3 things were learned from Mahoning Valley sports scene last week
Three things we learned around the greater Mahoning Valley sports scene last week:
Louisville joining the All-American Conference adds new possibilities
The announcement by the Louisville City School District last week that it had officially agreed to join the Youngstown-based All-American Conference adds new possibilities for the league.
The Leopards will begin play in the AAC in the fall of the 2026-2027 athletic season in all sports but football.
Louisville has been an independent with no league affiliation since the beginning of the 2018 athletic season. The Leopards previously had been a member of the former Northeastern Buckeye Conference. But Louisville’s enrollment was much larger than some, not all, of the other schools in that conference and the NBC disbanded and formed the Eastern Buckeye Conference without Louisville. That league began play as the EBC in the fall of 2018. Those EBC members include West Branch, Salem, Alliance, Marlington, Carrollton and Minerva. The conference spans Mahoning, Columbiana, Stark and Carroll counties.
Current AAC members include Austintown Fitch, Warren Harding, Boardman, Howland and Canfield who play for a league championship in all sports but football.
Howland will join the Eastern Buckeye Conference in football only starting in the fall of 2026. The Tigers will remain a member of the All-American Conference in all other sports except football.
The EBC had been teetering with just six league members. It had been seeking to add new members for the past several years, so it was thrilled that Howland accepted its offer to join for football only, giving it seven league members starting in 2026. The Tigers currently play West Branch, Carrollton and Marlington on their football schedule in non-league games but will be an official EBC member playing a full complement of league members in football starting next fall.
Meanwhile, Louisville brings some outstanding athletic programs to the AAC. The Leopards won the Division I state championship in girls softball in 2019, the State Duals wrestling title in 2020 and captured the D3 state championship in boys basketball this past winter. They are perennially strong in many sports.
What’s intriguing with Louisville joining the AAC in 2026 is this: Could the Leopards’ entrance to the AAC create the possibility of the league having enough members to play for a football title in the conference in the future? Currently, AAC members don’t play for a conference title in football, but could the addition of Louisville create a new opportunity to do just that? Moving forward, It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
New OHSAA athletic season begins
The 2025-2026 Ohio High School Athletic season officially begins this week as the high school golf teed up its campaign on Monday.
Of course, in the greater Youngstown area, traditional small school power Warren JFK headlines the top teams on the links, as the Eagles are the two-time defending Division III state champions in the sport. The Eagles return a veteran squad and are expected to be one of the powers in Ohio high school golf again this season.
Although golf kicked off the new OHSAA season this week, many other sports across the Buckeye State officially begin practice for their seasons on August 1.
Football scrimmages set as early as August 8
Ohio high school football teams are permitted to begin practice sessions on August 1.
There are many scrimmages scheduled throughout the area and most are slated as early as Friday, August 8.
This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 5:13 AM.