Blanchard Valley Conference
The Blanchard Valley Conference is an Ohio High School Athletic Association affiliated athletic league located in Hancock, Putnam, and Wood Counties in northwest Ohio. Its name derives from the Blanchard River, which runs through the area in which the schools are located. Findlay, which is part of the Northern Lakes League, and Cory-Rawson, which is a part of the Northwest Central Conference, are the only high schools in Hancock County that are a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association that aren't part of the BVC.
Current members
[edit]
| School | Nickname | Location | Enrollment (CB/FB 2020) | State FB Region (2020) | Colors | Tenure | Previous Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ada | Bulldogs | Ada | 112 | 7:26 | 2024- | Northwest Conference | |
| Arcadia | Redskins | Arcadia | 74 | 7:26 | 1922- | none | |
| Arlington | Red Devils | Arlington | 79 | 7:26 | 1922- | none | |
| Elmwood | Royals | Bloomdale | 162 | 5:18 | 2023- | Northern Buckeye Conference | |
| Leipsic | Vikings | Leipsic | 95 | 7:26 | 1966-2021 (fb) 1971-2021 (all) 2024- |
Northwest Conference | |
| Liberty-Benton | Eagles | Benton Ridge | 199 | 5:18 | 1922-2026 | none | |
| McComb | Panthers | McComb | 95 | 7:26 | 1922- | none | |
| Pandora-Gilboa1 | Rockets | Pandora | 65 | 7:26 | 1966- (fb) 1971- (all) |
Putnam County (Present/non-football), Northwest Conference2, UNKNOWN League3 | |
| Riverdale | Falcons | Mt. Blanchard | 134 | 6:22 | 2014- | North Central Conference | |
| Van Buren | Black Knights | Van Buren | 150 | 6:22 | 1922- | none | |
| Vanlue | Wildcats | Vanlue | 37 | Non football member | 1922- (all) 1922-2022 (fb) |
none |
- Pandora-Gilboa is also a current member of the Putnam County League.[1]
2.Charter Member 3.Need to check the league/conference name. P-G won conference title in another conference other than the BVC & NWC once.
Former members
[edit]| School | Nickname | Location | Colors | Year Joined | Previous Conference | Year Left | Conference Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cory-Rawson | Hornets | Rawson | 1950 | none | 2023 | Northwest Central | |
| Hardin Northern | Polar Bears | Dola | 1965 | Hardin County | 2014 | Northwest Central | |
| Hopewell-Loudon | Chieftains | Bascom | 2014 | Midland | 2019 | Sandusky Bay Conference | |
| Mount Blanchard | Purple Hurricanes | Mount Blanchard | 1922 | none | 1960 | Hardin County | |
| Mount Cory | Shamrocks | Mount Cory | 1922 | none | 1950 | none (consolidated into Cory-Rawson) | |
| North Baltimore | Tigers | North Baltimore | 2014-2023 | Midland Athletic League | 2023 | Northwest Central | |
| Rawson | Raiders | Rawson | 1922 | none | 1950 | none (consolidated into Cory-Rawson) | |
| Westwood | Warriors | Rudolph | unknown | 1965 | Lakeshore | 1966 | none (consolidated into Bowling Green) |
League history
[edit]The BVC's roots lie in the Hancock County League often known as the Little 9/8/7 League, which formed in 1922. Arcadia, Arlington, Liberty-Benton, McComb, Mount Blanchard, Mount Cory, Rawson, Van Buren, Vanlue were the founding members. Cory-Rawson was formed by the consolidation of Mount Cory and Rawson in 1950. The eight team lineup lasted for another decade, until Mount Blanchard (due to consolidate into Riverdale in 1962) joined the Hardin County League.
The remaining seven members decided to reorganize the league in 1965 and add other schools, giving birth to the BVC. Hardin Northern, Leipsic (football only), and Westwood signed on to make the conference a 9 member/10 football member conference. When Westwood was absorbed by the Bowling Green City School District in 1966, Pandora-Gilboa replaced them in the league for the 1966–67 school year in football only. Leipsic and Pandora-Gilboa were both members of the Putnam County League for all non-football sports at this time.
