PREP FOOTBALL Little movement on SVC expansion

The league voted to stay together in early fall.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
The Steel Valley Conference expansion project has not gone well over the past two months, and Delbert Ferguson's transfer from Ursuline to Warren Harding isn't expected to help matters.
"We weren't having a whole lot of luck anyway," Harding athletic director Paul Trina said.
Area independents were already reluctant to join the league. Ferguson's transfer will likely cause those schools to wonder if they can compete in the SVC -- or if they even want to try, Trina said.
"There's a cost to be paid with all of this," Trina said of athletic transfers. "It definitely affects our relationship with other schools."
Last September, Ursuline, Mooney and Harding voted to keep the conference together with the hope of expansion. Fitch and Boardman will leave at the end of the school year and join the Federal League. Last month, SVC commissioner Mike Butch sent letters to several area schools -- including the Youngstown City Schools, East Liverpool, Warren JFK, Campbell, Beaver Local and Steubenville.
He's gotten no response -- and he's running out of options.
"If anyone's interested, I'd love to talk to them," Butch said.
Looking ahead
Harding, meanwhile, is approaching the next two years almost as if it will be independent. A three team league doesn't appeal to Harding football coach Thom McDaniels.
"I was never in favor of keeping the SVC together [after Fitch and Boardman left]," McDaniels said. "A three team league -- that's ridiculous."
The Raiders have open enrollment, but a small portion of its transfers are athletes, Trina said. He insists the Raiders did not recruit Ferguson -- or any other athlete.
"But I can't control which kids talk to other kids or which parents talk to other parents or which boosters talk to other boosters," Trina said. "Because of the Internet, communication has increased so much."
Unlike past years, the SVC isn't requiring schools to join in every sport. Smaller schools that worry about competing in football and basketball can join in other sports.
So far, interest is lukewarm. One wonders if it will ever heat up.
scalzo@vindy.com