Federal League (OHSAA)

Federal League
Association	Ohio High School Athletic Association
Founded	1964
Sports fielded	Baseball • Basketball • Bowling • Cross-country • Football • Golf • Soccer • Softball • Swimming/diving • Tennis • Track and field • Volleyball • Wrestling;
No. of teams	7
Region	Stark and Summit counties
Official website	federalleagueohio.com
Locations

Last updated August 19, 2025

The Federal League is an Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) sports conference that was established in 1964 and includes schools from Stark and Summit counties.

Current members

School	Nickname	Location	Colors	Join Date

Canton McKinley	Bulldogs	Canton	Red, Black	2003
GlenOak	Golden Eagles	Plain Township	Forest Green, Vegas Gold	1975
Green	Bulldogs	Green	Orange, Black	2015^[1]
Hoover	Vikings	North Canton	Black, Orange	1968
Jackson	Polar Bears	Jackson Township	Purple, Gold	1964
Lake	Blue Streaks	Uniontown	Blue, Red, White	1987
Perry	Panthers	Perry Township	Black, Gold, White	1964

Former members

Austintown-Fitch Falcons (2003–2011)
Alliance Aviators (1983–2003)
Boardman Spartans (2003–2013)
Fairless Falcons (1964–1975)
Glenwood Eagles (1964–1975)
Louisville Leopards (1968–1990)
Marlington Dukes (1964–1985)
New Philadelphia Quakers (1988–1997)
Oakwood Golden Raiders (1968–1975)
Sandy Valley Cardinals (1964–1968)
Canton South Wildcats (1964–1990)
Canton Timken Trojans (1988–1995)
Wooster Generals (1988–2003)

League history

1960s

The Federal League begins league play in 1964 with Canton South, Fairless, Glenwood, Jackson, Marlington, Perry, and Sandy Valley as charter members.
In 1968, Sandy Valley leaves the league and is replaced by Louisville, North Canton Hoover, and Oakwood.

1970s

In 1975, Fairless leaves the league while Glenwood and Oakwood consolidate to form GlenOak.

1980s

In 1983, Alliance joins the league.
In 1985, Marlington leaves the league.
In 1987, Lake joins the league.
In 1988, New Philadelphia, Canton Timken, and Wooster join the league, prompting the league to split into an American Division and a National Division:


Federal League Divisions 1988/89-1989/90
American Division	National Division
Alliance	Canton South
GlenOak	Lake
Hoover	Louisville
Jackson	New Philadelphia
Perry	Canton Timken
	Wooster

1990s

In 1990, Canton South and Louisville leave for the Northeastern Buckeye Conference (NBC), which causes the divisional format to be dropped.
In 1995, Timken leaves the league.
In 1997, New Philadelphia leaves for the East Central Ohio League.

2000s

In 2003, Alliance and Wooster leave for the Metro Athletic Conference^[2] and the newly formed Ohio Cardinal Conference, respectively. Alliance would move again to the NBC in 2005.^[3]
At the same time, Austintown-Fitch, Boardman, and Canton McKinley join in all sports except for football, which they would fully join in the following school year.

2010s

In 2011, Austintown-Fitch left the Federal League for the All-American Conference for all sports except football.^[4] They had hoped to remain a football-only member of the Federal League, but that did not work out. They replaced Salem, who left for the NBC.
In 2013, Boardman announced that they are looking to leave for the All-American Conference.^[5]
In 2013, Green announced that they would join the Federal League for 2015–16.^[6]
In February 2017, former member Louisville's school board submitted a letter of interest to the Federal League, then withdrew it shortly after. However, in March 2017 they renewed their recommendation that they seek membership in the Federal League after it became evident that it would be difficult for Louisville to schedule sporting events as a league independent. Louisville's league at the time, the Northeastern Buckeye Conference, folded after the 2017–2018 school year, which left the Leopards without a league home.^[7]

