Inter-Valley Conference
The Inter-Valley Conference is an Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) athletic league made up of 14 schools from Carroll, Coshocton, Holmes, Stark, Guernsey and Tuscarawas counties.
The conference underwent a major change at the start of the 2017–18 season as the league added five new member schools including Indian Valley, Claymont, Tuscarawas Valley, Buckeye Trail and Conotton Valley.
The addition of Buckeye Trail in 2017 was (and still is) met with considerable outrage in the East Guernsey community. In the 2018 academic year, a super-majority (two-thirds plus) of students signed a petition calling upon the Administration to leave the IVC. However, as of this date, even after school officials promised to "study the issue", nothing has been done.
Current members
- Plays concurrently in Ohio Valley Athletic Conference.
- Played 2011-16 in the OVAC (also played concurrently with OVAC 2001-11).
- Wizards in girls' basketball only.
- Played 1977-83 in All-Ohio, 1983-89 in the Senate League, and 1989-2017 in the PAC.
Former IVC Members
| School | Nickname | Location | Colors[2] | County | Joined | Previous Conference | Left | Conference Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Valley North | Midvale | Big Blue | Tuscarawas | 1968 | none (new school | 1988 | none (consolidated into Indian Valley) | |
| Indian Valley South | Gnadenhutten | Rebels | Tuscarawas | 1968 | none (new school | 1988 | none (consolidated into Indian Valley) | |
| St. Joseph | Dover | Ramblers | Tuscarawas | 1968 | Independents | 1970 | none (consolidated into Tuscarawas Central Catholic) | |
| St. Mary's | Dennison | Blue Wave | Tuscarawas | 1968 | Independents | 1970 | none (consolidated into Tuscarawas Central Catholic) | |
| Jewett-Scio | Vikings | Jewett | Harrison | 1974 | Harrison County | 1998 | none (consolidated into Harrison Central) | |
| Lakeland | Raiders | Freeport | Harrison | 1974 | Harrison County | 1998 | none (consolidated into Harrison Central) |
Continuing Buckeye Trail Controversy
The decision of several former administrators to remove Trail from the PVC and join the IVC is still a continuing source of conflict in the community. Of particular note, in the 2018 academic year, a petition was circulated by Trail students calling upon the current administration to immediately remove the district from the IVC. Two-thirds of the entire student body signed the petition, yet the petition was summarily dismissed by the administration, despite a previous promise by the administration to "study the issue" following the 2017 academic year.
The main arguments for Trail leaving the ICV are: (1) A drastic reduction of travel costs; (2) a return to the Warriors playing more tradition rivals with whom they have a more lengthy history; (3) reducing the pressure on junior student athletes who have to travel long distances in mid-week to participate in athletic contests.
The IVC controversy has also been a source of debate in school board elections, as several individuals have campaigned on a promise to remove Trail from the IVC.
Sports
The following sports were offered by member schools according to each district's official website. Sandy Valley offered the most opportunities to their students as they supported 18 varsity sports while Claymont offers 17 and Indian Valley and Tuscarawas Central Catholic offer15 each.
| School | Football | Volleyball | Boys' Soccer | Girls' Soccer | Boys' Golf | Girls' Golf | Boys' CC | Girls' CC | Girls' Tennis | Boys' Basketball | Girls' Basketball | Wrestling | Boys' Bowling | Girls' Bowling | Gymnastics | Baseball | Softball | Boys' Track | Girls' Track | Boys' Tennis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckeye Trail (11) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
| Claymont (17) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||
| Conotton Valley (6) | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||||||
| East Canton (12) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||
| Garaway (13) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||
| Hiland (13) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||
| Indian Valley (15) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||
| Malvern (10) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||
| Newcomerstown (12) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||
| Ridgewood (13) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||
| Sandy Valley (18) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| Strasburg (10) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||
| TCC (15) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||
| Tusky Valley (14) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
Enrollment Numbers for Members Schools (as of 2017-2018 school year)
The following enrollment numbers for members schools provided by the OHSAA as of the 2017-2018 school year.
