Three Rivers Athletic Conference

For the defunct Indiana conference, see Three Rivers Athletic Conference (Indiana).
Three Rivers Athletic Conference
ClassificationOHSAA Divisions I & II
Founded2011
Sports fielded
  • Football, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Tennis, Basketball, Gymnastics, Swimming and Diving, Wrestling, Baseball, Softball, Track and Field
Region Ohio
Official websitehttp://www.tracsports.org
Locations

The Three Rivers Athletic Conference was an Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) high school athletic conference that began athletic competition in 2011 and lasted until 2023 with 10 high schools from Northwest Ohio, seven of which were from the Toledo metropolitan area, and one each from the cities of Findlay, Fremont and Lima.[1] Ken Myers, former director of public safety and public services in Fremont, was the league's inaugural commissioner.[2] The three rivers from which the conference derived its name are the Maumee, Sandusky, and Blanchard.

Members

School Nickname Location Enrollment (CB/FB 2020) State FB Region (2020) Colors Type Tenure Notes
Central Catholic Fighting Irish Toledo 396 2:6 Scarlet, Gray
    		Parochial 2011-2023 Joined CHSL
Clay Eagles Oregon 446 2:6 Green, Yellow
    		Public 2011-2023 Joined NLL
Findlay Trojans Findlay 604 1:2 Blue, Gold
    		Public 2011-2023 Joined NLL
Fremont Ross Little Giants Fremont 459 2:6 Purple, White
    		Public 2011-2023 Joined NLL
Lima Senior Spartans Lima 432 2:6 Scarlet, Gray
    		Public 2011-2023 Joined Toledo City League
Notre Dame Eagles Toledo Blue, Gold
    		Parochial (Girls) 2011-2023 Joined CHSL
St. Francis de Sales Knights Toledo 546 2:6 Red, Blue
    		Parochial (Boys) 2011-2023 Joined CHSL
St. John's Jesuit Titans Toledo 479 2:6 Blue, Vegas Gold
    		Parochial (Boys) 2011-2023 Joined CHSL
St. Ursula Arrows Toledo Blue, Gold
    		Parochial (Girls) 2011-2023 Joined CHSL
Whitmer Panthers Toledo 842 1:2 Maize, Blue
    		Public 2011-2023 Joined NLL

History

The Three Rivers Athletic Conference began its inaugural season in the fall of 2011. The idea for the creation of the league was brought about following Toledo Public Schools' decisions to close Libbey High School[3] and athletic cuts within TPS which were made by the system to offset a reported $39 million budget deficit. In May 2010, the Toledo Public School board of education voted to cut all junior high (seventh and eighth grade) and freshman sports, as well as the discontinuation of boys tennis, cross country, golf, ice hockey and wrestling.[4] This caused concern for the non-TPS members, who wanted to have competition in those sports and at those levels without struggling to find games.

Clay High School, who joined the Toledo City League in 2003, were the first school to announce that they would leave following a unanimous vote of 5–0 by the Oregon School District in mid July 2010.[5] Following Clay's decision, TCL members Central Catholic, Notre Dame, St. Francis de Sales, St. John's Jesuit, St. Ursula and Whitmer all announced that they would leave the City League as well. Fremont Ross, who was to join the City League in 2011, as well as Findlay and Lima Senior were also announced as members of the new league.[6]

Near the end of July 2010, the new league's members announced that Three Rivers Athletic Conference was chosen to be the name for the conference. The name represents the Northwest Ohio rivers - the Maumee, the Sandusky and the Blanchard - which are part of the collective geography of the 10 inaugural member schools.[1] Other names considered for the new league included Toledo Metro Athletic Conference, the Greater Metro Athletic Conference and the Northwest Athletic Conference.[7] Each member of the TRAC will be asked to submit a logo design for the league and the conference's ten principals will make a decision on which logo will be chosen for the league.[8]

Although he indicated that joining the TRAC was "probably off the table", Marion Harding athletic director Gary Miller mentioned that his school did apply for admission into the TRAC as an alternative to being independent in the future.[9] Marion Harding remained members of the Greater Buckeye Conference with Findlay, Fremont Ross, and Lima Senior through the 2010-11 school year, and eventually wound up in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference in 2014.

On April 9, 2021, invitations were extended to four TRAC schools by the NLL, starting with the 2023-2024 school year: Findlay, Fremont Ross, Oregon Clay, and Whitmer. [10] Fremont Ross voted to accept the invitation on April 12, Findlay on April 19, Clay on April 20, and Whitmer on April 21. [11][12]

On March 10, 2022, Lima Senior announced that it would be joining the Toledo City League in 2023 on a four-year contract as its seventh member.[13] Lima Senior wasn't invited to join the NLL with the other public TRAC schools and decided being in a league was preferable to independence.

On March 22, 2022, the five Catholic high schools in the TRAC (Central Catholic, Notre Dame, St. Francis, St. John's Jesuit, and St. Ursula) were introduced as the newest members of the Detroit Catholic High School League, effective for the fall of 2023.[14] They will bring the CHSL's membership up to 32 schools, which create divisions based on the competitiveness of each school's teams.