League champions

Year	Football Champions
1964	Glenwood
1965	Jackson
1966	Glenwood
1967	Perry
1968	Hoover, Oakwood
1969	Perry
1970	Louisville, Perry
1971	Louisville
1972	Hoover
1973	Hoover
1974	Louisville
1975	Hoover
1976	Hoover
1977	Louisville
1978	Louisville
1979	Hoover
1980	Hoover, Perry
1981	Louisville
1982	GlenOak
1983	Alliance
1984	Hoover, Perry
1985	GlenOak, Perry
1986	Hoover, Jackson
1987	Alliance, Hoover, Perry
1988	GlenOak, Hoover, Lake, Perry
1989	GlenOak, Hoover, Jackson, Wooster
1990	Jackson
1991	Lake
1992	Perry
1993	Lake, Perry
1994	GlenOak, Lake, Perry
1995	Hoover, Perry
1996	Alliance, Jackson
1997	Hoover, Perry
1998	Hoover, Jackson, Lake
1999	Hoover, Perry
2000	Hoover, Perry
2001	Jackson
2002	Hoover
2003	Hoover
2004	Austintown-Fitch
2005	Canton McKinley
2006	Canton McKinley
2007	Hoover
2008	Hoover
2009	GlenOak
2010	Austintown-Fitch
2011	Canton McKinley, Boardman, GlenOak
2012	Canton McKinley
2013	Canton McKinley
2014	GlenOak
2015	Perry, GlenOak
2016	Perry
2017	Perry, McKinley, Jackson
2018	Hoover, McKinley
2019	McKinley
2020	Perry
2021	Hoover
2022	McKinley, Lake
2023	McKinley
2024	Jackson, McKinley

Other Sports

The Federal League in Ohio is also home to a wide range of competitive high school sports beyond football. In basketball, Jackson High School has consistently fielded strong boys’ and girls’ teams, including state tournament appearances and district titles. Hoover has also maintained a tradition of basketball excellence, with a particularly notable girls’ program that has made several deep postseason runs.

Wrestling is another sport where the Federal League thrives, with Perry High School recognized as a regional powerhouse. Perry’s wrestling program has produced state champions and frequently contends for top finishes at state tournaments. Meanwhile, former league member Austintown Fitch did have a strong tradition in wrestling and track & field, often sending athletes to the state level. GlenOak and Lake have also built solid wrestling programs, contributing to the league’s reputation as a tough conference for grapplers.

Baseball and softball are also prominent in the league, with Green and Boardman consistently producing competitive teams. Hoover’s softball team is among the elite in the state, boasting multiple state championships and playoff appearances. Jackson’s baseball program is traditionally strong, developing several players who have moved on to play at the collegiate and professional levels. These programs are supported by strong feeder systems and year-round athlete development.

In addition to traditional team sports, the Federal League is known for its success in swimming, tennis, and cross country. Lake High School along with Jackson have a solid reputation in Boys and Girls cross country and track events, regularly qualifying individuals and relay teams for state competition. GlenOak’s tennis and swim teams have shown steady improvement and often compete strongly within the league. Green also feature strong cross country squads, with several runners placing highly in regional meets, same could be said about former league member Boardman. This athletic diversity highlights the depth and competitiveness of the Federal League across multiple disciplines.

References

The Federal League Football History

↑ "Green to join Federal League - Canton, OH - CantonRep.com". Archived from the original on August 21, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
↑ "Alliance helps MAC move on". www.vindy.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014.
↑ "MAC continues to explore options". www.vindy.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014.
↑ Franco, Elise (May 11, 2010). "Austintown board approves move to the AAC". vindy.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
↑ "Off the courts - High school basketball news & notes". Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
↑ http://www.ohio.com/sports/high-school/green-set-to-join-the-federal-league-in-2015-2016-suburban-league-seeks-to-move-forward-with-its-own-expansion-plan-1.422407 ^{[ bare URL ]}
↑ Recommendation to join Federal League renewed. CantonRep.com Accessed July 24, 2017

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[1] "Green to join Federal League - Canton, OH - CantonRep.com". Archived from the original on August 21, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.

[2] "Alliance helps MAC move on". www.vindy.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014.

[3] "MAC continues to explore options". www.vindy.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014.

[4] Franco, Elise (May 11, 2010). "Austintown board approves move to the AAC". vindy.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2010.

[5] "Off the courts - High school basketball news & notes". Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2013.

[6] ttp://www.ohio.com/sports/high-school/green-set-to-join-the-federal-league-in-2015-2016-suburban-league-seeks-to-move-forward-with-its-own-expansion-plan-1.422407 ^{[ bare URL ]}

[7] Recommendation to join Federal League renewed. CantonRep.com Accessed July 24, 2017

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