Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference (OHSAA)

The Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference is an OHSAA athletic league whose members are located in the Ohio counties of Crawford, Delaware, Knox, Madison, Marion, Morrow, and Union. The league was established in the fall of 1990.

Current members

MOAC membership beginning in 2014, with the Red Division and Blue Division respectively coded.
School Nickname Location Colors Joined
Red Division
Buckeye Valley Barons Delaware (Troy Twp.)           1990
Fairbanks Panthers Milford Center           2013
Galion Tigers Galion           2014
Jonathan Alder Pioneers Plain City           2013
Marion Harding Presidents, Prexies Marion           2014
North Union Wildcats Richwood           1990
Pleasant Spartans Marion (Pleasant Twp.)           1990
River Valley Vikings Caledonia           1990
Blue Division
Cardington-Lincoln Pirates Cardington                1990
Centerburg Trojans Centerburg           2013
East Knox Bulldogs Howard           2014
Elgin Comets Marion (Big Island Twp,)           1990
Fredericktown Freddies Fredericktown           2013
Highland Fighting Scots Sparta                1990
Mount Gilead Indians Mount Gilead           1990
Northmor Golden Knights Galion (North Bloomfield Twp.)                1990

Former members

School Nickname Location Colors[1] Tenure Left For
Ridgedale Rockets Morral           1990-2014 N10
Upper Sandusky Rams Upper Sandusky           Fall 2014 (football only) N10

[2]

History

The MOAC was established in time for the 1990-91 school year. The divisions were created to align schools based on size, and every sport recognizes a champion for each division.

In April 2011, the league considered expanding up to six members. Four of the schools considered were from the Mid-Buckeye Conference: Centerburg, Danville, East Knox, and Fredericktown; the other two schools mentioned were Fairbanks and Marion Harding.[3]

In May 2011, the league received formal applications from seven schools. These included Centerburg, Danville, East Knox, and Fredericktown from the Mid-Buckeye Conference; Marion Harding from the Greater Buckeye Conference; Fairbanks from the Northwest Central Conference; and Jonathan Alder, which was an independent. Four invitations were extended only to Centerburg, Fredericktown, Fairbanks, and Jonathan Alder.[4] By June 2, all four schools had verbally agreed to join the league for the 2013-14 school year.[5]

On December 1, 2011, Ridgedale announced it would leave the MOAC to help form the new Northern 10 Athletic Conference in 2014 with members from the North Central Conference and the Midland Athletic League.[6]

Both Upper Sandusky and Galion were invited to join the league in early 2012 as Red Division members, with both expected to replace Ridgedale and join in 2014.[7] However, in June 2013, Upper Sandusky took advantage of an opening in the N10 and joined that league in all sports except football for 2014.[8] The Upper Sandusky Rams played football as a MOAC school for 2014 only before fully joining the N10. East Knox accepted the offer to be the eighth member of the Blue Division for 2014.[9]

On August 5, 2013, Marion Harding was extended an invitation to replace Upper Sandusky in 2015-16 pending a vote of approval from Harding's school board.[10] On August 20, 2013, the league announced Marion Harding had accepted the offer to join.[11] Eventually, Marion Harding's membership was moved up to joining during the 2014-15 school year as Upper Sandusky competed in the MOAC for football only in 2014.

When all of the new members joined by 2014, the league continued to be split into divisions of Red and Blue.[12]


In April 2015, Fairbanks announced that they would be leaving the MOAC to join the Ohio Heritage Conference, along with independent Madison Plains. [13] They plan to begin play in the 2016-2017 school year.

League champions

The MOAC supports 12 league sports for both male and female competition. This includes football, boy's and girl's basketball, boys' and girl's track & field, boy's and girl's cross country, baseball, softball, volleyball, wrestling, and golf.

League champions for each sport are recognized in both the Red Division and Blue Division, with the exception of wrestling until 2004. The MOAC also awards an all sports trophy as well.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.cdab.org/members.asp
  2. ↑ http://www.moacsports.com/MISC/home.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.marionstar.com/article/20110415/HSSPORTS/104150303/MOAC-expansion-takes-step-forward
  4. ↑ http://www.marionstar.com/article/20110521/HSSPORTS/105210302/MOAC-extends-invitation-four-schools?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Frontpage|p
  5. ↑ http://www.marionstar.com/article/20110602/HSSPORTS/110602005/Schools-verbally-agree-join-MOAC?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Frontpage|p
  6. ↑ Chandler, Joey (December 2, 2011). "North Central Conference to fold: Six NCC members to join new Northern 10 Athletic Conference". Mansfield News Journal. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  7. ↑ http://galionlive.com/2012/02/09/looks-like-galion-will-be-moac-bound/
  8. ↑ Chandler, Joey (August 28, 2014). "The birth of the Northern 10 Conference". Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  9. ↑ http://www.mountvernonnews.com/Sports/12/02/09/east-knox-could-be-part-of-moac-by-2014
  10. ↑ http://www.marionstar.com/article/20130806/SPORTS/308060007/Harding-s-league-search-may-end?nclick_check=1
  11. ↑ http://www.marionstar.com/article/20130820/HSSPORTS/308200004/Harding-officially-joins-MOAC
  12. ↑ http://www.madison-press.com/news/sports-news/jonathan-alder-joins-moac-starting-in-2013/
  13. ↑ http://mydailysentinel.com/news/sports/152859567/Fairbanks-Madison-Plains-to-join-OHC

External links