Leipsic and Pandora-Gilboa were able to work out schedules with the PCL to be able to join the BVC in all sports, while keeping membership in both conferences, in 1971.
On April 19, 2012, Ada High School of the Northwest Conference, along with Calvert, Hopewell-Loudon, and North Baltimore of the Midland Athletic League made pitches to join the BVC after answering a letter of interest made in February 2012.[1]
On May 21, 2012, the BVC extended invitations to Hopewell-Loudon and North Baltimore with the following report coming from the Findlay Courier:
By an 8-0 vote, with two abstentions, member schools of the Blanchard Valley Conference on Monday voted to approve expansion. North Baltimore and Hopewell-Loudon were formally invited to join the league. Those two schools have until July 1 to accept. Expansion would take effect for the 2014-15 school year. BVC officials still hope to add two more schools to eventually make the conference a 14-team league. Football would be split into two divisions, based on boys enrollment figures combined with a multiplier of wins over the previous four seasons. The schools would then be ranked 1-12 (or 1-14, if two more schools are added); odd-number ranked teams would make up one division and even-number ranked teams the other. There will be no North-South, East-West or straight enrollment-based split of divisions. Under a 12-team format, each football team would play the other teams in its division once, have two crossover games with the other division and an eighth conference game against a team in the same slot in the other division. Each school would have a second non-conference game on its schedule. All other sports will be in a single-division format. The two BVC members who are also part of the Putnam County League, Leipsic and Pandora-Gilboa, will remain full members of the PCL.[2]
North Baltimore accepted the BVC's invitation on June 19, 2012, and Hopewell-Loudon did the same a day later.[3] Both schools joined for the 2014–15 season.
In April 2013, BVC President Traci Conley indicated the BVC wanted to expand to 14 members and first sent an invitation to Riverdale High School.[4] Riverdale accepted the invitation on April 22, 2013,[5] which meant the BVC wanted to pursue a 14th member to join the league. Riverdale's membership in the N10 was terminated shortly thereafter,[6] and they would likely not have joined the BVC until 2015–16 at the earliest, but with Hardin Northern dropping football in 2013, Riverdale was admitted for all sports beginning in 2014.[7]
This expansion of the conference of the latest 3 schools was controversial, and charged with nickname the "Liberty-Benton Membership-Extension Addition" because it was an obvious attempt by the school to balance average school enrollment figures for Liberty-Benton to justify continuing their membership in the conference. Supporting Evidence of this nickname comes from Liberty-Benton officials commenting on spectator and media statements of the school needing to apply for a new conference because of the school is placed in Division V for football as all other schools in the conference were only in Division VII. School Officials said the school would have to look for a new conference by 2016 if the expansion didn't pass.
In May 2013, Upper Scioto Valley publicly indicated that they were interested in joining the BVC as its 14th member, since they felt that its league, the Northwest Central Conference was no longer stable.[8]
In late 2013, the NWCC extended an invitation to Hardin Northern, which also required a response by March 1, 2014.[9] After suspending Hardin Northern from league play in football from 2013 to 2015, the BVC voted 9-1 (HN the lone dissenting vote) to refuse a guarantee that Hardin Northern would return to the league for that sport.[10] This pressure caused Hardin Northern's school board to decide on February 19, 2014, to withdraw from the BVC and apply to the NWCC for membership.[11] The NWCC accepted Hardin Northern as a full member for 2014–15 on March 19, 2014, with football joining in 2015–16.[12]
In August 2017 Hopewell-Loudon announced that they would leave the BVC for the Sandusky Bay Conference in the 2019–2020 school year after being offered an invitation to replace Shelby.[13][14]
In August 2020, Elmwood High School of the Northern Buckeye Conference announced they had received a formal invitation from the BVC and were seriously looking at the opportunity.[15] Following a school board meeting on February 8, 2021, multiple sources confirmed that Elmwood had unanimously approved to leave the NBC and join the BVC for the 2023–2024 school year or sooner.[16]
At a board meeting on March 18, 2021, Cory-Rawson voted to leave the BVC for the Northwest Central Conference (NWCC) in 2023.[17]
In August 2021, North Baltimore announced that their football team would go independent beginning with the 2022 season but remain in the BVC for the rest of their sports.[18] This however, would change on Nov. 2, 2021 when North Baltimore announced they would join the NWCC fully for the 2023–24 school year.[19]
In May 2022, Liberty-Benton and the BVC announced that the Eagles would be leaving the league after the 2025–2026 school year, citing the district's student enrollment, competitive accomplishment and athletic facilities as reasons for the decision.[20] At the time of the announcement, Liberty-Benton did not indicate if they had another league they were invited to join or to consider for membership.
