference(1989-2002) After the Cincinnati Hills League left the Queen City Conference Alliance in 1989, the Eastern Metro, Metro County, and Western Metro conferences all combined to form this superconference. It survived intact with a three division alignment until 1999, when seven members left for the Fort Ancient Valley Conference. Further defections led to the remaining schools (almost all Cincinnati Public Schools) to combine with the Dayton City League to form the Southwest Ohio Public League.
Southwestern Rivers Conference
Warren County League
Wayne Trace LeagueThe league began in 1922 as the Montgomery County League, then became the Dayton Suburban League in 1964 as the five remaining MCL schools branched out beyond the county. When the Southwestern Ohio Conference rebranded itself as the Paper Valley League in 1972, the DSL once again changed its name to the Southwestern Ohio League. Three years later, after a major shakeup where five schools left, and two Paper Valley League schools joined, leading to the WTL name. This only lasted three years, as most of the conference joined the Cross-County Conference in 1978.
West Central Ohio Conference (WCOC)The WCOC began in the 1930s as the Logan County League, rebranding itself as the WCOC in 1970, as the conference had long since grown past the Logan County borders. It lasted until 2001, when most of the schools split into the Northwest Central and Ohio Heritage conferences.
Western Metro Conference
Western Ohio LeagueFounded as a conference for larger schools in the Dayton suburban area, the league merged with the Greater Miami Valley League to form the Greater Western Ohio Conference in 2001.
See also
Notes and references |