SCOL approves East Clinton with 7-0 vote; Wilmington rejected by 6-1 margin
East Clinton Astros to begin South Central Ohio League play in August of 2012
Cris Hoppes Sports Editor
The South Central Ohio League Board of Control voted Thursday to accept East Clinton as the league's eighth member, and rejected a request from former member Wilmington to rejoin the league.
League commissioner Jim Winner said the board, comprised of the principals from each member school, voted 7-0 to admit East Clinton, and 6-1 against admitting Wilmington. Winner declined to say who provided the lone vote in favor of Wilmington.
"They're both good schools, both good school districts," Winner said. "It was just best for the league, the board of control felt, that we take East Clinton into the SCOL as a one-division league.
"They just did not think (Wilmington) would be a good fit right now," Winner said.
East Clinton will join the SCOL in the fall of 2012 after it fulfills its current commitment to the Southern Buckeye Conference, Winner said.
The commissioner said the league does not plan to add any other new members in the immediate future.
"I think right now, definitely for the next two years, we're going to be set with eight schools," Winner said. "We're going to get East Clinton incorporated into the league and beyond that, who knows."
The meeting took place Thursday morning at Miami Trace High School.
Miami Trace principal Jeff Spears gave his thoughts on the unanimous vote to accept East Clinton into the SCOL.
"We felt that we would like to see eight teams in the league," Spears said. "That seems to be more manageable for everything involved. That's what we've been looking for all along, an eighth team."
Spears stated that the league has hoped to expand to eight teams since Clinton-Massie became the seventh member of the league.
"We wanted a good fit," Spears said. "I think all of us feel with our vote today that East Clinton was the one school that fit everyone's needs. There might have been some schools that would have been a better fit for Miami Trace, but for every school in the league, it was the best fit.
"East Clinton's location is ideal," Spears said. "(The travel time or distance to East Clinton) is very comparable for any of the league schools. And, basically, we play them anyway."
Anytime a team joins a league, a key question is always, 'How will that team fare against its new league opponents in football?'
"Football was the big question," Spears said. "I think that was the drawback all along with East Clinton coming into the league. They play Clinton-Massie every year and Clinton-Massie seems to be the dominate team so far (since joining the league).
"The concensus was (East Clinton) was the best fit for everybody," Spears said. "And we welcome them.
"I think they'll be happy (in the SCOL)," Spears said. "We're all in it together and I think it's going to be a good thing to have eight teams."
This latest expansion would seem to be it, at least for now, according to Spears. He stated he was not a proponent of expanding the SCOL to two divisions.
"I think we're satisfied and we just want to stay with the eight-team league," Spears said. "And East Clinton's the best fit."
Washington High School principal Jeff Hodson provided his perspective on Thursday's 7-0 vote to admit East Clinton to the SCOL.
"We've been trying to get from seven to eight for a long period of time," Hodson said. "We think East Clinton is a really good fit that everyone did readily agree on.
"I think it solidifies our league," Hodson said. "Especially when you look at Madison Plains. We've discussed in the past that we want to take care of our group, the teams that came and joined a number of years ago. Some people left leagues to come in (to the SCOL). We've been very, very close. Madison Plains, being the smallest school in the league, was looking for someone more their size.
"I know Madison Plains is excited about the addition of East Clinton," Hodson said. "As we all are."
The SCOL member schools certainly are quite familiar with East Clinton.
"East Clinton plays about everybody in all the sports, anyway," Hodson said. "Except in football. I think in the long run East Clinton will be very competitive in the SCOL. They're like all of us - we have good years and bad years.
"We think it's a good addition," Hodson said. "It solidifies the league and brings us to eight teams. And East Clinton was someone that everyone readily agreed upon and said, 'Yes, this makes us happy.'"
East Clinton's board of education voted just Tuesday evening to join the SCOL. One reason the meeting to vote on and accept East Clinton into the SCOL, according to Hodson, was that East Clinton had until Sunday to inform its present league, the Southern Buckeye Academic and Athletic Conference (SBC), of its intentions relative to staying with that group or committing to the SCOL.
Now the way is clear for East Clinton to begin competing with Washington, Miami Trace, McClain, Hillsboro, London, Madison Plains and Clinton-Massie High Schools in a league format, which they will beginning in August of 2012.
Editor's note: Jeff Gilliland of the Hillsboro Times Gazette contributed to this article.
