The Lorain County League is considering expansion, and a local program has already shown interest.
On Jan. 10, sources told The Morning Journal that Elyria Catholic applied to join the LC8. Panthers Athletic Director Jim Piazza confirmed EC’s interest.
“Being in Lorain County. I think it would be great for the county, with the rivalries and the kids know each other. I think there would be an excellent atmosphere at games,” he said.
The Panthers are in their final year in the Great Lakes Conference. EC, along with several other private schools, agreed last year to form the North Coast Conference in 2024-25. The public schools in the GLC left to form their own league for 2024-25.
North Coast Conference provides Elyria Catholic elite competition for the future
"I think that there is a lot of upside (if Elyria Catholic joined the LC8)," Panthers boys basketball coach Jeff Huber said. "A lot of those kids that come to (Elyria Catholic) are Lorain County kids. Some of whom, are from those communities. I think it would generate a lot of excitement there in terms of rivalries that are close geographically. It would make a lot of sense."
Elyria Catholic is the only Lorain County school that will be in the NCC. As the football coach, Chase Farris would prefer the closer travel.
"The travel would be huge," Farris said. "Us currently, there are some games that take us over an hour to get there. We try to keep kids focused on the bus for over an hour, while at the same time hydrated and locked in. It's tough."
Being located in the middle of Lorain County, Huber also believes that Elyria Catholic's fan base would travel well to events, which can potentially lead to an increase in ticket sales.
In the NCC, Holy Name will be the closest to Elyria Catholic in the conference. Other NCC schools include Chardon Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, Padua, Mentor Lake Catholic, Cleveland Heights Beaumont, and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy.
Elyria Catholic boys basketball plays in Division II, along with many other Panthers programs in four-division sports. They have an adjusted enrollment of 204 with competitive balance. Firelands, in comparison, has 251 and Brookside is at 215.
Clearview (188 adjusted enrollment) and Keystone (189) are two of the bigger Division III basketball programs, as they were recently in Division II.
Girls basketball Coach Eric Rothgery loved the idea of his team competing in the LC8.
"I love it. It is all local teams, great rivalries and short bus rides," he said. "As far as girls basketball, there are a lot of really good coaches in girls basketball in (the LC8). There are a lot of people that I have a lot of respect for and like. I think that it would be fun to coach against some of those people."
One of those coaches is Columbia's Corey Taylor, who is Rothgery's son-in-law.
By the numbers, Elyria Catholic has enrolled around 500 students, 87% of whom enrolled from Catholic schools.
"Size-wise, Firelands, Brookside, Keystone and Clearview are all larger or similar in size," Piazza said. It would be more competitive. It would be exciting for media coverage. Instead of having to go to Cleveland to cover us, it is here in Lorain County. I think that it's good for Lorain County. ... We should be playing Lorain County teams."
All athletic directors in the LC8 were contacted before 11 a.m. on Jan. 11, and two replied with no official comment.
Below are the enrollment numbers in the OHSAA divisional breakdown for LC8 teams and Elyria Catholic in football and four-division sports
Football
| School | 2023 Adjustment Enrollment | Division No. |
| Firelands | 263 | IV |
| Elyria Catholic | 224 | IV |
| Brookside | 202 | IV |
| Keystone | 195 | V |
| Clearview | 190 | V |
| Wellington | 145 | VI |
| Columbia | 129 | VI |
| Black River | 123 | VI |
| Oberlin | 119 | VI |
Boys Basketball
| School | 2023 Adjustment Enrollment | Division No. |
| Firelands | 251 | II |
| Brookside | 215 | II |
| Elyria Catholic | 204 | II |
| Keystone | 189 | III |
| Clearview | 188 | III |
| Wellington | 137 | III |
| Black River | 123 | III |
| Columbia | 120 | IV |
| Oberlin | 118 | IV |
Girls basketball
| School | 2023 Adjustment Enrollment | Division No. |
| Firelands | 204 | II |
| Brookside | 204 | II |
| Elyria Catholic | 213 | II |
| Keystone | 178 | III |
| Clearview | 199 | II |
| Wellington | 134 | III |
| Black River | 127 | III |
| Columbia | 117 | III |
| Oberlin | 112 | IV |
Volleyball
| School | 2023 Adjustment Enrollment | Division No. |
| Firelands | 212 | II |
| Brookside | 210 | II |
| Elyria Catholic | 192 | II |
| Keystone | 178 | II |
| Clearview | 194 | III |
| Wellington | 136 | III |
| Black River | 127 | III |
| Columbia | 110 | IV |
| Oberlin | 98 | IV |
Baseball
| School | 2023 Adjustment Enrollment | Division No. |
| Firelands | 260 | II |
| Brookside | 206 | II |
| Elyria Catholic | 216 | II |
| Keystone | 200 | III |
| Clearview | 191 | III |
| Wellington | 139 | III |
| Black River | 123 | III |
| Columbia | 128 | III |
| Oberlin | 124 | III |
Softball
| School | 2023 Adjustment Enrollment | Division No. |
| Firelands | 205 | II |
| Brookside | 211 | II |
| Elyria Catholic | 220 | II |
| Keystone | 186 | III |
| Clearview | 194 | III |
| Wellington | 148 | III |
| Black River | 129 | III |
| Columbia | 117 | III |
| Oberlin | 105 | IV |
