(6-1-23) The back door athletic conference move by the Great Lakes Conference (GLC) started this new conference when public school members pulled out of the conference to form a new conference…but left out in the cold were faith based members Elyria Catholic and Holy Name.

Elyria Catholic athletic director Jim Piazza told The Chronicle –

“It all started when the Great Lakes Conference disbanded and it left us and Holy Name without a conference.”

“I don’t know why people look at parochial or public,” Piazza said. “I guess I don’t look at things that way, I look at we’re a high school just like everyone else and we’re trying to give kids the best opportunity to become student-athletes.”

A new league consisting of faith-based parochial schools, named the North Coast Conference (NCC), was announced yesterday by charter member schools..

The NCC will begin play in the 2024-25 school year. All of the NCC schools will compete in their current conferences during the 2023-24 school year.

The charter members:

  • Lake Catholic, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, Beaumont and Padua from the Crown Conference (Crown member Walsh Jesuit was not included in the NCC)
  • Elyria Catholic and Holy Name from the Great Lakes Conference
  • Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy from the Principal’s Athletic Conference. (remaining PAC member schools Canton South, Fairless, Manchester, Northwest, Orrville Triway and Tuslaw)

In 2024 Football will be the only exception of crowning a NCC champion, the 2024 schedules have already been completed and not every school will be able to play other NCC members.. NCC all-conference honors will still be awarded.

Related:

News-Herald – North Coast Conference Announced