The Eagles will be joined by Ohio Christian University, Ohio State University-Mansfield, Ohio State University-Marion, Southern State Community College, Temple Baptist College, University of Cincinnati-Clermont and World Harvest Bible College.
Competition in the new league starts this fall.
“Because of the nature of the athletics, with us not being competitive with other schools due to size year after year, we decided that a smaller setting would be better for us,” Clark State Athletic Director Ronald Gordon said.
“We started contacting other schools similar in size and focus and decided to form another conference.”
The reason is local appeal.
“The idea of it all was to make it a community-based initiative, in regards to keeping our local kids here to play whatever sports they want to while focusing on getting their degree,” Gordon said. “We wanted to bring them on campus while still being competitive.
“I always looked at (competing in the old OCCAC) as Ohio State taking on Wittenberg. Wittenberg has a really good tradition, but no way could compete against a school like Ohio State.
“Every once in a while, we’d have a successful season,” he continued. “Now, our coaches’ dreams are being able to compete on a yearly basis for a conference championship.”
It has been a long process.
“We began the process in May of 2008, and we just had our first annual meeting in May of 2009,” he said. “We’re hoping to add more colleges in the future.”
This is just a first step in the right direction for the Eagles athletically. There are also talks about starting club soccer and golf next school year.
“I’m not sure we utilized our local talent to its fullest,” Gordon said. “We want to put a focus on those students and give them an opportunity to show to the community what they can do after their high school days are over.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0364 or krowe@coxohio.com.
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