SWBL: Preble Shawnee leaving for new affiliation

Preble Shawnee High School announced via Twitter and its school website on Tuesday it will end a longtime affiliation with the Southwestern Buckeye League and join 11 other area schools to form a new league.

No other schools were mentioned, but the Arrows likely will join departing Cross County Conference members to form a new 12-team league. Ten current CCC members (Ansonia, Arcanum, Bradford, Franklin Monroe, Mississinawa Valley, National Trail, Newton, Tri-County North, Tri-Village and Twin Valley South) all announced their intention to leave the CCC last month and form a new conference, possibly as soon as 2020.

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That continues a recent turnover trend among area conferences:

• In December 2018, the remaining members of the Greater Western Ohio Conference (Beavercreek, Centerville, Fairmont, Miamisburg, Northmont, Springboro, Springfield and Wayne) announced it will dismiss Trotwood-Madison following the 2019-20 school year.

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• In November 2018, Lebanon announced it would leave the GWOC and join an expanded Eastern Cincinnati Conference, along with Cincinnati Winton Woods and Little Miami.

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• In the fall of 2018, London and North Union joined the Central Buckeye Conference in all sports but football.

• In February 2018, 10 GWOC schools (Butler, Fairborn, Greenville, Piqua, Sidney, Stebbins, Tippecanoe, Troy, West Carrollton and Xenia) announced they would leave to form a revised Miami Valley League in the fall of 2019.

pic.twitter.com/YdFBm9Txag
— Preble Shawnee (@psarrows) March 5, 2019

• In the fall of 2017, Greenon left the CBC to join the Ohio Heritage Conference, along with West Jefferson.

• In the fall of 2016, Tippecanoe and Stebbins left the CBC to join the GWOC. Also, Madison Plains and Fairbanks joined the OHC.

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Preble Shawnee, located at Camden in Preble County, has been a SWBL member since 1984 and is in the small-school SWBL Buckeye Division. Prior to joining the SWBL, Preble Shawnee was a CCC member.

Preble Shawnee leaving would cut the SWBL to 13 teams, six in the Buckeye Division (Carlisle, Dixie, Middletown Madison, Milton-Union, Northridge and Waynesville) and seven in the Southwestern Division (Bellbrook, Brookville, Eaton, Franklin, Monroe, Oakwood and Valley View).

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The SWBL requires a one-year notice to leave.

“For now, we will continue to work with the eleven schools to create a new premier athletic conference in Western Ohio,” the statement concluded.

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