Toledo Area Athletic Conference (OHSAA)
Encyclopedia
The Toledo Area Athletic Conference (TAAC) is a high school athletic conference located in northwest Ohio
, with member schools stretched across Lucas
, Ottawa
, Sandusky
, Williams
, and Wood
counties. It was formed in 1988, and the league sponsors football
, cross country
, volleyball
, golf
, basketball
, wrestling
, baseball
, softball
, and track & field
.
Edon and Hilltop are primarily members of the Buckeye Border Conference
for all sports, except for football, which is the only sport that they compete in the TAAC for.
Emmanuel Christian and Maumee Valley currently do not have football teams. Maumee Valley dropped football after the 1978 season.
) to compete in basketball. When Cardinal Strich joined in 1995 after going without sports for a while, the league teamed with the Buckeye Border Conference
to create the 12-team Toledo Buckeye League, which involved cross-over games with both leagues' members. This setup only lasted until June of 1998, but both leagues continue to have members compete against each other.
The first season for TAAC football was in 1999 with Cardinal Stritch, Danbury, Ottawa Hills, Toledo Christian and the recently added football-only Lorain Catholic competing for the inaugural title.
In 2000, Northwood left the 9-member SLL for the TAAC, wanting to compete with schools closer to their size. They initially joined in all sports but football, but fully joined the league the next year. Tired of competing in the South Central Athletic Association that was composed of several Michigan schools, Edon and Hilltop left to compete as football-only members in the TAAC in 2005. Former ties created in the old TBL made for the easy transition.
In September 2009, Gibsonburg applied for membership when it became evident that the Suburban Lakes League was going to fold in the spring of 2011. On October 7, they were admitted as the 8th full member school in the league, after being complimented for their facilities and comparable enrollment to current members. They became a full-voting member on January 1, 2010 and will join the league for the 2011-12 school year.
Former commissioner Dick Nowak noted that although the league is set right now with members, their five-year plan involves adding two more members and possibly going to a two-division format. He would not indicate which schools are interested in TAAC membership. Rick Kaifas became the new TAAC commissioner on April 6, 2011.
Northwest Ohio
Northwest or northwestern Ohio consists of multiple counties in the northwestern corner of the US state of Ohio. This area borders Lake Erie, southern Michigan, and eastern Indiana. Some areas in northwestern Ohio are also considered the Black Swamp area. The Toledo metropolitan area is also part...
, with member schools stretched across Lucas
Lucas County, Ohio
----...
, Ottawa
Ottawa County, Ohio
Ottawa County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,428. Its county seat is Port Clinton and is named either for the Ottawa Indians who lived there, or for an Indian word meaning "trader"....
, Sandusky
Sandusky County, Ohio
Sandusky County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,944. Its county seat is Fremont and it is named for a native word meaning "water" ....
, Williams
Williams County, Ohio
Williams County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 37,642. Its county seat is Bryan and is named for David Williams, one of the captors of John André in the American Revolutionary War.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, and Wood
Wood County, Ohio
Wood County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 125,488. Its county seat is Bowling Green. The county was named for Captain Eleazer D. Wood, the engineer for General William Henry Harrison's army, who built Fort Meigs in the War of 1812...
counties. It was formed in 1988, and the league sponsors football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, and track & field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
.
