187xovr;1707178 wrote:This is precisely why Orrville should not be in a hurry to leave their current conference IMO. Earlier this season, they lost to one of the worst teams in the WCAL (Smithville). Smithville dominated for most of that game before a late Orrville run made it close. At the end of the season, they comfortably beat a hot Northwestern team. If they are able to beat Black River, I would expect Orrville to give Dalton all they can handle in the sectional finals. I would probably consider Orrville a slight favorite in that game. They improve during the season at a greater rate than the other area teams do. Part of this has to do with the level of competition they are seeing on a nightly basis in their conference. I would be really hesitant to give this advantage up if I were Orrville. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems the only reason for the move is the recent failures of the football team. Moving conferences might gain Orrville a few gridiron wins, but it will really hurt their postseason preparation in other sports.

Amazing how we stack up when playing schools our size isn't it?

6th place OCC team beats co-champs in the WCAL....by double digits.

RedRider1;1707213 wrote:Indian Valley & Tusky Valley are officially out of the PAC. Likely beginning in the fall of 2016.

Canton Schools have yet to officially decide on Timken's future...but if they do, there could be 3 openings in the PAC by the end of March at the latest.

It's not if, but when we're heading to the PAC....in my humble opinion.

http://m.timesreporter.com/article/20150221/SPORTS/150229833/13406/NEWS

Could be 3 openings and 4 teams so guess who is odd man out?

RedRider1;1707214 wrote:Amazing how we stack up when playing schools our size isn't it?

6th place OCC team beats co-champs in the WCAL....by double digits.

Amazing how much better we got playing tough competition!

rrfan;1707366 wrote:Could be 3 openings and 4 teams so guess who is odd man out?

I'll bite...why do you think we're odd man out? If anything, we make more sense (and have just as much support) as Northwest.

Birdies have told me we are. I have nothing other than that and the fact we have been voted down multiple times in past.

rrfan;1707379 wrote:Birdies have told me we are. I have nothing other than that and the fact we have been voted down multiple times in past.

I don't think we were ever officially voted down....the PAC was not interested in expanding past 8 teams. Now that there are definite openings, they have to look somewhere and I am confident that we WILL be accepted!

If Orrville football continues to struggle mightily, even in the PAC...what happens after a few years? Oh, and how's that coaching petition going these days?

CCRolly;1707393 wrote:If Orrville football continues to struggle mightily, even in the PAC...what happens after a few years? Oh, and how's that coaching petition going these days?

What coaching petition? We don't need a new coach we need some athletes.

Oldrider we will see you may be right it is just not a sure thing from what I have heard.

If Orrville football continues to struggle mightily, even in the PAC...what happens after a few years? Oh, and how's that coaching petition going these days?

I actually LOL in my office after reading this! Reminds my of the movie Braveheart when Mel (William Wallace) rides out to talk with the nobles about a game plan for the battle and then as he heads out to the middle of the battle field is asked "where you going"? He turns and says "To peck a fight"! LOLOLOLOL!!!

rrfan;1707414 wrote:What coaching petition? We don't need a new coach we need some athletes.

Oldrider we will see you may be right it is just not a sure thing from what I have heard.

That is CC referring to a certain poster on here that has wanted this coach out since day one!

Old Rider;1707428 wrote:That is CC referring to a certain poster on here that has wanted this coach out since day one!

Oh yes that poster. May his account never have another post on Ohio Chatter!

Yeah, that guy. He'll be back eventually...count on it.

I agree with CC. Looking forward to see the epic meltdown when Orrville leaves the OCC, joins the PAC and still wins 4 games or less. Not only will you be playing teams that kids don't care to play but you will be losing to them. The problem now is not who you are playing, but who you are playing with, and changing leagues wont change that.

Nobody said that getting into the PAC is suddenly going to make us an above .500 team (I am assuming you are talking about football). However, it will give our kids a better opportunity to compete against schools more our size. Getting blown out doesn't prepare any team for any post season. If we were to enter into the PAC today, our football team would struggle again, but not like we have in the OCC.

unc4life;1707487 wrote:The problem now is not who you are playing, but who you are playing with.....

No shit....another ingenious comment from Mr. Obvious himself!!

Old Rider;1707509 wrote:Nobody said that getting into the PAC is suddenly going to make us an above .500 team (I am assuming you are talking about football). However, it will give our kids a better opportunity to compete against schools more our size. Getting blown out doesn't prepare any team for any post season. If we were to enter into the PAC today, our football team would struggle again, but not like we have in the OCC.

