The other site is linking the Big Red as another potential member to the expanding ECOL. They would join the "upper" half:
Zanesville
New Philadelphia
Marietta
Cambridge
Dover
Steubenville

the other division is:
River View
Claymont
Meadowbrook
Coshocton
Zanesville Rosecrans
???

Has anyone here heard this? Big Red fits as far as size and location go, but I would be shocked to see them enter a league for football that would require them to play 2-3 road games per year. Probably would cost them 1 game per year at Harding Stadium. The addition of Steubenville would easily make this the premier conference in the Eastern District for all sports (which I would argue it already is) and probably put it as one of the tops in the state when taking school size into account. Thoughts?

They sent a letter asking to join the ECOL. As far as I know, there's no way this would ever happen. Dead issue I think.

visionquest wrote: They sent a letter asking to join the ECOL. As far as I know, there's no way this would ever happen. Dead issue I think.

Dead issue? What do you mean............they applied and my understanding is the member schools would love to have them.

hshoops wrote: Dead issue? What do you mean............they applied and my understanding is the member schools would love to have them.

You're funny.

Wooball wrote: The other site is linking the Big Red as another potential member to the expanding ECOL. They would join the "upper" half:
Zanesville
New Philadelphia
Marietta
Cambridge
Dover
Steubenville

the other division is:
River View
Claymont
Meadowbrook
Coshocton
Zanesville Rosecrans
???

Has anyone here heard this? Big Red fits as far as size and location go, but I would be shocked to see them enter a league for football that would require them to play 2-3 road games per year. Probably would cost them 1 game per year at Harding Stadium. The addition of Steubenville would easily make this the premier conference in the Eastern District for all sports (which I would argue it already is) and probably put it as one of the tops in the state when taking school size into account. Thoughts?

Let's hope this does not happen. It may compromise our(Massillon) contract with them(Steubenville).

There may be some steam to this story because I was told today by a fellow fan and booster that the other team looking to join the lower tier is Steubenville Catholic Central. Personally, I would not want to see CCHS join this league, besides Rosecrans, we have no business playing that far up in class anymore.

There is a really good probability that Steubenville will become the 11th member of the East Central Ohio League. I'm hearing Indian Valley or Steubenville Catholic Central as the 12th team. And that will be the cutoff number for teams.

I hope Big Red does get into the league!

I remain skeptical. I cant see Big Red giving away 3 to 4 home games a year. I hope I am wrong. Good move for the ECOL, IMO. Funny that Steubenville would consider a league where their fans contstantly label as "weak".

ferflog wrote: There is a really good probability that Steubenville will become the 11th member of the East Central Ohio League. I'm hearing Indian Valley or Steubenville Catholic Central as the 12th team. And that will be the cutoff number for teams.

Indian Valley would be crazy not to get back into this league, but I believe they are still a bit irritated that the ECOL didn't expand when they wanted to do this a few years ago. Big Red will add alot of credibility to football in the ECOL, but if Big Red and IV come into the league, this will be a great DII/DIII baseball conference.

I still say Reno and Fred would not have let this rumor get started unless joining the league was a done deal.

I don't want to see it happen. First, it would be terrible for the non-football sports. I just can't see the two basketball teams and the girls' volleyball team making these long drives on school nights. Even if they scheduled Zanesville and Marietta on weekends, the other schools are not exactly next door. And travelling at night in the winter is not a good idea. Big Red learned that lesson back in the late 1960's when we were in a basketball league with Massillon, Canton McKinley, East Liverpool, Salem, Warren Harding, Niles, and Alliance. One school night, Big Red had to travel to Warren in a blizzard. The bus got stuck and the team never made it for the game. I don't think the kids got home until well past midnight. Big Red dropped out of that league shortly thereafter.

