The Southwestern Buckeye League will have a different focus — and look — once the 2023-24 school year begins in August.
Ross and Edgewood high schools officially make their competitive debuts in the 79-year-old conference, which will have a new face overseeing its operations.
“Originally, we were looking into expansion, and we really thought the best avenue was to add larger schools so that we could divide up into a larger division and a smaller division,” said Gary Peffly, who has been the SWBL’s commissioner for the last 20 years and associated with the conference the past 48.
“This is the right first step. We have other steps that need to be taken. But this is a great start.”
The addition of Edgewood and Ross to the SWBL was announced in Jan. 2022 and isn’t the only change taking place within the conference in the coming months.
Peffly is retiring as the league’s commissioner, and Bill Stewart will accept the role beginning in July.
“Gary’s done a great job of bringing the league to where it is at in terms of viability,” Stewart said. “He’s a dedicated guy. He wants only the best for the SWBL.”
Peffly said he’s got a couple of tasks left to complete while wrapping up his lengthy stint as head of the SWBL.
Stewart, on the other hand, said he’s ready to continue what Peffly has built.
“The league was in good hands with him,” Stewart said, “and I hope that I only live up to his expectations.”
THE SEARCH
Peffly said when letters were distributed to different schools inviting them to make presentations for the SWBL’s expansion spots, the replies were sparse.
But it was Edgewood, Ross and Talawanda — based out of the six-team Southwest Ohio Conference — that responded.
“We were looking for even numbers,” Peffly said. “It got to the point to where we could only invite two schools because of the people that were interested.
“Because of the growth of some of the schools in our league, we wanted to add to Bellbrook, Monroe and Franklin.”
Peffly said Edgewood and Ross were the right fit.
“We invited those two, and they accepted,” he said. “We were quite pleased.”
The SWBL, which dropped the Southwestern and Buckeye divisions a few years back, had been competing under the East and West divisions.
The Southwestern Division is returning to house the larger schools, which will include Bellbrook, Edgewood, Franklin, Monroe and Ross. The Buckeye Division will consist of Brookville, Carlisle, Eaton, Madison, Oakwood, Valley View and Waynesville.
“We’re still looking to add to the conference,” Peffly said. “But it has to be a fit for us before we would even act on it. If we could get two more larger schools, it would be a great fit.
“The larger schools are investigating it,” Peffly added. “The smaller schools are not involved. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but I think there are some great schools out there that would be great fits.”
Over the past several years, Peffly said the conference had been committed to exploring expansion and realignment opportunities that best served the needs of its student-athletes and member schools.
IN THE KNOW
The Southwestern Buckeye League started in 1944 with Vandalia Butler, Tipp City, Versailles and Milton Union as the charter members.
Most recently, Dixie, Milton Union, Northridge and Preble Shawnee resigned from the SWBL at the end of the 2020-2021 season — which opened the opportunity for talks of adding other schools.
Edgewood and Ross, who were part of the SWOC since 2012-13, took advantage of it.
“It’s a chance to further their competitive cultures,” Stewart said. “It’s going to raise the profile a little bit when you compete against like-minded schools. The competition that you face will always make you better that way. This is a natural fit I think.”
The move will leave Harrison, Mount Healthy, Northwest and Talawanda in the four-team SWOC for the 2023-24 school year.
In addition to the SWBL’s long line of sports, girls golf was recently added during the 2022-23 season.
“I’m not sure that it isn’t one of the best kept secrets around in terms of athletic leagues in the area,” Stewart said. “It’s a chance for some people to get more recognition.”
NEW GOALS
Stewart said the goal for the SWBL is “to become part of the conversation instead of being excluded from it on a Friday night.”
“We want to see more highlights on any given night,” Stewart said. “We want to be a player in both the Cincinnati and Dayton markets. Many people don’t know, but the SWBL spans across five counties. We want to continue the opportunity for our kids to get recognized.
“We’ve got to break out of the small-time thinking.”
Adding the SWBL logo to member school uniforms and jerseys, as well as other merchandise is a start, Stewart said.
The addition of Eric Franz as the SWBL’s sports information director, according to Stewart, will increase publicity.
“First and foremost, it’s an opportunity to further promote a league that’s been in existence since 1944 — and we’re coming up on 80 years,” Stewart said.
INCOMING EXCITEMENT
When Ross hosted football programs from the SWBL during a combine last month, Rams coach Kenyon Commins expressed his excitement of joining the conference.
“I’m excited about this. I’m excited about the season. I’m excited about promoting our kids — which is why we’re doing this,” said Commins, who spearheaded the conversation of putting together the showcase held in early May.
“Going into a new league, it’s something new and shiny. You just can’t wait to get your hands on it and see what happens.”
