MEDINA, Ohio – Starting in the 2026-27 school year, Medina City Schools will shift its athletics from the Greater Cleveland Conference to the Suburban League.
The board of education voted in favor of the measure during its regular meeting Nov. 19.
“We have had interest in being part of the Suburban League for close to a decade,” Superintendent Aaron Sable said. “That is for a slew of reasons and I want to thank our athletic director Todd Hodkey for his work on this.”
“There have been a lot of mixed emotions over the last couple of days,” Hodkey said. “We have been with the Greater Cleveland Conference since the beginning and it has been a pleasure working with them.”
But Hodkey pointed out there are a number of advantages in switching to the Suburban League.
“The geography and the proximity of the other schools in the league is a benefit for our student athletes, parents and coaches,” he said. “For example, with the suburban league, Solon is the team that is the farthest away, but that is an average distance compared to a lot of the other schools in the GCC. For example, in the GCC, the farthest school is Mentor which is 54 miles away while Solon is only 37 miles away. This will mean a significant savings in time and transportation costs.”
Both the GCC and Suburban League are competitive Ohio High School Athletic Association leagues comprising schools similar in size and athletic participation. Current members of the GCC include Brunswick, Cleveland Heights, Euclid, Mentor, Shaker Heights and Strongsville. Lorain will join the GCC next year.
The move is part of a broader realignment. Medina, along with Kenston and Mayfield, will join the Suburban League to enhance stability after Kent Roosevelt, Cuyahoga Falls, and Tallmadge depart for the Metro Athletic Conference at the conclusion of the 2025-26 school year. Kenston and Mayfield are currently members of the Western Reserve Conference.
Additional Suburban League schools include Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Highland, Hudson, North Royalton, Solon, Stow, Wadsworth, Aurora, Barberton, Copley, Nordonia, Revere and Twinsburg.
“I think being part of the Suburban League can strengthen our rivalries with schools like Wadsworth and Highland which we do already play, but being in a league with them will bring on a stronger competition,” he said. “We will look to continue those relationships with schools like Brunswick and Strongsville by scheduling non-league games with them.”
Board President Jeanne Pritchard thanked Hodkey for his work on the switch.
“I was coaching when this whole thing was coming up and I always thought being part of the Suburban League made sense,” she said.