Suburban Lakes League Explained

The Suburban Lakes League (SLL) was an OHSAA athletic league with 7 member schools located in northwest Ohio. The league was formed in 1972 by former members of the Northern Lakes League, Sandusky Bay Conference, and the Lakeshore Conference.

Members at the time of dissolution

School	Nickname	Location	Colors	Tenure
Eastwood	Eagles	Pemberville	Red, White, Columbia	1972-2011
Elmwood	Royals	Bloomdale	Royal Blue, White	1972-2011
Genoa	Comets	Genoa	Maroon, Gray	1972-2011
Gibsonburg	Golden Bears	Gibsonburg	Orange, Black	1972-2011
Lake	Flyers	Millbury	Navy, White, Columbia	1996-2011
Otsego	Knights	Tontogany	Black, Orange, White	1972-2011
	Wildcats	Elmore	Navy, Gold	1972-2011

Former members

School	Nickname	Location	Colors	Tenure
Lakota	Raiders	Kansas	Navy, White	1972–2009
Northwood	Rangers	Northwood	Blue, Yellow	1986–2000
Oak Harbor	Rockets	Oak Harbor	Red, Green, White^[1]	1972–1986

League history

1970s

• For the 1972-73 school year, Eastwood, Elmwood, and Genoa leave the Northern Lakes League to form the SLL with Gibsonburg, Lakota, and Oak Harbor from the Sandusky Bay Conference, and Otsego and Woodmore from the Lakeshore Conference. Geographic location and comparable athletic competition were acknowledged as sound reasons for establishing the league.^[2]

1980s

• At the end of the 1985-86 school year, Oak Harbor leaves to rejoin the Sandusky Bay Conference, leaving the SLL with seven members.^[3]
• Northwood joined the league as the eighth member for the 1986-87 school year after the Lakeshore Conference had folded in the winter of 1985.

1990s

• Lake becomes the ninth league member in 1996, leaving the NLL in similar fashion to its SLL predecessors.^[4]
• In 1999, the SLL extended an invitation to Rossford to be its tenth member. Rossford declined, which caused the SLL and TAAC to consider realigning their members with other area schools based on enrollment.^[5]

2000s

• In 2000, Northwood leaves the league for the TAAC after Rossford declines to join the SLL as its tenth member.
• In 2008, realignment issues are stirred up again when Lakota decides to leave for the Midland Athletic League in 2009, opening the door for another potential member.^[6] Rossford was considered as the prime choice for replacement, but a 4-3 vote amongst member schools (4 in favor, 3 against) turned them down. 6 schools would have had to approve Rossford's admission due to the 75% vote clause.
• In 2009, both Rossford and Fostoria High Schools were turned down as potential members with the current members not gathering the necessary 6-1 vote. However, the 7 SLL school principals later considered expanding the league to 12 members by the 2011-12 school year, with 2 divisions (Big Schools and Small Schools). The 5 other schools were not specifically named, but it was noted that both Rossford and Fostoria fit the profile of the larger school division, which would have included Eastwood, Genoa, Lake, and Otsego. The smaller division would have consisted of Elmwood, Gibsonburg, Woodmore, and 3 other area schools close to their enrollment sizes. Geography and size pointed at Northwood, Ottawa Hills, Cardinal Stritch, and Toledo Christian.^[7] Eastwood and Genoa's superintendents decided that the 12 team league would not work because they did not want Fostoria in their league.
• In May 2009, Eastwood, Genoa, Lake, Otsego, and Woodmore agreed to withdraw from the Suburban Lakes League and form a new league with Rossford.^[8] This was an attempt to circumvent the bylaws of the league after Rossford was voted down by a 5-2 vote (Rossford needed 75% (6 out of 7) of the vote to be added into the SLL). It was decided that league play for the new Northern Buckeye Conference would begin in the fall of 2011. This move left Elmwood and Gibsonburg as the lone members of the SLL for that time.
• Elmwood was invited to join the Northern Buckeye Conference on August 12 along with Fostoria.^[9]
• On September 9, 2009, Elmwood officially joined the NBC^[10] after being turned away from the MAL the day before.^[11] Gibsonburg was also denied MAL membership, but they applied to join the Toledo Area Athletic Conference on September 16.^[12]
• Gibsonburg was invited to join the TAAC on October 7, 2009. They became a voting member of the league on January 1, 2010 and joined the TAAC when the Suburban Lakes League dissolved in 2011.^[13]

2010s

• Athletic competition for the league ended with the conclusion of the spring sports seasons in 2011.

