Conneaut, Edgewood, Geneva, Jefferson, Lakeside, Madison.
That made for a good football conference. There’s natural rivalries. There’s more of an “all-county” feel, like the old days.
But with the additions of Chardon, North, South and Fairport Harding to the Chagrin Valley Conference, that forced some shifting of the divisions.
So now Lakeside and Madison are in the Lake Division with North, South, Harvey, Chardon and Lutheran West; Geneva, Edgewood and Jefferson will comprise the Chagrin with Hawken, West Geauga, Perry and Orange and Conneaut is in the Valley with Chagrin Falls, Berkshire, Kirtland, Fairview, Crestwood and Rootstown.
The Metro Division will consist of Wickliffe, Brooklyn, Trinity, Beachwood, Cuyahoga Heights, Independence and Fairport.
That’s a lot to unpack.
Conference realignment is the rage of football at the collegiate and high school level.
Who would have thought Oregon, Washington, Southern California and UCLA would be in the Big Ten? By the way, there’s 18 teams in the Big Ten, so when is the name going to change?
Who would have thought Stanford and Cal would be in the Atlantic Coast Conference?
Who would have thought Arizona and Arizona State would be in the same conference as Cincinnati?
According to the Chagrin Valley Conference office, “the CVC utilizes an objective, bylaw-driven formula to determine divisional alignment for high school football.
“As approved through the Conference bylaw amendment adopted in November 2025, divisional alignment is based on the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Competitive Balance calculations.”
The CVC used Spring 2024 OHSAA competitive balance numbers for the 2026 football season, according to the release. In subsequent seasons, divisional alignment will be on a two-year rotation. The Spring 2026 OHSAA Competitive Balance numbers will be used for review and adjustments, for implementation beginning with the 2027 football season, according to the release.
“The bylaws also provide flexibility for schools that wish to compete at a higher level. A team assigned to a smaller division may request to move to a larger one,” according to the release. “If a vacancy exists in a lower division, the opportunity to move down will first be offered to the team with the lowest Competitive Balance number in the higher division. If that school declines, the opportunity will be offered to the team with the next lowest Competitive Balance number, and the process will continue until a team accepts. If no school volunteers to move down after the process has been completed throughout the division, all teams will remain in their current divisional alignments.
“This process ensures that football divisional alignment is determined through a transparent, objective, and consistent methodology based on the OHSAA Competitive Balance system while providing schools with limited flexibility when appropriate.”
That may seem like a long-winded explanation of what’s going on, and quite frankly, fans may not care about the reasons.
The conference dilemma can be argued and debated. There’s pros and cons to each side.
But it’s here to stay.
Rivalries can still exist through non-conference games, while also playing against different teams from across the Cleveland area.
Will it return to the ‘old days’? Likely not, as change happens every day in life.
Rivalries are a good thing, but they’re not the only thing.
Michael Greco can be reached at mgreco@starbeacon.com.