Current members
| School | Nickname | Location | Colors | Type | Membership Type | Joined League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal Stritch Catholic Cardinal Stritch High School Cardinal Stritch Catholic High School , is a private, Catholic, coeducational, college prep secondary school located in Oregon, Ohio. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo.-History:... |
Cardinals | Oregon Oregon, Ohio Oregon is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Toledo, located on Lake Erie, just east of the city. The population was 20,291 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Oregon is located at .... |
Red, Black |
Parochial | Full | 1995 |
| Danbury Danbury High School (Lakeside, Ohio) Danbury High School is a public high school in Lakeside, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Danbury Local Schools district. Their nickname is the Lakers. It is also well known for being a small and successful school due to its reduced class size.... |
Lakers | Lakeside Lakeside, Ohio Lakeside is a private community and census-designated place in northern Ohio, United States, on the shores of Lake Erie. It was formed in 1873 by members of the Methodist Church and remains a church-affiliated vacation resort. It is one of only a few continuously operating Independent Chautauquas... |
Blue, White |
Public | Full | 1988 |
| Edon Edon High School Edon High School is a public high school in Edon, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Edon Northwest Local Schools district. Their nickname is the Bombers, which was chosen after being suggested in a naming contest by Charles Brigle while a freshman at EHS... |
Bombers | Edon Edon, Ohio Edon is a village in Williams County, Ohio, United States. The population was 898 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Edon is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land.... |
Blue, White |
Public | Football-only | 2005 |
| Emmanuel Christian Emmanuel Christian School (Toledo, Ohio) Emmanuel Christian School is a Christian faith-based school in Toledo, Ohio for grades K-12. The school was founded in 1967 under the name Emmanuel Baptist by Emmanuel Baptist Church at 4207 Laskey Rd..... |
Warriors | Toledo Toledo, Ohio Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan... |
Green, White |
Parochial | Full | 1988 |
| Gibsonburg Gibsonburg High School Gibsonburg High School is a public high school in Gibsonburg, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Gibsonburg Exempted Village School District. Their nickname is the Golden Bears... |
Golden Bears | Gibsonburg Gibsonburg, Ohio Gibsonburg is a village in Sandusky County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,506 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Gibsonburg as a Tree City USA.-Geography:Gibsonburg is located at .... |
Orange, Black |
Public | Full | 2011 |
| Hilltop Hilltop High School (West Unity, Ohio) Hilltop High School is a public high school in West Unity, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Millcreek-West Unity Local Schools district. Their nickname is the Cadets. They are members of the Buckeye Border Conference and, for football only, the Toledo Area Athletic Conference.-External... |
Cadets | West Unity West Unity, Ohio West Unity is a village in Williams County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,790 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Unity is located at .... |
Red, White |
Public | Football-only | 2005 |
| Maumee Valley Country Day Maumee Valley Country Day School Maumee Valley Country Day School is an independent and non-religious private school located in Toledo, Ohio. The school was founded in 1842 as an all-girls finishing school in Western New York and was moved to Toledo in 1884, where it became The Smead School for Girls... |
Hawks | Toledo Toledo, Ohio Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan... |
Navy, White |
Parochial | Full | 1988 |
| Northwood Northwood High School (Ohio) Northwood High School is a public high school in Northwood, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Northwood Local Schools district. Their nickname is the Rangers, with the school colors of blue and yellow. They are currently members of the Toledo Area Athletic Conference.-External links:*... |
Rangers | Northwood Northwood, Ohio Northwood is a city in Wood County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,471 at the 2000 census.-History:Northwood was originally Ross Township. It was the northernmost township in Wood County from its establishment on April 18, 1874 until December 1, 1962. Farms, gardens, orchards, and... |
Blue, Yellow |
Public | Full | 2000 |
| Ottawa Hills Ottawa Hills High School (Ohio) Ottawa Hills High School is a public high school in the village of Ottawa Hills, Ohio, United States, just west of Toledo. It is the only high school in the Ottawa Hills Local Schools district. The school's mascot is the "Green Bears."-Students:... |
Green Bears | Ottawa Hills Ottawa Hills, Ohio Ottawa Hills is a village in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,564 at the 2000 census. The village serves as an affluent bedroom community and suburb of Toledo. The village maintains a full time police and fire rescue department. The Ottawa Hills school district ranked first... |
Kelly Green, White |
Public | Full | 1988 |
| Toledo Christian Toledo Christian Schools Toledo Christian Schools is a co-educational, private, Christian non-denominational school in Toledo, Ohio. It is part of the ACSI and is well-known for its excellence in academics, music, and athletics.... |
Eagles | Toledo Toledo, Ohio Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan... |
Blue, Gold |
Parochial | Full | 1988 |
Edon and Hilltop are primarily members of the Buckeye Border Conference
Buckeye Border Conference
The Buckeye Border Conference is a high school athletic league located in extreme northwest Ohio. The conference sponsors basketball, cross country, golf, and track and field for both boys and girls...
for all sports, except for football, which is the only sport that they compete in the TAAC for.
