Eastern Buckeye Conference
High school athletic conference in Ohio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Eastern Buckeye Conference is an OHSAA athletic league that began competition in the 2018–19 school year and is made up of member schools from Carroll, Columbiana, Mahoning, and Stark Counties in Ohio. This conference is made up of members of the former Northeastern Buckeye Conference.
Members

| School | Nickname | Location | Colors | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance | Aviators | Alliance | Red, columbia blue |
2018- | |
| Carrollton | Warriors | Carrollton | Black, white |
2018- | Leaving in 2028 for Northeast Senate League |
| Marlington | Dukes | Lexington | Orange, black |
2018- | Leaving in 2028 for Northeast Senate League |
| Minerva | Lions | Minerva | Crimson, gray |
2018- | Leaving in 2028 for Northeast Senate League |
| Salem | Quakers | Salem | Red, black |
2018- | |
| West Branch | Warriors | Beloit | Green, white |
2018- |
Former Members
| School | Nickname | Location | Colors | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton South | Wildcats | Canton | Red, gray
|
2018-2022 | Left for Principals Athletic Conference |
History
In December 2015, discussions began between members of the Northeastern Buckeye Conference to create a new league that didn't include member school Louisville.[1] February 2016, the Northeastern Buckeye Conference disbanded, the other members in the league at the time (Alliance, Canton South, Carrollton, Marlington, Minerva, Salem, and West Branch) voted to form the Eastern Buckeye Conference that would begin play in the fall of 2018. Other nearby schools were invited to join the league such as Crestview and Beaver Local. Those schools would decline their invitations, joining other conferences instead.[2] South Range had originally accepted their invitation to become the leagues eighth member but retracted its invitation and instead joined the newly formed Northeast 8 Conference.[3]
In July 2020, Canton South announced that they had accepted an invitation to the Principals Athletic Conference and would be leaving following the 2021-22 school year.[4] East Liverpool was offered to replace Canton South beginning the 2022-23 school year but declined their invitation after internal discussions with coaches, ultimately remaining in the Buckeye 8.[5]
Howland announced in May 2024 that they would be joining the Eastern Buckeye Conference for football only starting the 2026 season, after years of being an independent school.[6] Howland later made the decision to remain independent following the news that the EBC would likely be folding.
Carrollton, Marlington and Minerva announced their intention to leave the EBC effective the 2028-29 school year for a new athletic conference called the Northeast Senate League with Claymont, Fairless, Sandy Valley, Tuscarawas Valley and Tuslaw, all of them being former Senate League members.[7] West Branch and Salem announced on February 14, 2026, that they would be searching for a new league as a result of the news,[8] both schools applied to become the eighth and ninth members of the Northeast 8 Athletic Conference,[9] however, on March 13, 2026, the Northeast 8 denied both schools. The Northeast 8 citied that "it was not in the best interest of the conferences core members at this time."[10]
Conference Championships
List of Conference Champions since 2018.
| Year | Football | Volleyball | Girls Basketball | Boys Basketball | Baseball | Softball |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Alliance | Salem/Marlington | Salem/Canton South | Alliance | Marlington | West Branch |
| 2019–20 | Alliance | Marlington | West Branch | West Branch | NO SEASON- COVID | NO SEASON - COVID |
| 2020–21 | West Branch | Marlington | Marlington | West Branch/Canton South/Salem | Salem | West Branch |
| 2021–22 | West Branch | Marlington | Marlington | Alliance | Marlington | Marlington |
| 2022–23 | West Branch | Marlington | Marlington/Salem | Carrollton/Alliance | Alliance | Marlington |
| 2023–24 | West Branch | Marlington | West Branch | West Branch | Alliance | Marlington |
| 2024–25 | West Branch | Marlington | West Branch | Carrollton/Alliance | Carrollton | West Branch |
| 2025–26 | West Branch | Marlington | West Branch | Alliance |