Wayne County Athletic League
The Wayne County Athletic League is an Ohio High School Athletic Association athletic league that began play in 1924, with member schools from Wayne and Ashland counties in Ohio.
Current members
| School | Nickname | Location | Colors | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewa | Chipps | Doylestown | Blue, White |
1924- | Known as Doylestown High School prior to 1971 |
| Dalton | Bulldogs | Dalton | Orange, Black |
1924- | |
| Hillsdale | Falcons | Jeromesville | Columbia Blue, Gold |
1970- | |
| Northwestern | Huskies | West Salem | Blue, Gray |
1951- | |
| Norwayne | Bobcats | Creston | Scarlet, Gray |
1953- | |
| Rittman | Indians | Rittman | Red, White, Black |
1924-1937; 1961- | |
| Smithville | Smithies | Smithville | Green, White |
1924- | |
| Waynedale | Golden Bears | Apple Creek | Brown, Gold |
1955- |
Former members
| School | Nickname | Location | Colors | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Creek | Aces[1] | Apple Creek | Black, Gold |
1924-1955 | consolidated into Waynedale |
| Big Prairie | Bobcats | Big Prairie | Black, Gold |
1924-1937 | left for Holmes County League |
| Burbank | Bombers[1] | Burbank | Purple, White |
1924-1953 | consolidated into Norwayne |
| Chester | Pups | Chester Township | Blue, White [2] |
1924-1951 | consolidated into Northwestern |
| Congress | Senators[1] | Congress | Scarlet, Gray [2] |
1924-1951 | consolidated into Northwestern |
| Creston | Panthers[1] | Creston | Red, Black |
1924-1953 | consolidated into Norwayne |
| Fredericksburg | Freddies[1] | Fredericksburg | Red, Black |
1924-1955 | consolidated into Waynedale |
| Marshallville | Tigers[1] | Marshallville | Blue, Gold |
1924-1938 | consolidated into Dalton. Later transferred to Smithville in 1955 |
| Paint Township | Pirates[1] | Mount Eaton | Green, White |
1924-1955 | consolidated into Waynedale |
| Shreve | Trojans[1] | Shreve | Red, White |
1924-1963 | consolidated into Triway |
| Sterling | Eagles[1] | Sterling | Blue, Gold |
1924-1953 | consolidated into Norwayne |
| Triway | Titans | Wooster | Purple, White |
1963-1970 | left for Chippewa Conference |
| West Salem | Clippers[1] | West Salem | Orange, Black |
1924-1951 | consolidated into Northwestern |
History
Source:[1]
The Wayne Country Athletic Conference first formed in 1924, with founding members Apple Creek, Big Prairie, Burbank, Chester, Congress, Creston, Dalton, Doylestown, Fredericksburg, Marshallville, Mount Eaton/Paint Township, Rittman, Shreve, Smithville, Sterling, and West Salem.
In 1937, Rittman became the first school to leave the conference. The next year in 1938, Marshallville underwent a consolidation with Dalton.
In 1951, Northwestern High School was created following the consolidation of Chester, Congress and West Salem.[2] Just two years later Norwayne was formed with the consolidation of Burbank, Creston and Sterling.[2]
In 1954, the first official football season began for the league, with Dalton, Doylestown and Rittman becoming the first members to play in the conference. Shreve, Smithville newly created Waynedale, formed under the consolidation of Apple Creek, Fredericksburg and Paint Township, began conference play for football 2 years later in 1956.[2]
In 1955, the former Marshallville high school students were merged with Smithville after consolidation with Dalton just years prior. Smithville formed a football team following this move.
in 1961, Rittman returned to the league 2 years later in 1963, Triway was formed and joined the league following the consolidation of Clinton, Franklin and Wooster townships. Northwestern began league football play in 1965.[2]
In 1970, Triway left the league in favor of the Chippewa Conference. They were replaced by Hillsdale the same year.
In 1971, following the opening of their new high school, Doylestown changed their school name to Chippewa and remained in the conference
Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships
- Baseball
- Boys Basketball
- 1957-58: Northwestern
- 1964-65: Northwestern
- Football
- 2011: Norwayne (D-IV)
- Softball
- 1979: Hillsdale
- 1994: Hillsdale
- 1996: Hillsdale
- 1999: Hillsdale
- 2000: Hillsdale
- 2006: Dalton (D-IV)
- 2007: Dalton (D-IV)
- 2010: Hillsdale (D-III)
- Boys Track & Field
- 2022: Norwayne (D-III)[5]
- Girls Track & Field
- 1975: Chippewa
- 2024: Smithville (D-III)[6]
- Wrestling
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "History of the Wayne County Athletic League" (website). Wayne County Athletic League. June 12, 1973. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Vasas, Michale Paul (1989). A History of Wayne County Football 1899 to 1988. Collier Printing Company of Wooster, Ohio.
- ^ Carey, Tyler (June 11, 2022). "Waynedale beats Milan Edison in walk-off fashion to win OHSAA Division III state baseball championship". wkyc.com. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Dorksen, Aaron (June 11, 2023). "Back-to-back Bears — Waynedale repeats as state baseball champ". The Bargain Hunter. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Carey, Tyler (June 5, 2022). "OHSAA track and field championships: Glenville boys win 17th title; Keystone's Ryne Shackelford dominates". wkyc.com. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ Brown, Dan (June 5, 2024). "Smithville girls win Div. III state track championship". The Bargain Hunter. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Dorksen, Aaron (March 4, 2012). "Waynedale win 'was destiny'". Wooster Daily Record. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ "State duals wrestling: Archbold boys D-III runner-up, Tinora girls eighth". The Crescent-News. February 14, 2026. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
Further reading
- Vasas, Michale Paul, A History of Wayne County Football 1899 to 1988, Collier Printing Company of Wooster, Ohio. 1989.
- History of Wayne County, Ohio, "Wayne County History Book Committee." Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, Texas. 1987.