Eight high schools across Carroll, Stark and Tuscarawas counties announced Friday they will form a new interscholastic athletic league set to begin competition in the 2028-29 school year.
Carrollton, Minerva, Marlington, Sandy Valley, Tuscarawas Valley, Claymont, Fairless and Tuslaw will make up the new conference, according to a joint press release issued by the districts.
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.
“These schools are bound by more than geography,” representatives of the founding superintendents said in a statement. “We share longstanding rivalries and a commitment to providing competitive, student-centered athletic and scholastic opportunities.”
The move will bring together programs currently spread across three conferences.
Minerva, Carrollton and Marlington have competed in the Eastern Buckeye Conference since the league’s inception in 2018. Sandy Valley, Tuscarawas Valley and Claymont are members of the Inter-Valley Conference, while Fairless and Tuslaw currently compete in the Principals Athletic Conference’s seven-team division (PAC-7).
All eight founding schools informed their current leagues Friday of their intent to withdraw, according to the release. 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 one another for generations, helping shape high school athletics in Northeast Ohio. The districts said the new conference is rooted in that shared history of regional competition and community support.
Officials said the league was formed with competitive balance in mind, noting that member schools compete at similar levels across sports. That alignment is expected to improve scheduling consistency and strengthen postseason preparation.
“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.”
Additional details regarding league bylaws, divisional structure, scheduling formats and the hiring of a conference commissioner will be announced at a later date.
School leaders described the new league as an opportunity to strengthen traditional rivalries while providing long-term structure and stability for student-athletes and the communities they represent.
