The Metro Athletic Conference is an association of eight high schools and their associated

middle Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek (d ...

/ junior high schools located in the northeast region of the U.S. state of Ohio. Four member schools are in Summit County, three are in Portage County, and one in Medina County. The league was formed in 2019 and began competition in 2020, comprising all eight members of the former Portage Trail Conference Metro Division. The initial opening of conference play for many sports was put in jeopardy from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with golf being the only sport to begin interscholastic at the outset in early August 2020. Later in August, it was announced by Ohio Governor

Mike DeWine Richard Michael DeWine (; born January 5, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 70th and current governor of Ohio. A member of the Republican Party, DeWine began his career as a prosecutor before being elected to the O ...

that all sports were allowed to compete under special guidelines outlined by the

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 compe ...

(OHSAA).

Current members

History

A previous Metro Athletic Conference existed primarily in Mahoning,

Trumbull Trumbull may refer to: Places United States * Trumbull County, Ohio ** Trumbull Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio * Trumbull, Connecticut * Trumbull, Nebraska * Fort Trumbull, Connecticut * Mount Trumbull Wilderness in Arizona People Surname * ...

, and Columbiana Counties until 2014. It was founded in 1972 as the Mahoning Valley Conference and renamed Metro Athletic Conference in 1994. The conference merged with the Trumbull Athletic Conference in 2014 and formed the

All-American Conference The All-American Conference is an Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA)-sanctioned league created in 2008 from the merger of the Trumbull Athletic Conference and Metro Athletic Conference (formerly the Mahoning Valley Conference). 17 spor ...

. The current Metro Athletic Conference was established in April 2019 after the superintendents of all eight school districts that made up the Portage Trail Conference (PTC) Metro Division voted to move forward with establishing a new league separate from the PTC to begin play in August 2020. Reasons given for leaving the PTC included concerns over officiating, scheduling, and league operations, along with the desire for a third-party commissioner and more educational opportunities. The name had been chosen by the time the split from the PTC was made official in June 2019.

Inaugural season

Interscholastic competition began in August 2020 with golf, but the COVID-19 pandemic put several other sports in jeopardy. Ohio Governor

announced on Tuesday, August 18, that all sports, including contact sports, may proceed with the plans laid out by the

. For football this would mean one inter-school scrimmage followed by a modified 6-game regular season with every team qualifying for the state playoffs. For the Metro Athletic this would mean that each team would play every other school in football except one in 2020.

Conference champions

References

External links

* {{Northeast Ohio High School Athletic Conferences Ohio high school sports conferences