NORTHERN 10 CONFERENCE INVITES SIX SCHOOLS IN EXPANSION BID
By Kyle Holsinger
The Northern 10 Conference announced Tuesday that their conference superintendents voted to invite Hopewell-Loudon, Lucas, New Riegel, Old Fort, Tiffin Calvert, and Willard to join the conference.
The N10 stated in a press release that a formal announcement will be released pending acceptance by each school. The announcement will also provide additional details regarding the alignment of the conference.
Buckeye Central athletic director and head girl’s basketball coach Phil Loy said all Northern 10 Conference members carefully considered whether adding new schools would strengthen the conference and create or improve the competitive environment for existing members.
“While many details remain to be determined—specifically how the league will be structured through divisions and the development of a fair and competitive football schedule,” Loy said. “If implemented effectively, this expansion has the potential the make the N10 a stronger and more dynamic conference.”
“This is a great opportunity for old rivals to come together and compete for a league title,” Mohawk assistant principal and athletic director Amy Kozel said. “We already face many of these schools in non-conference play.”
Kozel commented that adding four football teams may present some scheduling challenges for N10 athletic directors.“I am looking forward to collaborating with them,” Kozel concluded. “I have no doubt we will create a great plan for our student athletes.”
Hopewell-Loudon, New Riegel, Old Fort, Tiffin Calvert, and Willard are all currently members of the River Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference while Lucas is a member of the Mid Buckeye Conference.
Doug Mason, athletic director at Seneca East, said that the expansion grew out of the feeling amongst current Northern 10 members that the league needed to take action now to strengthen the league for the future.
“Like most leagues with schools our size, some of our current league members were facing challenges with student population fluctuations and fielding full and competitive teams across various sports and at different levels,” Mason said. “As a result, the idea about adding more schools to balance the competitiveness of our league was born.”
The Northern 10 Conference began with the 2014-15 school year with ten schools; current members Buckeye Central, Bucyrus, Carey, Colonel Crawford, Mohawk, Seneca East, Upper Sandusky, Wynford, and former members Crestline and Ridgedale.
"All of the schools that have been offered to join the league bring with them their own decorated athletic past in various sports and represent some very proud communities in our area,” Mason continued.
For Seneca East, we will get to reestablish our relationship and rivalries with some of our former league (Midland Athletic League) opponents and establish a new rivalry with a neighboring school district in Willard."
Lucas was former North Central Conference members from 1998-2013. During that time, current N10 members Buckeye Central, Colonel Crawford, Wynford, Bucyrus, Upper Sandusky called the Cubs conference foes.
Willard was formerly league rivals with Bucyrus and Upper Sandusky in the Northern Ohio League, from which the Crimson Flashes were members of from 1944 until 2017.
Hopewell-Loudon, New Riegel, Old Fort, and Tiffin Calvert were all members of the Midland Athletic League with current Northern 10 members Seneca East, Carey, and Mohawk until the league disbanded in 2014.
"It is both exciting and nerve racking at the same time,” Mason admitted. He said that there are a lot of details, such as scheduling and determining league champions, that will need to be worked out.
“The good thing is, there are a lot of bright administrators and AD's in the room working on this process and many of them have experience of going through something like this before.”
Check back with Heart of Ohio Sports for more information as it is released.