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bar:1 color:red from:1972 till:2011 textcolor:white: text:Eastwood (1972-2011) bar:2 color:brightblue from:1972 till:2011 textcolor:white: text:Elmwood (1972-2011) bar:3 color:claret from:1972 till:2011 textcolor:white: text:Genoa (1972-2011) bar:4 color:orange from:1972 till:2011 textcolor:black: text:Gibsonburg (1972-2011) bar:5 color:darkblue from:1972 till:2009 textcolor:white: text:Lakota (1972-2009) bar:6 color:green from:1972 till:1986 textcolor:red: text:Oak Harbor (1972-1986) bar:7 color:black from:1972 till:2011 textcolor:orange: text:Otsego (1972-2011) bar:8 color:yellow from:1972 till:2011 textcolor:darkblue: text:Woodmore (1972-2011) bar:9 color:brightblue from:1986 till:2000 textcolor:yellow: text:Northwood (1986-2000) bar:10 color:darkblue from:1996 till:2011 textcolor:white: text:Lake (1996-2011) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:10 start:1972

TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(370,30) # tabs:(0-center) text:"SLL Membership History"

State Champions

BOYS

• Woodmore- Golf (Class A) - 1979, 1981
• Gibsonburg - Baseball (Div. IV) - 2005
• Eastwood- Track & Field (Div. II) - 2009, 2010

GIRLS

• Lakota - Track & Field (Class AA) - 1987
• Otsego - Volleyball (Div. III) - 1992
• Eastwood - Volleyball (Div. II) - 1993
• Woodmore - Cross Country (Div. II) - 1992, 1993
• Woodmore - Cross Country (Div. III) - 1994
• Woodmore - Track & Field (Div. III) - 1993
• Gibsonburg - Softball (Div. IV) - 2001, 2002, 2003

Football champions

Year	Champions
1972	Genoa
1973	Gibsonburg
1974	Eastwood, Oak Harbor
1975	Genoa
1976	Genoa, Gibsonburg
1977	Eastwood
1978	Genoa
1979	Gibsonburg, Lakota
1980	Gibsonburg
1981	Oak Harbor, Otsego
1982	Oak Harbor
1983	Woodmore
1984	Oak Harbor
1985	Otsego
1986	Eastwood, Woodmore
1987	Otsego
1988	Eastwood
1989	Genoa
1990	Genoa, Otsego
1991	Elmwood, Northwood
1992	Genoa, Otsego
1993	Otsego
1994	Genoa
1995	Woodmore
1996	Woodmore
1997	Elmwood, Woodmore
1998	Elmwood, Gibsonburg
1999	Gibsonburg
2000	Gibsonburg, Otsego
2001	Lake
2002	Eastwood
2003	Eastwood, Elmwood
2004	Eastwood
2005	Eastwood, Elmwood, Otsego
2006	Eastwood, Elmwood
2007	Genoa
2008	Genoa
2009	Genoa
2010	Genoa

See also

• Ohio High School Athletic Conferences

External links

• List of SLL Football Champions
• Oak Harbor leaving SLL at the end of the '85-'86 school year
• Latest Meeting Appears Fruitful on Formation of New Prep League, Toledo Blade, 11 Dec 1970
• SLL plans 12-team, 2-division alignment (March 25, 2009)
• Possible Small Division members (from the Courier in Findlay, Ohio).
• Rossford BOE Vote on May 18, 2009
• 5 from SLL join Rossford for new league
• Elmwood considering a move to the MAL
• Elmwood to join Northern Buckeye Conference
• Gibsonburg applies to become TAAC member
• Gibsonburg becomes eighth member of TAAC

Notes and References

1. Web site: Information . schedules.myohsaa.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035417/http://schedules.myohsaa.org/SchoolHome/1184/Information . 2016-03-04.
2. Web site: New Prep Conference Set. . December 16, 1970. September 9, 2010.
3. Web site: Maumee Wrestlers Win Northern Lakes Crown. . February 23, 1986. September 10, 2010.
4. Web site: Northview to join Northern Lakes League. . August 29, 1995. September 9, 2010.
5. Web site: Schooley . Duane. SLL and TAAC mull realignment. . December 16, 1999. September 9, 2010.
6. Web site: Junga. Steve. New frontier ahead for area leagues. . July 19, 2010. September 10, 2010.
7. Web site: Sweeping changes are ahead for SLL. Findlay Courier . March 26, 2009. October 18, 2010.
8. Web site: Junga. Steve. 5 from SLL join Rossford for new league. . May 22, 2009. September 9, 2010.
9. Web site: Junga. Steve. NBC gives invitation to Fostoria, Elmwood. . August 13, 2009. September 10, 2010.
10. Web site: Junga. Steve. Elmwood will be eighth school in NBC. . September 10, 2009. September 10, 2010.
11. Web site: Junga. Steve. MAL denies 2 SLL schools. . September 9, 2009. September 10, 2010.
12. Web site: Junga. Steve. Gibsonburg applies to become TAAC member. . September 17, 2009. September 10, 2010.
13. Web site: Wagner. John. Gibsonburg becomes eighth member of TAAC. . October 7, 2009. September 10, 2010.