FEDERAL LEAGUE 2 schools get offers to join circuit

Boardman and Austintown Fitch have to notify league officials by March 28.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
Boardman and Austintown Fitch took one step closer to leaving the Steel Valley Conference Wednesday when Federal League officials tendered an offer to the schools to join the Canton-based league.
Four schools voted in favor of Fitch and Boardman with one school, Uniontown Lake, abstaining. Canton McKinley also was invited to join on a 4-0-1 vote.
Massillon Washington, which formally has applied to the league, was not invited to the meeting.
Notification: Boardman and Fitch must notify Federal League officials by March 28 if they wish to join. The schools must notify the SVC by its March 19 banquet if they wish to leave in the next year.
Boardman will hold a school board meeting next Wednesday to discuss the issue, and likely will vote on whether to join, Boardman principal Louis Rucci said.
Fitch has a board meeting scheduled for March 18, but could meet earlier, Fitch athletic director Dick Kenney said.
"I would hope that if people's minds are made up by then that maybe they would schedule a special meeting," Kenney said. "I'm not implying that we're going to leave [the SVC], but if so, I'd like to have a couple days to let the dust settle before the banquet."
No decisions yet: Officials from both schools have emphasized that the decision has not yet been made.
"We're still undecided," Rucci said. "There are a lot of issues that has to be addressed, and I really don't know how the board is going to vote."
If Boardman or Fitch does vote to apply formally to the Federal League -- which they have not done yet -- they would be accepted automatically.
First meeting: Officials from North Canton Hoover, Massillon Perry, Massillon Jackson, Canton GlenOak and Lake attended Wednesday's meeting. It was the first time all parties involved have met at one time.
"The meeting was very professional," Boardman athletic director Jim Fox said. "They were well-prepared and all the concerns were addressed very favorably."
Alliance and Wooster will leave the Federal in the next two years. Lake is expected to stay in the league for at least one year after expansion to weigh its options. If Lake decides to leave, it could open the door for Massillon Washington to join.
The major factors for joining are the schools' similarity in size, and the balance of competition in both revenue and non-revenue sports.
"This is a major change for the school district, and we have to give this a lot of thought between now and Wednesday," Rucci said. "A decision like this has far-reaching effects.
"It's definitely not a done deal."
If Fitch and Boardman do vote to leave, it likely would signal the end of the SVC, something that doesn't sit well with league commissioner Mike Butch.
"Personally, I think they're making a big mistake," Butch said. "I think before they make a decision, they should poll their fans and see how they feel. I've talked to a lot of people from those schools who aren't very happy about the move."
No expansion: Butch has tried to expand the SVC over the past few years, but has been unsuccessful.
There has been rumors of Mooney and Ursuline forming an all-parochial school league with schools such as Warren JFK, St. Thomas Aquinas, Akron Hoban and others, but nothing concrete has been discussed.
Warren Harding, which likely would become an independent if the SVC breaks up, has also been active in pursuing other league opportunities. Federal League officials told Harding that it would not be considered for expansion.
If Fitch and Boardman, which are both charter members of the SVC, decide to leave, it would not be without mixed feelings.
"This is a very hard decision for us," Fox said. "We have strong ties to this area and the league has been good to us over the years."
scalzo@vindy.com