Competition format

The TRAC will play a standard seven-game varsity football schedule in weeks 4-10 of the season, with each of the eight schools that have varsity football playing non-league games in the first three weeks of the football season.[1]

Hockey will be contested outside of the conference umbrella. The hockey teams will retain their membership in the three-tiered Northwest Hockey Conference.[1]

The TRAC will have championship competition for football and all of its other sanctioned sports.[1]

League championships[15]

Boys championships

School Year Football Soccer Cross Country Golf Basketball Wrestling Swimming/Diving Baseball Track & Field Tennis
2011-12 Findlay St. Francis St. Francis Findlay Whitmer Clay St. Francis St. John's Jesuit Whitmer St. John's Jesuit
2012-13 Whitmer St. John's Jesuit St. Francis Findlay St. John's Jesuit Clay St. Francis Central Catholic Whitmer St. John's Jesuit
2013-14 Central Catholic St. John's Jesuit St. Francis St. John's Jesuit Central Catholic Clay St. Francis St. John's Jesuit Whitmer St. John's Jesuit
2014-15 Central Catholic Findlay, St. Francis, St. John's (co-champs) St. John's Jesuit St. John's Jesuit St. John's Jesuit Clay St. Francis St. John's Jesuit St. John's Jesuit St. John's Jesuit
2015-16 Central Catholic Findlay St. John's Jesuit St. John's Jesuit Lima Senior Clay St. Francis St. Francis St. John's Jesuit St. John's Jesuit
2016-17 Central Catholic St. John's Jesuit St. Francis St. John's Jesuit St. John's Jesuit Fremont Ross St. Francis St. Francis Whitmer St. John's Jesuit
2017-18 Whitmer St. John's Jesuit Whitmer St. John's Jesuit St. John's Jesuit Clay St. Francis St. Francis Whitmer St. John's Jesuit
2018-19 Central Catholic St. John's Jesuit Whitmer St. John's Jesuit Lima Senior St. John’s Jesuit, St. Francis (co-champs)
2019-20 Central Catholic St. John's Jesuit St. John's Jesuit St. John's Jesuit Lima Senior Clay St. Francis St. Francis Whitmer Findlay
2020-21 Central Catholic St. John’s Jesuit St. Francis St. John’s Jesuit St. John’s Jesuit, Findlay, Lima Senior (co-champs) St. John’s Jesuit St. John’s Jesuit
2021-22 Central Catholic
2022-23 Central Catholic

Girls championships

School Year Volleyball Soccer Cross Country Golf Tennis Basketball Gymnastics Swimming/Diving Softball Track & Field
2011-12 St. Ursula Central Catholic Notre Dame St. Ursula St. Ursula Notre Dame Clay St. Ursula Central Catholic Notre Dame
2012-13 St. Ursula Clay Notre Dame St. Ursula Notre Dame Notre Dame Findlay Fremont Ross Clay Notre Dame
2013-14 St. Ursula Notre Dame Clay St. Ursula Notre Dame Notre Dame Findlay Fremont Ross Clay Notre Dame
2014-15 St. Ursula Clay Clay St. Ursula Notre Dame Central Catholic, Notre Dame (co-champs) Findlay Notre Dame Clay Clay
2015-16 St. Ursula St. Ursula Notre Dame St. Ursula Notre Dame Central Catholic Findlay Fremont Ross Clay Notre Dame
2016-17 Notre Dame Notre Dame, St. Ursula Notre Dame St. Ursula Central Catholic Notre Dame Findlay Findlay Clay Notre Dame
2017-18 Notre Dame Clay Notre Dame St. Ursula Central Catholic Notre Dame Notre Dame St. Ursula Notre Dame Lima Senior
2018-19 Clay Clay Notre Dame Fremont Ross[16]
2019-20 St. Ursula cancelled
2020-21 St. Ursula Fremont Ross[17]
2021-22 Notre Dame Central Catholic Findlay[18]
2022-23 Notre Dame Central Catholic Whitmer[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Junga, Steve (July 29, 2010). "Exiting CL schools unveil new league". Toledo Blade. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  2. ^ Junga, Steve (August 25, 2010). "Myers picked as first TRAC commissioner". Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
  3. ^ Kirkpatrick, Christopher D. (May 26, 2010). "Libbey High to be closed to save money, board rules in 3–2 vote". Toledo Blade. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  4. ^ Junga, Steve (July 14, 2010). "Steps could begin to end current CL lineup in Toledo". Toledo Blade. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  5. ^ Junga, Steve (July 15, 2010). "Oregon board votes to leave CL". Toledo Blade. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  6. ^ Junga, Steve (July 18, 2010). "End of an era: City League in transition". Toledo Blade. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  7. ^ Junga, Steve (July 19, 2010). "New frontier ahead for area leagues". Toledo Blade. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  8. ^ Hanneman, Dave (July 29, 2010). "Findlay High athletes have a new home". The Courier. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  9. ^ "Three GBC schools joining new league". Marion Star. July 19, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2010. [dead link]
  10. ^ "In the Beginning…Constant Changing High School Athletic Conferences". Stateline Sports Network. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  11. ^ "Fremont Ross accepts Northern Lakes League Invitation". Fremont News Messenger. April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  12. ^ "Findlay joins Northern Lakes League". Findlay Courier. April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  13. ^ "Lima Senior High School to join City League in 2023-24". Toledo Blade. March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  14. ^ Monroe, Mark (March 22, 2022). "5 TRAC schools formally join Detroit area's Catholic High School League". Toledo Blade. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  15. ^ "Standings".
  16. ^ npohlman. "2019 TRAC Track & Field Championships". TRAC Sports - The Official website of the Three Rivers Athletic Conference. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  17. ^ npohlman. "2021 TRAC Track & Field Championships". TRAC Sports - The Official website of the Three Rivers Athletic Conference. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  18. ^ npohlman. "2022 TRAC Track & Field Championships". TRAC Sports - The Official website of the Three Rivers Athletic Conference. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  19. ^ "TRAC Championship 2023 - Complete (Raw)". Ohio MileSplit. Retrieved 2023-05-15.