Ross, Edgewood sports teams to join Southwestern Buckeye League starting in 2023-2014
Ross has accepted an invitation for its sports teams to join the Southwestern Buckeye League (SWBL), effective for the 2023-2024 school year. Ross is currently a member of the Southwest Ohio Conference (SWOC).
Ross announced the news in a press release Tuesday afternoon.
"While members of the Southwest Ohio Conference, Ross Local School District students have flourished and the community has experienced all that is great about interscholastic sports, a testament to the past and present SWOC member schools and communities," the release said.
Ross won the All-Sports Trophy in the SWOC in 2016 and 2021. This year, they are tied for first with Harrison with just the fall season graded. The Rams won league championships in the fall in boys soccer, girls soccer and girls tennis.
"The Ross Local School District administration believes that a change in league membership is in the best interests of its students and community," the release said.
The Ross Board of Education accepted an invitation to join the SWBL on Jan. 20.
"The Ross Local School District believes that the SWBL, a league with a rich history of utilizing sports as an extension of the classroom, represents a stable and competitive space for student-athletes to grow far into the future," the release said.
Ross is not the only SWOC school set to leave the conference starting in 2023. Edgewood High School is also set to join the SWBL, athletic director Larry Cox confirmed to The Enquirer Tuesday afternoon.
The Edgewood Board of Education voted to approve to the move to the SWBL in a board meeting Monday night.
The Ross and Edgewood administrations will immediately begin formulating a timeline, divisional alignment and scheduling details with other SWBL member schools. Some of those schools include Monroe, Waynesville, Franklin and Middletown Madison.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ross, Edgewood sports teams leaving SWOC for SWBL starting in 2023
