Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy will leave the Principals' Athletic Conference
After spending the past 21 years with the Principals’ Athletic Conference, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy has announced it will say goodbye.
CVCA president Jason Spodnik submitted a letter of withdrawal earlier this month to begin the two-year transition on July 1, 2022, as stated by the PAC-7 bylaws.
The Royals are not requesting an early release, which leads to a maximum three-year transition. That means the 2024-25 school year will be the last for season for CVCA as a member of the PAC-7.
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The conference was formed in 1989 and has been the athletic home for high schools in Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties.
Along with CVCA, the conference includes Canton South, Fairless, Manchester, Northwest, Orrville, Triway and Tuslaw high schools.
CVCA is the only private school to have been involved with the PAC-7, having joined in 2001.
“There were two reasons,” CVCA Athletic Director Jon Young said. “One, geographically, the distance was a challenge for us. The second reason was size. CVCA was the one of the bigger schools. Those factors were big for us in trying to figure out what we wanted to do moving forward.
“It was a very tough decision. We’re very grateful to the PAC and the relationships we’ve formed with the schools over the years. They took a chance on us 21 years ago being a private school. We were kind of an oddball. We wish those schools the best of luck moving forward. We’re excited what the future holds for them and for CVCA as well.”
What is the next step for the Royals?
The three-year cushion will be crucial for the Royals, who don’t have a conference after 2024-25.
The Portage Trail Conference, Suburban League, Metro Athletic Conference would make sense logistically but talk of joining any of those leagues is well down the road.
“Obviously, our desire is not to be independent,” Young said. “We don’t have anywhere to land quite yet. Our options are open. We’re going to evaluate what’s out there and see what’s next.
“In a perfect world, we’d have it wrapped up sooner rather than later. We understand that these things take time. In my perfect world, we’d have this wrapped up in the next school year. We realize that may not be reality.”
What's the next step for the Principals' Athletic Conference?
The request was accepted and administrators from the conference schools will meet later this fall to discuss the next steps for the league.
“The league appreciates the long relationship the PAC-7 has had with CVCA over the last two decades,” PAC commissioner Gary Woods said in a press release. “We understand their request and wish them well during and after the transition. The PAC-7 schools will continue to compete and utilize our competitive relationships for the betterment of our student-athletes.
“CVCA certainly added to the level of competition in the conference. Moving forward, the league will continue building on the health of our programs, providing fair and spirited opportunities for our schools, students and fans.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy Royals leaving Principals' Athletic Conference
