For decades, Galion High School was part of one of Ohio’s oldest and most stable high school sports conferences, the Northern Ohio League (NOL).
NOL foes included Bucyrus, Tiffin Columbian, Norwalk, Shelby, and others. Long standing rivalries were forged during those decades that still resonate with many fans.
A few years ago that stability was jettisoned when the local Board of Education was approached about leaving the NOL. With the departure of Galion and other teams, the League eventually folded.
Tigers sports fans are well aware of what happened next. Eventually, Galion ended up in a new-look Mid Ohio Athletic Conference (MOAC), which has had a handful of departures and arrivals.
Recently, the area high school sports scene has seen a bit of additional adjustment, fueled by the announcement by Mount Vernon that it will be moving out of the Ohio Cardinal Conference.
This news has, in turn, caused some online speculation about another round of possible league adjustments. On Saturday, that included a piece by Richland Source sports reporter Curt Conrad. In “Could a local league work? These 8 schools could make it happen” posits the creation of a Mansfield area conference that would include Galion. Various positive benefits of such an arrangement are referenced.
It’s an interesting read which you can access here.