North Coast League
| North Coast League | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Data | |
| Classification | OHSAA Division II, III, and IV |
| Established | 1984 |
| Members | 14 |
| Sports fielded | 10 boys and 9 girls |
| State Championships | 49 |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Midwest |
| States | 1 - Ohio |
The North Coast League (NCL) is a high school athletic conference for Catholic schools in Greater Cleveland, Ohio.
Current members
The NCL is currently made up of 12 schools across 6 counties in northeast Ohio. The schools are separated into two divisions, based on their enrollment. The Blue Division consists of larger schools, while the White Division is made up of smaller schools. Two additional schools will be joining the NCL in July 2018.
Blue Division (larger schools)
| School | Nickname | Location | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop Hoban High School | Knights | Akron, Summit County | Navy Blue & Old Gold |
| Beaumont SchoolA | Bluestreaks | Cleveland Hts., Cuyahoga County | Blue & Gold |
| Benedictine High SchoolA | Bengals | Cleveland, Cuyahoga County | Columbia Blue & White |
| Lake Catholic High School | Cougars | Mentor, Lake County | Forest Green & Gray |
| Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin High School | Lions | Chardon, Geauga County | Blue & Gold |
| Padua Franciscan High School | Bruins | Parma, Cuyahoga County | Brown & White |
| Walsh Jesuit High School | Warriors | Cuyahoga Falls, Summit County | Maroon & Gold |
A Beaumont (all girls) and Benedicine (all boys) compete as a tandem.
White Division (smaller schools)
| School | Nickname | Location | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Central Catholic High School | Ironmen | Cleveland, Cuyahoga County | Navy Blue & Red |
| Gilmour Academy | Lancers | Gates Mills, Cuyahoga County | Blue & Gray |
| John F. Kennedy High School | Eagles | Warren, Trumbull County | Navy Blue & White |
| St. Joseph AcademyA | Jaguars | Cleveland, Cuyahoga County | Purple & Gold |
| St. Thomas Aquinas High School | Knights | Louisville, Stark County | Black & Gold |
| Trinity High School | Trojans | Garfield Heights, Cuyahoga County | Blue & White |
| Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School | Vikings | Cleveland, Cuyahoga County | Red & Columbia Blue |
A for girls' sports only
Former members
| School | Nickname | Location | Colors | Left | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elyria Catholic High School | Panthers | Elyria, Lorain County | Green & White |
2011 | Great Lakes Conference |
| Holy Name High School | Green Wave | Parma Hts., Cuyahoga County | Green & White |
2015 | Great Lakes Conference |
| St. Peter Chanel High School | Firebirds | Bedford, Cuyahoga County | Red & Black |
2013 | School closed |
| Valley Christian School | Eagles | Youngstown, Mahoning County | Blue & Bright Gold |
2017 | Portage Trail Conference |
Membership timeline
Full members Boys sports only Girls sports only
State championships
This chart only includes state championships won by the schools while in the North Coast League.
| School | Sport | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Archbishop Hoban | Football Girls Soccer |
2015, 2016, 2017 2015 |
| Beaumont School | Volleyball | 2012 |
| Benedictine | Football | 2014 |
| Cleveland Central Catholic | Boys Basketball Girls Basketball |
2009 2007 |
| Elyria Catholic | Girls Tennis | 2006 |
| Holy Name | Girls Soccer | 2006 |
| John F. Kennedy | Football | 2016 |
| Lake Catholic | Football Wrestling Volleyball |
1991, 1992, 2001 1989 2010 |
| NDCL | Baseball Golf Volleyball |
2001, 2009 2000, 2009 2014, 2015 |
| Padua Franciscan | Ice Hockey Volleyball |
1986, 1989, 2006 2008, 2009, 2013 |
| St. Peter Chanel | Boys Basketball Football Wrestling |
1999 2001 1986, 1987, 1988, 2011 |
| St. Thomas Aquinas | Girls Cross Country Boys Track and Field Girls Track and Field |
2015 2016 2015, 2016 |
| Trinity | Girls Basketball Cheerleading Boys Track & Field |
1990, 1994, 1996 2013 2009 |
| VASJ | Boys Basketball Cheerleading Volleyball |
2013, 2015, 2017 2006, 2010, 2014 2005 |
Scheduling
Football
During the season, every school must play five league games, one against every other school in its own division. They are generally played the final five weeks of the season. Schools are also allowed to schedule schools in the other division, however these games are considered independent and do not count in NCL standings. Prior to 2011, each school played an additional school in the other division in a "crossover" game. The crossover opponents rotated on two-year stints.
In 2013 only, the White Division only had five schools, as Chanel closed in July 2013 and St. Thomas Aquinas did not play a NCL football schedule until 2014. The schools in the White Division only played four league games that year. This will occur again for the 2017 season, after Valley Christian leaves the NCL for the Portage Trail Conference. Gilmour Academy will join the White Division in 2018.
Other sports
In other sports, such as basketball and volleyball, where more games are played during the season, each school must play 10 games against NCL opponents. Every school plays every other school in its division twice (once home, once away) Schools are also allowed to schedule schools in the other division, however these games are considered independent and do not count in NCL standings. Prior to the 2011 expansion, schools played 13 games: a home-and-away series against division opponents and a single game against inter-division foes.
In other sports such as track and swimming where schools have "meets" instead of individual games, there is one NCL meet for all schools in the league. For ice hockey a tournament is played in December to determine the conference champion as teams do not play an NCL schedule during the regular season.