The Eastern Buckeye Conference is an OHSAA athletic league that began competition in the 2018–19 school year and is made up of member schools from Carroll, Columbiana, Mahoning, and Stark Counties in Ohio. This conference is made up of members of the former Northeastern Buckeye Conference.

Members

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Member Schools since 2018
School Nickname Location Colors Tenure Notes
Alliance Aviators Alliance Red, Columbia Blue
   
2018-
Carrollton Warriors Carrollton Black, White
   
2018-
Marlington Dukes Lexington Orange, Black
   
2018-
Minerva Lions Minerva Crimson, Gray
   
2018-
Salem Quakers Salem Red, Black
   
2018-
West Branch Warriors Beloit Green, White
   
2018-

Former Members

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School Nickname Location Colors Tenure Notes
Canton South Wildcats Canton Red and Gray

   

2018-2022 Left for Principals Athletic Conference

Future Members

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School Nickname Location Colors Year Joining Notes
Howland Tigers Howland Orange, Black
   
2026 Joining for football only in 2026.

History

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In December 2015, discussions began between members of the Northeastern Buckeye Conference to create a new league that didn't include member school Louisville.[1] February 2016, the Northeastern Buckeye Conference disbanded, the other members in the league at the time (Alliance, Canton South, Carrollton, Marlington, Minerva, Salem, and West Branch) voted to form the Eastern Buckeye Conference that would begin play in the fall of 2018. Other nearby schools were invited to join the league such as Crestview, East Liverpool, and Beaver Local. Those schools would decline their invitations, joining other conferences instead.[2] South Range had originally accepted their invitation to become the leagues eighth member but retracted its invitation and instead joined the newly formed Northeast 8 Conference.[3]

In July 2020, Canton South announced that they had accepted an invitation to the Principals Athletic Conference and would be leaving following the 2021-22 school year.[4]

In May 2024, Howland announced they would be joining the Eastern Buckeye Conference for football only starting the 2026 season, after years of being an independent school.[5]

Conference Championships

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List of Conference Champions since 2018.

Year Football Volleyball Girls Basketball Boys Basketball Baseball Softball
2025-26 West Branch Marlington
2024-25 West Branch Marlington West Branch Carrollton/Alliance Carrollton West Branch
2023-24 West Branch Marlington West Branch West Branch Alliance Marlington
2022-23 West Branch Marlington Marlington/Salem Carrollton/Alliance Alliance Marlington
2021-22 West Branch Marlington Marlington Alliance Marlington Marlington
2020-21 West Branch Marlington Marlington West Branch/Canton South/Salem Salem West Branch
2019-20 Alliance Marlington West Branch West Branch NO SEASON- COVID NO SEASON - COVID
2018-19 Alliance Salem/Marlington Salem/Canton South Alliance Marlington

References

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  1. ^ "Northeastern Buckeye Conference could disband to oust Louisville". IndeOnline.com. December 12, 2015. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  2. ^ ""Eastern Buckeye Conference to go with 7 schools for now"". Alliance Review. June 6, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  3. ^ ""South Range joins new Northeast 8, leaving the Northeast Buckeye"". WKBN 27. May 23, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  4. ^ ""Canton South to join Principals Athletic Conference in 2022"". CantonRep.com. July 2, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  5. ^ "Mahoning Matters Howland Joining EBC".