The Federal League is an

Ohio High School Athletic Association The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of comp ...

(OHSAA) sports conference that was established in 1964 and includes schools from Stark and

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

counties.

Current members

Former members

* Austintown-Fitch Falcons (2003–2011) *

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...

Aviators (1983–2003) * Boardman Spartans (2003–2013) * Fairless Falcons (1964–1975) * Glenwood Eagles (1964–1975) *

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

Leopards (1968–1990) * Marlington Dukes (1964–1985) * New Philadelphia Quakers (1988–1997) * Oakwood Golden Raiders (1968–1975) * Sandy Valley Cardinals (1964–1968) * Canton South Wildcats (1964–1990) * Canton Timken Trojans (1988–1995) * Wooster Generals (1988–2003)

League history

1960s

* The Federal League begins league play in 1964 with Canton South, Fairless, Glenwood, Jackson, Marlington, Perry, and Sandy Valley as charter members. * In 1968, Sandy Valley leaves the league and is replaced by Louisville, North Canton Hoover, and Oakwood.

1970s

* In 1975, Fairless leaves the league while Glenwood and Oakwood consolidate to form GlenOak.

1980s

* In 1983, Alliance joins the league. * In 1985, Marlington leaves the league. * In 1987, Lake joins the league. * In 1988, New Philadelphia, Canton Timken, and Wooster join the league, prompting the league to split into an American Division and a National Division:

1990s

* In 1990, Canton South and Louisville leave for the Northeastern Buckeye Conference (NBC), which causes the divisional format to be dropped. * In 1995, Timken leaves the league. * In 1997, New Philadelphia leaves for the East Central Ohio League.

2000s

* In 2003, Alliance and Wooster leave for the Metro Athletic Conference and the newly formed Ohio Cardinal Conference, respectively. Alliance would move again to the NBC in 2005. * At the same time, Austintown-Fitch, Boardman, and Canton McKinley join in all sports except for football, which they would fully join in the following school year.

2010s

* In 2011, Austintown-Fitch left the Federal League for the All-American Conference for all sports except football. They had hoped to remain a football-only member of the Federal League, but that did not work out. They replaced Salem, who left for the NBC. * In 2013, Boardman announced that they are looking to leave for the All-American Conference. * In 2013, Green announced that they would join the Federal League for 2015–16. * In February 2017, former member Louisville's school board submitted a letter of interest to the Federal League, then withdrew it shortly after. However, in March 2017 they renewed their recommendation that they seek membership in the Federal League after it became evident that it would be difficult for Louisville to schedule sporting events as a league independent. Louisville's league at the time, the Northeastern Buckeye Conference, folded after the 2017–2018 school year, which left the Leopards without a league home.Recommendation to join Federal League renewed. ''CantonRep.com'' Accessed July 24, 2017
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League champions

Other Sports

The Federal League in Ohio is also home to a wide range of competitive high school sports beyond football. In

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, Jackson High School has consistently fielded strong boys’ and girls’ teams, including state tournament appearances and district titles. Hoover has also maintained a tradition of basketball excellence, with a particularly notable girls’ program that has made several deep postseason runs.

Wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

is another sport where the Federal League thrives, with Perry High School recognized as a regional powerhouse. Perry’s wrestling program has produced state champions and frequently contends for top finishes at state tournaments. Meanwhile, former league member Austintown Fitch did have a strong tradition in wrestling and

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

, often sending athletes to the state level. GlenOak and Lake have also built solid wrestling programs, contributing to the league’s reputation as a tough conference for grapplers.

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

and

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

are also prominent in the league, with Green and Boardman consistently producing competitive teams. Hoover’s softball team is among the elite in the state, boasting multiple state championships and playoff appearances. Jackson’s baseball program is traditionally strong, developing several players who have moved on to play at the collegiate and professional levels. These programs are supported by strong feeder systems and year-round athlete development. In addition to traditional team sports, the Federal League is known for its success in swimming, tennis, and cross country. Lake High School along with Jackson have a solid reputation in Boys and Girls cross country and track events, regularly qualifying individuals and relay teams for state competition. GlenOak’s tennis and swim teams have shown steady improvement and often compete strongly within the league. Green also feature strong cross country squads, with several runners placing highly in regional meets, same could be said about former league member Boardman. This athletic diversity highlights the depth and competitiveness of the Federal League across multiple disciplines.

References

The Federal League Football History
{{Northeast Ohio High School Athletic Conferences Ohio high school sports conferences