North Coast League
The North Coast League (NCL) was a high school athletic conference for Catholic schools in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. The NCL was founded in 1984 by six parochial high schools: Cleveland Central Catholic, Holy Name, Lake Catholic, Pacua Franciscan, St. Peter Chanel, and Trinity. The league expanded throughout the 1990s and 2000s, reaching a peak of 13 members in the early-to-mid 2010s, before declining in membership. The NCL disbanded after the 2019-20 school year.[1]
| North Coast League | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Data | |
| Classification | OHSAA Division II, III, and IV |
| Established | 1984 |
| Members | initial: 6 peak: 13 final: 12 |
| Sports fielded | 10 boys and 9 girls |
| State Championships | 49 |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Midwest |
| States | 1 - Ohio |
Members
| School | Nickname | Location | Colors | Years in league | Current league |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop Hoban High School | Knights | Akron, Summit County | Navy Blue & Old Gold |
2004–2020 | Independent |
| Beaumont SchoolA | Bluestreaks | Cleveland Hts., Cuyahoga County | Blue & Gold |
2011–2020 | Independent |
| Benedictine High SchoolB | Bengals | Cleveland, Cuyahoga County | Columbia Blue & White |
2011–2020 | Independent |
| Cleveland Central Catholic High School | Ironmen | Cleveland, Cuyahoga County | Navy Blue & Red |
1984–2004; 2006–2020 | Independent |
| Elyria Catholic High School | Panthers | Elyria, Lorain County | Green & White | 1995–2011 | Great Lakes Conference |
| Gilmour Academy | Lancers | Gates Mills, Cuyahoga County | Blue & Gray |
2018–2020 | Independent |
| Holy Name High School | Green Wave | Parma Hts., Cuyahoga County | Green & White | 1984–2015 | Great Lakes Conference |
| John F. Kennedy High School | Eagles | Warren, Trumbull County | Navy Blue & White |
2011–2020 | Portage Trail Conference |
| Lake Catholic High School | Cougars | Mentor, Lake County | Forest Green & Gray |
1984–2020 | Independent |
| Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin High School | Lions | Chardon, Geauga County | Blue & Gold |
1991–2020 | Independent |
| Padua Franciscan High School | Bruins | Parma, Cuyahoga County | Brown & White |
1984–2020 | Independent |
| Saint Joseph AcademyA | Jaguars | Cleveland, Cuyahoga County | Purple & Gold |
2018–2020 | Independent |
| St. Peter Chanel High School | Firebirds | Bedford, Cuyahoga County | Red & Black | 1984–2013 | School closed |
| St. Thomas Aquinas High School | Knights | Louisville, Stark County | Black & Gold | 2013–2019 | Portage Trail Conference |
| Trinity High School | Trojans | Garfield Heights, Cuyahoga County | Blue & White | 1984–2019 | Chagrin Valley Conference |
| Valley Christian School | Eagles | Youngstown, Mahoning County | Blue & Bright Gold | 2015–2017 | Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference |
| Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School | Vikings | Cleveland, Cuyahoga County | Red & Columbia Blue |
2004–2020 | Independent |
| Walsh Jesuit High School | Warriors | Cuyahoga Falls, Summit County | Maroon & Gold |
2011–2020 | Independent |
A Girls' sports only
B Boys' sports only
Membership timeline
Full members Boys sports only Girls sports only
State championships
This chart only includes state championships won by the schools while in the North Coast League in sports sanctioned by the NCL.
| School | Sport | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Archbishop Hoban | Football Girls Soccer |
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 2015 |
| Beaumont School | Volleyball | 2012 |
| Benedictine | Football | 2014 |
| Cleveland Central Catholic | Boys Basketball Girls Basketball |
2009 2007 |
| Elyria Catholic | Girls Tennis | 2006 |
| Holy Name | Girls Soccer | 2006 |
| John F. Kennedy | Football | 2016 |
| Lake Catholic | Football Wrestling Volleyball |
1991, 1992, 2001 1989 2010 |
| NDCL | Baseball Golf Volleyball |
2001, 2009 2000, 2009 2014, 2015 |
| Padua Franciscan | Ice Hockey Volleyball |
1986, 1989, 2006 2008, 2009, 2013 |
| St. Peter Chanel | Boys Basketball Football Wrestling |
1999 2001 1986, 1987, 1988, 2011 |
| St. Thomas Aquinas | Girls Cross Country Boys Track and Field Girls Track and Field |
2015 2016 2015, 2016 |
| Trinity | Girls Basketball Boys Track & Field |
1990, 1994, 1996 2009 |
| VASJ | Boys Basketball Volleyball |
2013, 2015, 2017 2005 |
Scheduling
Football
During the season, every school must play five league games, one against every other school in its own division. They are generally played the final five weeks of the season. Schools are also allowed to schedule schools in the other division, however these games are considered independent and do not count in NCL standings. Prior to 2011, each school played an additional school in the other division in a "crossover" game. The crossover opponents rotated on two-year stints.
In 2013, 2017, and 2019, the White Division only had five schools, so they played a four-game schedule those seasons.
Other sports
In other sports, such as basketball and volleyball, where more games are played during the season, each school must play 10 games against NCL opponents. Every school plays every other school in its division twice (once home, once away) Schools are also allowed to schedule schools in the other division, however these games are considered independent and do not count in NCL standings. Prior to the 2011 expansion, schools played 13 games: a home-and-away series against division opponents and a single game against inter-division foes.
In other sports such as track and swimming where schools have "meets" instead of individual games, there is one NCL meet for all schools in the league. For ice hockey a tournament is played in December to determine the conference champion as teams do not play an NCL schedule during the regular season.