High school football: Effects ripple after Oberlin cancels season

Oberlin High School's decision to cancel the upcoming football season didn't just affect the Phoenix. It shook up everyone in the Lorain County League — and Oberlin's non-conference opponents — from players to coaches to athletic directors. It left schools scrambling at a late date to find opponents that weren't there. Columbia, Clearview and Wellington have added replacement games, but at least from the Raiders' standpoint, it wasn't until after exploring a number of avenues, which included a Western Pennsylvania possibility. Columbia will play Cleveland Warren JFK, while the Clippers replaced the Phoenix with Mogadore and the Dukes announced a scheduled game against Middlefield Cardinal. "We got really lucky," Columbia's former football coach and current athletic director Jason Ward said. "It's a school that's our size. They're actually in our region. They were willing to travel to our place, which is awesome because we get another home game. It couldn't have worked out any better for us. We were willing to do whatever it took. These guys work so hard. They deserve 10 guaranteed games. "It reminded me of the COVID year, when there were a lot of schools that didn't want to be a part of playing football that year, and we were kind of canvassing the state to pull 10 games together." Not everyone has been as fortunate as the Raiders, Clippers and Dukes. As of Tuesday, the rest of the league — Black River, Brookside, Firelands and Keystone — had yet to find games. "If they can't find one, then they'll have a bye week," Ward said. "There's an element of luck involved there, too. We got really lucky to find a like opponent in that way. One of the schools we were looking at was a (Division II) school. You just kind of have to decide if it's a match. I'm not sure what's out there for those schools in the weeks that they have open. I'm sure they're doing everything they can to find another game. "I never got a chance to get into the state of West Virginia, but I know there's a lot of schools in Ohio that schedule a lot of schools in West Virginia, Pennsylvania. I'm sure they're doing everything they can to find a game. To be honest with you, as the season goes on and attrition hits, there may be an opportunity to pick up another game (later), so, you never know." Because a win over Oberlin hasn't meant much recently, another unknown is how it will affect the computer points and postseason picture. "It always depends on, when you get into the playoff seeding, you got your first-level and second-level points," Ward said. "You're gonna get those first-level points for that win but with what their record has obviously been in recent years, you're not going to get a whole lot of second-level points. "It's hard to say what that's going to look like. I actually have an AD meeting that I'm on my way to now to discuss all of the ramifications, including how it affects the conference standings. I'm not even sure if those count as forfeits within the conference. I'm not even sure how the OHSAA handles it from a (computer points analyst) Joe Eitel standpoint. That's also something that needs to be discussed." The high school programs aren't the only ones catching shrapnel from the cancellation, according to John Rock, the LCL's referee assigner and recording secretary. "There definitely is a ripple effect from this," Rock said. "It really throws a monkey wrench into things because everything is based on eight teams and seven conference weeks. So everybody else is scrambling to find an opponent. At this late date, it's never easy. You want everything in place a year in advance. We've never not been able to play a game because of the officials. Came awful close one time, and I'm concerned this time. "It's not just Oberlin. A lot of small schools are having the same issues. It's just hard to recruit kids. So, that puts somebody else in the same position (fighting for officiating crews) a couple of weeks before the season starts." Rock noted that if games were switched to Saturday, officiating crews would be available, but schools and communities prefer, and rely, on playing under the Friday night lights. Plus, stadiums are used for other events on Saturdays. The football story might not be over for Oberlin, though. It was announced Tuesday that six Phoenix players attending practice for the upcoming season will join Wellington's team. Amherst, Elyria, Keystone and Firelands were also willing to accept Oberlin players. It's at least hopeful that kids in the city want to play the game. "We understand this is unconventional, and we recognize that for our kids, putting on another school's uniform and joining a different program may feel uncomfortable," Oberlin athletic director Julian Acosta-Gorman said in a press release. "It isn't the experience they expected when they began preparing for this season. But at the end of the day, these are young men who want to play football and continue chasing their goals. We are incredibly thankful to Wellington for opening their arms to our kids and giving them that opportunity." "As a lifelong Lorain County resident, I am grateful for the relationship between the Wellington and Oberlin schools, and communities," Wellington athletic director John Bowman said in a release. Ward is hoping something positive comes from a negative. "It's sad. Having had high school football as such a big part of my life for so long, it's sad to know in detail how that affects so many people," he said of the cancellation. "But at the same time, sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to bounce back, and I think a hard reset on that program at Oberlin could have a really positive effect moving forward." Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @CAwesomeheimer on X.