(2-13-26) Eight high schools in Northeast Ohio announced on Friday they will form a new athletic league, yet to be named, set to begin competition in the 2028-29 school year.

The move will bring together programs currently spread across three conferences.

  • Minerva, Carrollton and Marlington have competed in the Eastern Buckeye Conference
  • Sandy Valley, Tuscarawas Valley and Claymont are members of the Inter-Valley Conference
  • Fairless and Tuslaw currently compete in the Principals Athletic Conference’s seven-team division (PAC-7).

The schools said the league will unite long-established programs that share geographic proximity and decades of competitive history, many of them tracing their rivalries back to the former Senate League.

In a statement by league officials-

“These schools are bound by more than geography. We share longstanding rivalries and a commitment to providing competitive, student-centered athletic and scholastic opportunities.”

“Our goal is stability,” the superintendents said. “Stability for our students, our coaches, our communities, and our athletic programs. The conference is built to last.”

The new conference is scheduled to begin play in the fall of 2028, giving member schools two full academic years to complete existing league commitments and finalize scheduling transitions.

All of the founding members previously competed in the former Senate League and have faced each other for years.,

Press release—