The other reason I don't like it is because of football. Yes, Fred and Reno have had to struggle every year to put a schedule together, but they always do. And some of the matchups are pretty good. We played Massillon last year when they made it to the state semifinals. We beat Woodland Hills when they were the WPIAL AAAA champs. We beat St. Joe's in 2005 when they were the New York poll state champions. We snapped O'Hara's 26-game winning streak in 2007. We pulled off a miracle in 2007 to beat Canton CC in the final second. We gave Wheeling Park their only regular season loss in 2008. We beat Buchtel in 2005 when they made it to the state semifinals (where we beat them again). The list goes on and on. I think Dover is the only team in the ECOL that would give us a competitive game most years. And we know the conference is weak, because New Philly went 9-1 in it last year and failed to make the playoffs.

I hope I'm wrong about this being a done deal. I just don't want us to be in this.

The main reason New Philadelphia did not make the playoffs had very little to do with the league being weak. They lost to Dover, the best team in the league, granted. But they beat Coshocton, who, I believe, lost in the D-IV State Semifinals.

The two major reasons that New Philadelphia did not make the playoffs were: 1) they are the biggest school in the league (D-II), where all of the other schools were D-III or D-IV at that time;, and 2) their non-league opponents all had terrible years.

That is why Athletic Director Tom Farbizo had already begun negotiations with Steubenville for a game prior to Big Red's initial overtures to the ECOL. New Philadelphia is looking to beef up their non-league schedule.

Fairwood:

Nowadays, with National Weather Service radar, etc., that trip to Warren would have never been made.

I'm curious to know what will happen if Big Red and Central both join the ECOL. I'm sure we would play each other at least occasionally. How would they divide up the stadium? I don't think Big Red people would want to divide the main section in half like we did in the past. I don't know how Central people would take it if we made them sit on the visitors' side, even though there is certainly nothing wrong with it. And what if it was Central's home game? I don't think there would be any amicable way to settle this issue. Feathers would fly!

ferflog wrote: Fairwood:

Nowadays, with National Weather Service radar, etc., that trip to Warren would have never been made.

How many trips were not made this year?

FairwoodKing wrote: One school night, Big Red had to travel to Warren in a blizzard.

Nowadays they postpone a game at the slightest hint of a big storm. That's nothing to worry about.

FairwoodKing wrote: I think Dover is the only team in the ECOL that would give us a competitive game most years.

Don't count Zanesville out of the equation. I'd bet they'll be consistently more competitive than Dover will be.

FairwoodKing wrote: I think Dover is the only team in the ECOL that would give us a competitive game most years.

I think Dover, Zanesville and New Phila and some years Cambridge will give Big Red just as good if not better games than East Liverpool, Indian Creek, Wheeling Park, Brooke, Canton Central and others have given them. Also, to me these teams are natural district rivals that should provide some entertaining games in all sports. Plus, with there only being 6 teams in their half of the conference, that would still leave 5 open dates to play your out of state schedule, or your Watterson, Ursuline, WGH, Mooney, etc.

Dover better hope that the Big Red do not join the ECOL, if so it will be the last of their conference titles.

You guys are all crazy. Big Red WILL NOT be in the ECOL.

visionquest wrote: You guys are all crazy. Big Red WILL NOT be in the ECOL.

I hope you're right. But what makes you so sure?

I have been told it is a done deal

It is not going to happen as of right now.....it is a real outside shot. Don't expect them to join.

Naturally I will be there if it does happen, but I really hope it doesn't.

ManO'War wrote: Naturally I will be there if it does happen, but I really hope it doesn't.

I think it is safe to say that we will all support Reno and Fred if they make this move, but I don't want it to happen, either.

I'm not even convinced that joining the ECOL would make scheduling easier. Yes, we would automatically have six games scheduled for us, but the remaining four games would be difficult. In order to play seven home games every year, the four OOC games would have to be teams like Buchtel and St. Joe's who are willing to come to Steubenville every year. That would also mean dropping teams like Massillon and Ursuline. I would rather see us play Massillon than Cambridge.

I wonder when an announcement is going to be made.