Fitch leaving SVC, votes to join Federal

The Austintown school board voted unanimously to join the new league in 2003.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- The future of Fitch High athletics changed Tuesday night and it only took 30 seconds.
As expected, the Austintown Board of Education voted unanimously (5-0) to leave the Steel Valley Conference and join the Federal League beginning in the fall of 2003.
"It's always hard to say goodbye," Superintendent Richard Denamen said. "We feel we've done what's best for our students and our community."
No one at the meeting spoke out against the move and the board received little feedback from the community.
"I've only heard from one guy and he was wondering if we would make money or lose money," board member Kenneth Jakubec said. "We don't know yet. We'll have to see."
Concerns: The main complaint concerns increased travel time and expenses, but Fitch already travels regularly, Denamen said.
"In the last year we've gone to Painesville, Erie [Pa.], Ashtabula, West Virginia," he said. "It's really not that different."
The board relied heavily on the recommendation of athletic director Dick Kenney, Fitch High principal Doug McGlynn and Denamen.
"I don't think it's any secret that we took their recommendation," board president Brad Gessner said. "I think if the decision wasn't right or wasn't good, we would have heard more negative feedback."
The board was scheduled to meet next Monday but called a special session to vote on the move. Fitch must tell the SVC of its plans by next Tuesday and the Federal by March 28.
Boardman votes tonight: The Boardman Board of Education will meet tonight to vote on the move.
Fitch and Boardman were charter members of the SVC, which has also had Hubbard, Girard, Niles, Howland, Brookfield and Struthers over the past 50 years.
The league will continue regular competition through next school year and likely will dissolve in 2003.
Canton McKinley also is expected to join the Federal, which consists of Massillon Jackson, Massillon Perry, Canton GlenOak, North Canton Hoover and Uniontown Lake.
All the schools compete in Division I in football except Lake, which is Div. II. Lake is Div. I in most sports.
Alliance and Wooster will leave Federal League in the next year. Alliance will join the Metro Athletic Conference.
"Top to bottom, this will probably be the best league in the state," Jakubec said. "We're used to playing these teams already and I think rivalries will continue to develop. I'm really excited about it."
All sports conference: The schools were invited based on their strength in all sports, Federal League president Joe Larson said.
"We're very familiar," said Larson, the superintendent at Jackson. "We're already playing them and they're familiar with the facilities and the personnel are a good mix."
Fitch has only voted to join the Federal for the 2003 school year but is expected to remain in the league for many years.
"There are a lot of schools that have moved on over the years," Jakubec said. "It's worth a try."
Massillon Washington also expressed interest in the league, but was not invited to join. McKinley, Boardman and Fitch have been in discussion with the league for much longer than Massillon, Larson said.
"We're meeting with Massillon in April and we'll give them due diligence," he said. "We'll see where it goes."
scalzo@vindy.com