On December 16, 2022, the BVC Governing Board voted to remove Vanlue's football team from the conference beginning with the 2023–24 school year.[21] Vanlue intends to continue fielding an 11-man football team, but has no league affiliation yet going forward.
On April 26, 2023, the school board at Ada voted to accept the BVC's invitation to join their league.[22] No timeframe had initially been set for when the Bulldogs would switch conferences,[23] but it was reported in June 2023 that they would join the BVC for the 2024–25 school year.[24]
During a special board meeting held on Sunday, May 21, 2023, the Leipsic school board voted to rejoin the BVC. Similar to Ada, a timeframe for returning to their old league was not initially established,[25] but they are aiming to get in the same time as Ada.[26]
Enrollment
[edit]The current enrollments of the nine BVC schools.[27]
| School | Boys Enrollment 2017 | Girls Enrollment 2017 | Total Enrollment 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcadia | 65 | 81 | 146 |
| Arlington | 71 | 78 | 149 |
| Elmwood | |||
| Liberty-Benton | 140 | 149 | 289 |
| McComb | 94 | 78 | 172 |
| Pandora-Gilboa | 64 | 57 | 121 |
| Riverdale | 112 | 94 | 206 |
| Van Buren | 147 | 116 | 263 |
| Vanlue | 30 | 24 | 54 |
Football champions
[edit]| Year | Champions |
|---|---|
| 1965 | Cory-Rawson, McComb |
| 1966 | McComb |
| 1967 | McComb |
| 1968 | Cory Rawson (State Champs - unscored upon) |
| 1969 | McComb |
| 1970 | Cory-Rawson, Arlington, McComb |
| 1971 | Cory-Rawson, McComb |
| 1972 | Arlington |
| 1973 | Cory-Rawson |
| 1974 | Liberty-Benton |
| 1975 | Arlington, Leipsic |
| 1976 | Arlington |
| 1977 | LB |
| 1978 | Liberty-Benton |
| 1979 | Arlington |
| 1980 | Pandora-Gilboa, Cory-Rawson, McComb |
| 1981 | Leipsic |
| 1982 | McComb (State Champions) |
| 1983 | McComb |
| 1984 | McComb |
| 1985 | McComb |
| 1986 | Arlington, McComb |
| 1987 | Arlington |
| 1988 | Van Buren |
| 1989 | Van Buren |
| 1990 | McComb |
| 1991 | Van Buren, McComb |
| 1992 | Cory-Rawson |
| 1993 | Hardin Northern, McComb |
| 1994 | Hardin Northern, Leipsic |
| 1995 | Hardin Northern |
| 1996 | Hardin Northern |
| 1997 | Hardin Northern |
| 1998 | Pandora-Gilboa, Hardin Northern |
| 1999 | Pandora-Gilboa |
| 2000 | McComb |
| 2001 | McComb |
| 2002 | Hardin Northern |
| 2003 | Cory-Rawson, Hardin Northern |
| 2004 | Liberty-Benton |
| 2005 | Hardin Northern |
| 2006 | Liberty-Benton |
| 2007 | Liberty-Benton |
| 2008 | Liberty-Benton |
| 2009 | Leipsic |
| 2010 | McComb |
| 2011 | Leipsic |
| 2012 | McComb |
| 2013 | Liberty-Benton |
| 2014 | Blanchard: Liberty-Benton, Valley: Van Buren |
| 2015 | Blanchard:McComb, Valley: Van Buren |
| 2016 | McComb |
| 2017 | Liberty-Benton, McComb |
| 2018 | Pandora-Gilboa |
| 2019 | Liberty-Benton |
| 2020 | Liberty-Benton |
| 2021 | McComb |
| 2022 | McComb |
| 2023 | Liberty-Benton |
References
[edit]- ^ Radick, Ted (April 18, 2012). "BVC Expansion: Four schools set to make pitch to BVC". Findlay Courier. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ James, Jessica (June 21, 2012). "Hopewell-Loudon school board OKs BVC membership". Findlay Courier. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ Schmidt, Dave (April 16, 2013). "BVC President's Update On Expansion". The Senior Reports. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