Emmanuel Christian and Maumee Valley currently do not have football teams. Maumee Valley dropped football after the 1978 season.
Former member
- Lorain CatholicLorain Catholic High SchoolLorain Catholic High School was a private Catholic high school located in Lorain, Ohio, 20 miles west of Cleveland. It was run by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland until 2001. Lorain Catholic then was governed by an independent board of directors until its closure in 2004. Lorain Catholic was...
Spartans (football only, 1999-2004)
League history
The TAAC began in 1988 when long-time rivals Danbury, Emmanuel Christian (then known as Emmanuel Baptist), Maumee Valley, and Ottawa Hills joined together with the recently expanded Toledo Christian (formerly McAuley High SchoolMcAuley High School (Toledo, Ohio)
McAuley High School was an all-girls Catholic high school in Toledo, Ohio. It was named for Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy. It began classes in 1958 and was one of three all-girls Catholic high schools in the city, the other two being Notre Dame Academy and St. Ursula...
) to compete in basketball. When Cardinal Strich joined in 1995 after going without sports for a while, the league teamed with the Buckeye Border Conference
Buckeye Border Conference
The Buckeye Border Conference is a high school athletic league located in extreme northwest Ohio. The conference sponsors basketball, cross country, golf, and track and field for both boys and girls...
to create the 12-team Toledo Buckeye League, which involved cross-over games with both leagues' members. This setup only lasted until June of 1998, but both leagues continue to have members compete against each other.
The first season for TAAC football was in 1999 with Cardinal Stritch, Danbury, Ottawa Hills, Toledo Christian and the recently added football-only Lorain Catholic competing for the inaugural title.
In 2000, Northwood left the 9-member SLL for the TAAC, wanting to compete with schools closer to their size. They initially joined in all sports but football, but fully joined the league the next year. Tired of competing in the South Central Athletic Association that was composed of several Michigan schools, Edon and Hilltop left to compete as football-only members in the TAAC in 2005. Former ties created in the old TBL made for the easy transition.
In September 2009, Gibsonburg applied for membership when it became evident that the Suburban Lakes League was going to fold in the spring of 2011. On October 7, they were admitted as the 8th full member school in the league, after being complimented for their facilities and comparable enrollment to current members. They became a full-voting member on January 1, 2010 and will join the league for the 2011-12 school year.
Former commissioner Dick Nowak noted that although the league is set right now with members, their five-year plan involves adding two more members and possibly going to a two-division format. He would not indicate which schools are interested in TAAC membership. Rick Kaifas became the new TAAC commissioner on April 6, 2011.
Football champions
| Year | Champions |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Cardinal Stritch Catholic |
| 2000 | Ottawa Hills |
| 2001 | Northwood |
| 2002 | Northwood |
| 2003 | Northwood |
| 2004 | Northwood, Ottawa Hills |
| 2005 | Ottawa Hills |
| 2006 | Cardinal Stritch Catholic |
| 2007 | Northwood |
| 2008 | Northwood |
| 2009 | Northwood |
| 2010 | Toledo Christian |
| 2011 | Northwood |
See also
Ohio High School Athletic Conferences- List of TAAC Football Champions
- Elmwood will be eighth school in NBC
- Gibsonburg applies to become TAAC member
- The new Toledo Border League, Dec 8, 1994 (initially called the Toledo Border League, the setup eventually became the Toledo Buckeye League)
- TAAC basketball preview, Dec 1989
- Gibsonburg becomes eighth member of TAAC
- TAAC accepts Gibsonburg, Toledo Blade, Oct 8 2009