Avon Will Join Southwestern Conference in 2015-16

UPDATED 2 p.m.

The Southwestern Conference has voted to accept Avon Local Schools as a full conference member beginning with the 2015-2016 school year.

 “The quality of Avon’s academic, athletic, extra-curricular and co-curricular programs and facilities provides a fitting match with the other member schools of the Southwestern Conference,” Michael McCarthy, Commissioner of the Southwestern Conference, said Dec. 20.

Current Southwestern Conference schools include Avon Lake, Westlake, Brecksville-Broadview Heights, North Olmsted, Berea (two high schools), Olmsted Falls and Amherst-Steele.

Avon currently plays in the West Shore Conference, which includes Bay High School, Elyria Catholic, Lakewood, Amherst Steele, Midview, North Ridgeville and Vermilion.

This past season both the football team ad girls tennis team three-peated as WSC Conference champions. Earlier this year, the Eagles boys’ track and field team and the wrestling team captured West Shore Conference Championships.

And the Eagles have bested the Shoremen on more than one opening-day non-conference football games.

McCarthy expects that Avon will be a competitive force in the conference.

"They've had good success in recent years," McCarthy said. "They have a number of other sports where they've done well. It's a large division school and size-wise they should match up well."

Avon Athletic Director Erich Frombach said it was a "very, very good move."

"I had innput, we discussed it, the Board of Education, Prinipcal, coaches," Frombach daid. "It's a really good thing. The  confrence we're joining is realy in line with our enrollment size and sports we offer. Not just varisty, but JV as well.

"It’s exciting and exciting for the people in community."

He noted that this year's freshman class is the largest Avon, which is continuing to grow, has had.

Frombach said it wasn't ususual for teams to meet up with other teams in the WSC in the playoffs. Avon competes in Division I, except for football, where it plays at Division II.

"We already play most of those schools," he said. "I expect we’ll make a conscious effort to play them more. We have good releationships with those schools"

Berea High School will combine with Midpark High School in the 2013-2014 school year to become Berea-Midpark High School, which has provided the conference the ability to add Avon Local Schools.

Check back for comments from the Avon Local School District.