- ^ Hanneman, Dave (April 23, 2013). "Riverdale School joins Blanchard Valley Conference". Findlay Courier. Archived from the original on May 19, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
- ^ "Northern 10 votes to invite Upper Sandusky to league | Daily Chief Union". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
- ^ http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2013/Aug/03/ar_sports_080313_story1.asp?d=080313_story1,2013,Aug,03&c=s[permanent dead link]
- ^ "The Senior Reports - Ohio". Archived from the original on 2013-09-04. Retrieved 2013-04-04.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "The Senior Reports - Ohio". Archived from the original on 2013-09-04. Retrieved 2013-04-04. Hardin Northern To Decide Athletic Conference Future. The Senior Reports
- ^ Radick, Ted (February 20, 2014). "Hardin Northern District ready to leave BVC". Findlay Courier. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ^ "Hardin Northern officially in NWCC". Findlay Courier. March 20, 2014. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
- ^ Cottos, Scott (August 30, 2017). "Prep Sports: Hopewell-Loudon board accepts invite to SBC". Findlay Courier. Archived from the original on November 4, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
- ^ "Hopewell-Loudon To Leave Blanchard Valley Conference For Sandusky Bay Conference". Stateline Sports Network. 2017-08-17.
- ^ Hanneman, Dave (August 18, 2020). "BVC Tenders Invitation to Elmwood". The Courier (Findlay). Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ Hanneman, Dave (February 8, 2021). "Elmwood accepts offer to join BVC". The Courier (Findlay). Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Baker, Zach (March 19, 2021). "Elmwood accepts offer to join BVC". The Courier (Findlay). Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ Staff (August 28, 2021). "North Baltimore football to leave BVC, start as independent next season". The Courier (Findlay). Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ Staff (November 3, 2021). "North Baltimore to leave BVC for NWCC". The Courier (Findlay). Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ Hanneman, Dave (May 6, 2022). "Liberty-Benton announces it's leaving BVC after '25-26". The Courier (Findlay). Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ Hanneman, Dave (December 20, 2022). "Vanlue ousted from BVC football ranks". The Courier (Findlay). Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ Staff article (April 27, 2023). "It's official: Ada Schools join Blanchard Valley Conference". AdaIcon.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ Nogueras, Joe (April 29, 2023). "Ada latest Lima area school to switch conferences". The Lima News. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ Junga, Steve (June 24, 2023). "Clock ticking for Liberty-Benton in league search". Toledo Blade. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ Hanneman, Dave (May 22, 2023). "Reports: Leipsic votes to return to BVC". Findlay Courier. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ Junga, Steve (June 24, 2023). "Clock ticking for Liberty-Benton in league search". Toledo Blade. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ Ohio High School Athletic Association. "2017-2018 and 2018-2019 OHSAA Tournament and Governance Enrollment Figures". Archived from the original on 2017-10-11. Retrieved 2017-10-10.