No offense oldrider but I don't care if we are below .500 in the OCC, PAC or independent it is going to suck. I would argue it will suck worse in the PAC.

You know what I find amusing is that some outsiders look at our history and think we decided to play up or play larger schools? The problem was that no school our size WANTED us on the schedule a decade ago. We couldn't get in a conference or league that made sense from an enrollment standpoint. Correct me if I am wrong but the last time we were EVER in a league with like sized schools was the AOL? The cost of those years is still being paid for by Orrville today. Adults have to make hard decisions for these kids. I would agree that stinking in any league stinks but there comes a time when figures and numbers can't be ignored. OUR ego needs to be put aside. It is a shame that some from the outside continue to judge Orrville on the past. Using what is happening now as a reason or opportunity to get negative and ugly. Fellas it is about the KIDS… PERIOD. Anyone who knows me knows I am not a trophy for every kid kind of guy but times change and we have to be smart enough to look at it without emotions.... That is our job as the ADULTS. Kids make emotional decisions all the time, we as adults are not afforded the same luxury. If a change does happen I have to think there are good people who care making these decisions and I support my town and always will...... Numbers won't change if our 7th and 8th grade teams are getting pummeled by teams three and four times our size. The root of the problem IMO is not what we see on Friday night in high school but what happens at the Jr. High and elementary levels. Should make for interesting conversation that is for sure.

rrfan;1707537 wrote:No offense oldrider but I don't care if we are below .500 in the OCC, PAC or independent it is going to suck. I would argue it will suck worse in the PAC.

I care!! But I would rather see our kids have a fighting chance in the PAC against schools our size, then get the shit knocked out of them against a school 3x's our size....especially at the middle school level!! Again...losing by 4-5 TD's to Ashland, Senior, Madison and Wooster is NOT preparing these kids for ANY sort of playoffs or tourney runs! That is NOT called scheduling up! Scheduling up is when you are independent and are FORCED to schedule up like we did for so many years because the schools our size and in our area wanted NOTHING to do with playing the RIDERS!

Now we have a little downturn and everyone says we are running from competition?? People wanted to see Orrville in a league again. So we did that...just turned out that we had about 2 options at the time. The Suburban League or the Ohio Heartland...take your pick. We chose the best fit for us at the time....AGAIN...at that time!!

The girls don't seem to have any problem playing with the OCC teams.

With 22 basketball games for boys/girls...that is 8 non-league games where we will still play some of the OCC teams that we have played for years and long before the OCC (wooster, west holmes, madison). Same can be said for volleyball. Our non-league will still be tough. Football is different only because you have just 3 non-league games. But I would think that West Holmes and Wooster would make up two of those.

Ran across my son's 1993 7th grade football roster -51 kids playing

I am going to ask you all a question...you think the numbers are down in 7th grade because they play a tough schedule? I find that complete BS. The only way those kids even know they have a tough schedule before they ever play a game is because adults are complaining that little Johnny Soft Ass has to go up against big schools. The numbers argument does not work here. I will listen to that in the HS but not the 7th grade.

The 5th and 6th graders go to the middle school with the 7th and 8th graders so they see and hear about it everyday. That may not have anything to do with it, but kids do talk/complain/cry...Not to mention when these kids go to the game on Friday nights and see our varsity team get the shit knocked out of them.

It has to be hard as a coach to continue to tell the kids "we have to lift more weights, practice harder, get tougher"...only to go out on the field and take ANOTHER ass whooping.

Old Rider;1707713 wrote:The 5th and 6th graders go to the middle school with the 7th and 8th graders so they see and hear about it everyday. That may not have anything to do with it, but kids do talk/complain/cry...Not to mention when these kids go to the game on Friday nights and see our varsity team get the shit knocked out of them.

It has to be hard as a coach to continue to tell the kids "we have to lift more weights, practice harder, get tougher"...only to go out on the field and take ANOTHER ass whooping.

Good points. I will add this to that...I don't believe those varsity kids the last two years have "lifted more weights, practice harder, or got tougher" Would that have made them undefeated no it would not but would it have won you a few more games I truly think it would have.

There were a few dedicated kids in the weight room...but not enough. Look back when we played. There were a dedicated few, a few others that dedicated themselves just during the season, and others just going through the motions. I wont name any names, but many of the great athletes from our past have been those "go through the motions" in the weight room. The difference is when the lights came on, they were ready to perform. Talent wins out!