Why West Holmes made the decision to join Principals Athletic Conference

Over recent years at both the college and high school levels, conference realignment has been a main topic of conversation for many schools and it has escalated into actual action for one Wayne County school. West Holmes High School will be the latest of schools across Northeast Ohio to announce that they will be switching conferences. West Holmes will be leaving the Ohio Cardinal Conference, which they have been a member of since the inception of the league in fall of 2003, to join the Principals Athletic Conference starting in the 2028-29 academic/athletic school year.

Cloverleaf High School, who is leaving the Metro Athletic Conference, announced that they will be joining West Holmes as the two new additions to the Principals Athletic Conference. The Principals Athletic Conference made the official announcement on March 14. More: Wooster Daily Record All-Area Wrestling Team So, why is West Holmes leaving the seven-team conference in the OCC to join the PAC?

"This was a collaborative process involving our School Board, Administration, Athletic Department and our Athletic Council (head coaches) with a focus on what’s best for our students," West Holmes Local Schools Superintendent Eric Jurkovic said. "This has been something we’ve thoughtfully evaluated over time, to ensure we’re making the right long-term decision for our district. " Gary Woods, the Principals Athletic Conference Commissioner, said that West Holmes has had interest in joining the PAC for about a year and when two PAC schools in Tuslaw and Fairless announced they were leaving to become member schools of the Northeast Senate League, the discussions began to pick up.

"We know that West Holmes has had interest for over a year. When Tuslaw and Fairless announced that they were leaving the PAC, it turned up," Woods said. "That happened in February at our PAC meeting.