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Lakewood to leave Northeast Ohio Conference

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July 14, 2010

by Michael Leonard

Sports Editor

Having just completed its third full school year of existence, the Northeast Ohio Conference appears headed for another change.

Lakewood will leave the NOC, league commissioner Dan Gerome confirmed July 7, noting the Rangers will remain in the conference until the end of the 2011-2012 school year.

According to Lakewood athletic director Bob Thayer, Lakewood plans to join the West Shore Conference staring with the 2011-12 school year. He said the Rangers have been looking into such a move for at least a year.

Gerome said he opened the NOC to find an new memeber beginning in 2012. As of July 7, Barberton was the only school that had inquired about joining, he said.

Barberton athletic director Jay Glaze was unaviable for comment.

Conference rules dictate that any school wishing to leave must give two years' notice before doing so. Gerome said Lakewood submitted notice they planned to leave July 3.

Gerome -- who was a former long-time athletic director at Lakewood -- said the Lakewood move was "not a surprise."

"Basically, they said travel and the lake of rivalries was their main issue," Gerome said.

In the 2011-2012 school year, the NOC includes Brush, Brunswick, Cuyahoga Falls, Elyria, Garfield Heights, Hudson, Lakewood, Mayfield. Medina, Nordonia, Normandy, North Royalton, Parma Senior, Solon, Stow-Munroe Falls, Strongsville, Twinsburg and Valley Forge. The schools closest to Lakewood in the NOC were the three Parma-based schools.

"We have great respect for the NOC," Thayer said. "Being a geographical fringe team, the travel was just horrendous for us, both for the district and for our parents and fans.

"In the NOC, we just never saw the potential rivals," Thayer said. "We have great respect for the NOC. Competition had very little to do with this decision. We just think that playing schools like Rocky River, Bay Village and Avon will be better for us."

Heading into the 2010-11 school year, the WSC includes Avon, Bay, Fairview, Oberline Firelands, Grafton Midview, North Ridgeville, Rocky River and Vermillion. Fairview and Firelands will leave for the Patriot Athletic Conference after this school year, while Elyria Catholic will join after this school year.

Stow-Munroe Falls athletic director Cyle Feldman said he hadn't heard previously that Lakewood planned on leaving.

"It's just a big conference so I know it's hard to keep everyone happy," Feldman said. "It's a long way to travel for us. I know a lot of schools are in financial trouble at this point. It puts a pretty big burden on schools to travel like that."

After attempting join the Suburban League last summer with Cuyahoga Falls and Hudson, Feldman said Stow "just going with the flow at this point."

The 2010-11 school year will also be the last for Nordonia in the NOC, as the Knights will switch to the Suburban League next summer.

The NOC has invited Mentor to fill that hole, and the Cardinals will join the conference from the Lake Erie League after next summer.

Much like Thayer, Nordonia athletic director Rob Eckenrode had nothing but positives to say about the NOC.

"I think the NOC will be fine going forward," Eckenrode said. "If there are 17 schools that are committed to the future, they will have a strong league. I wish the league all the luck in the world."

E-mail: mleonard@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3113




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