Vince Koza (93.1 The Fan) talks with Kenton AD and Football Coach about LCC and Kenton's conference status
Time For Kenton To Move On…Does Your School Need To Evaluate The Future?
By Dave Schmidt - The Senior Reports -
www.theseniorreports.comNovember 22, 2010 UPDATED 12-6-11
The Western Buckeye League is one of the longest running conferences in the State of Ohio having started in 1940 (
www.wblsports.com/wbl-history/ ) . Four of the charter members still remain in the conference. The last addition was in 1982 when a former member re-joined. That is as stable a conference as you can get in these days of mass conference changes.Kenton was the first expansion member in 1942 and still remains in the WBL today. Below is a listing of WBL Championships won by the Wildcats since:
Kenton Wildcats WBL Championships - 30 - Total
(some are co-championships)
www.wblsports.com/member-schools/kenton-wildcats/*- red denotes last championship won in that sport
They have never won WBL Championships in the following sports -
Records for these sports can be viewed at -
www.wblsports.com Boys SoccerUpdated 2-19-12
Kenton has placed 10th in the 10 team conference the last three years and the year before that they were 9th in the All-Sports Trophy. only information available on WBL web site for total placings.
This article is not to make light of Kenton as a member of the WBL, but to point out some data on how the Wildcats have done since 1942. In almost 70 years of competing in the WBL they have won 30 total championships, the most recent are from the football team, including this year. The football Wildcats have won the 6 most recent WBL championships dating back to 1998. The most recent non-football title winner was the Kenton Boys Golf team who won in 1993. It has been 17 years since Kenton has won a WBL title other than the football titles.
Going over the overall WBL records none of the athletic teams at Kenton have a winning record over their tenure in the conference. Some of the programs have lost more than double then they have won during that time.
Kenton presently has the lowest enrollment for girls and is in the bottom half for the boys. Although several of the schools are close to the same size, those schools have had better success in the WBL.
Enrollment
*updated 12-15-11Boys - Girls
Wapakoneta 359 - 304Kenton is also the school farthest east of the membership.
Why can Kenton leaving being a positive for the Wildcat athletic programs? Two former members, Coldwater and Delphos St. John’s left the WBL for the Midwest Athletic Conference. The move to the MAC for both teams has helped turn them into winning athletic programs. Both schools football teams struggled in the WBL, after making the move they have won a combined 24 MAC football titles . The MAC is one of the top small athletic conferences in Ohio thanks in part to these two teams leaving the WBL and joining the MAC. As you will see below both schools leaving the WBL turned into a positive move for those schools and their student-athletes. The move also allowed all sports at both schools to be competitive and rebuild some of the programs that had struggled in the WBL. The moves worked, no doubting that. A move for Kenton would produce the same results for the same reasons these schools left. This would also depend on Kenton finding a suitable conference home.
Coldwater MAC Championships
*Coldwater left WBL in 1973 *updated 12-15-11Baseball (26): 10, 09, 08, 05, 04, 01, 00, 97, 96, 94, 93, 92, 91, 88, 87, 86, 84, 83, 82, 81, 79, 78, 77, 76, 75, 74
Boys Basketball (8): 03, 95, 94, 87, 84, 82, 78, 74
Girls Basketball (6): 95, 94, 93, 92, 85, 81
Boys Cross Country (13): 11,06, 05, 03, 01, 98, 85, 82, 77, 76, 75, 74, 73
Girls Cross Country (1): 11
Football (16): 08, 06, 05, 04, 02, 01, 87, 86, 85, 84, 83, 82, 80, 77, 76, 75
Boys Golf (1): 94
Softball (4): 08, 07, 02, 00
Boys Track (7): 04, 84, 83, 80, 78, 75, 74
Girls Track (5): 97, 96, 95, 94, 93
Delphos St. John’s MAC Championships
*Delphos St. John's left the WBL in 1982
updated 12-15-11
Boys Basketball (8): 10, 05, 03, 02, 98, 89, 87, 83
Baseball (1): 11
Girls Basketball (6): 09, 07, 02, 00, 99, 87
Boys Cross Country (6): 94, 93, 91, 90, 88, 84
Girls Cross Country (2): 93, 92
Football (9): 10, 00, 99, 98, 97, 94, 91, 89
Boys Golf (1): 01
Girls Golf (1): 09
Boys Track (1): 90
Info above from - www.midwestathleticconference.com
A move for Kenton could only benefit the Wildcat athletic programs and help to build and develop all of them. Winning takes time to develop, it won’t happen over night, but at least a change would get that process started. The WBL will never ask the Wildcats to leave, this will have to be a move made by the Kenton administration. I might also say I understand the stability of the WBL that it provides for Kenton. This article is not written to embarrass them or put pressure on the WBL to make a change. It is written in hopes that everyone will evaluate the future of both. The opportunity for “all” Kenton athletic teams to have a chance to win a championship should be the goal.
Is your school in a situation like this? When was the last time you sat down as a school and evaluated the conference you are competing in. It is important for the individual school and the conference to look at how things are going. School systems are always changing educational material to meet the needs of the student, athletics should be evaluated as well. Do you want to be comfortable or compatible?