| School | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| Claymont | 244 | 202 |
| Indian Valley | 220 | 200 |
| Tuscarawas Valley | 175 | 181 |
| Sandy Valley | 166 | 172 |
| Ridgewood | 163 | 137 |
| Garaway | 149 | 125 |
| Buckeye Trail | 128 | 130 |
| Hiland | 124 | 123 |
| Newcomerstown | 123 | 124 |
| East Canton | 95 | 99 |
| Strasburg | 78 | 59 |
| Malvern | 76 | 76 |
| Conotton Valley | 68 | 50 |
| Tuscarawas Central Catholic | 43 | 29 |
IVC Divisions
For sports where divisions are used, a geographical alignment is used for all sports except football, which aligns along school size.
| IVC North (Boys-Girls) | IVC South (Boys-Girls) |
|---|---|
| Conotton Valley (68–50) | Buckeye Trail (128–130) |
| East Canton (95–99) | Claymont (244–202) |
| Malvern (76–76) | Garaway (149–125) |
| Sandy Valley (166–172) | Hiland (124–123) |
| Strasburg (78–59) | Indian Valley (220–200) |
| Tuscarawas Central Catholic (43–29) | Newcomerstown (123–124) |
| Tuscarawas Valley (175–181) | Ridgewood (163–137) |
Football Divisions
| IVC North - Small School (boys, OHSAA division) | IVC South - Large Schools (boys, OHSAA division) |
|---|---|
| Buckeye Trail (128, VI) | Claymont (244, IV) |
| East Canton (95, VII) | Garaway (149, V) |
| Malvern (76, VII) | Indian Valley (220, IV) |
| Sandy Valley (166, V) | Newcomerstown (123, VI) |
| Strasburg (78, VII) | Ridgewood (163, V) |
| Tuscarawas Central Catholic (43, VII) | Tuscarawas Valley (175, V) |
- Conotton Valley plays football in the OVAC, while Hiland does not offer the sport. Sandy Valley opted to play in the Small School division to preserve rivalries, while Newcomerstown opted to play in the Large division for the same reason.
Showcases
Three sports now host showcases, pitting teams seeded by division records against their counterparts in the opposite division (1 vs. 1, 2 vs. 2, etc.)
| Year | VB Title | VB Results | BBB Title | BBB Results | GBB Title | GBB Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | Tusky Valley-Hiland (25-8, 25-17) | N-2, S-5 | Strasburg-Indian Valley (57-46) | N-5, S-2 | Hiland-Tusky Valley (50-35) | N-3, S-4 |
| 2018-19 | Tusky Valley-Indian Valley (22-25, 25-12, 25-21) | N-1, S-6 | Hiland-Strasburg (47-37) | N-4, S-3 | Hiland-Tusky Valley (57-29) | N-0, S-7 |
League Championships
| Year | Cross-Country (B) | Cross-Country (G) | Football | Golf (B) | Golf (G) | Volleyball |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | East Canton | Tusky Valley | Indian Valley (L) Sandy Valley (S) |
Tusky Valley | Hiland | Tusky Valley (N) Indian Valley (S) |
| 2017-18 | East Canton | Tusky Valley | Indian Valley (L) East Canton (S) |
Garaway | Strasburg | Tusky Valley (N) Hiland (S) |
| Year | Basketball (B) | Basketball (G) | Wrestling | Baseball | Softball | Track (B) | Track (G) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | Strasburg (N) Hiland (S) |
Tusky Valley (N) Hiland (S) |
Indian Valley | 5/19 | 5/19 | 5/10/19 | 5/10/19 |
| 2017-18 | Strasburg (N) Indian Valley (S) |
Tusky Valley (N) Hiland (S) |
Claymont | Sandy Valley (N) Indian Valley (S) |
Strasburg (N) Indian Valley (S) |
East Canton | Tusky Valley |
State Championships
| # | School | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Hiland | Basketball (B): 1992, 2011, 2012 Basketball (G): 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2017 Baseball: 2016 |
| 7 | Strasburg-Franklin | Softball: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 2009, 2011, 2013 |
| 5 | East Canton | XC (4): 2016 Track (B): 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| 3 | Garaway | Golf (B): 2004, 2007, 2008 |
| 2 | Indian Valley South | Basketball (B): 1972, 1976 |
| 1 | Tuscarawas Central Catholic | Golf (B): 1975 |