DON CASH

The Buckeye 8 Athletic Conference is ready to expand for the second time in less than two decades. It will grow to 12 schools with the addition of Barnesville, Brooke and Buckeye Local, all pending approval of their respective school boards.

Retired OVAC basketball official Don Cash is serving as the new commissioner of the revamped Buckeye 8.

“I told the athletic directors at a meeting that we need to move on from any differences we may have. So what if Coach A doesn’t like Coach B,” Cash said. “The kids just want to play the games, so let them play. Every decision we make, as a league, should be about helping the kids in some way.”

Starting in 2026, the Buckeye 8 will be playing in a two-division format, big school and small school.

“Each school will play five mandatory football games within its designation,” Cash said.

Those designations are Big School: Beaver Local, Brooke, Cambridge, East Liverpool, Indian Creek and St. Clairsville. Small School: Barnesville, Bellaire, Buckeye Local, Harrison Central, Martins Ferry and Union Local

All other sports which utilize divisions that will be split into North and South.

The North Division will consist of Beaver Local, Brooke, Buckeye Local, East Liverpool, Harrison Central and Indian Creek. The South Division will have Barnesville, Bellaire, Cambridge, Martins Ferry, St. Clairsville and Union Local.

The league was formed in 2005 with eight original members, hence the name.

They included Bellaire, Buckeye Local, Edison, Harrison Central, Indian Creek, Martins Ferry, St. Clairsville and Union Local. Buckeye Local exited in 2020. Edison withdrew in 2023. Beaver Local and East Liverpool joined in 2013.

This coming school year (2024-25) before the 12 team league fully goes into effect in 2025-26, the Buckeye 8 will consist of eight full-time members: North-East Liverpool, Beaver Local, Harrison Central and Indian Creek; South-St. Clairsville, Cambridge, Bellaire and Union Local.

East Liverpool is back as a full-time member while Martins Ferry will spend one year as a partial member (non-football, basketball) after previously planning on exiting. It will, however, be a member of the new set up.

The newest members Brooke, Buckeye Local and Barnesville can also compete as partial members (non-football, basketball) next school year, as well, according to Cash.

“Barnesville is excited to join the Buckeye 8. If you look at the schools joining and the ones that are currently in the Buckeye 8, we play most of them despite being in the M-OVL,” Barnesville Athletic Director Brad Hannahs said in a text message. “The only two (schools) we don’t play in football are Harrison Central and Martins Ferry. Let’s be honest, we all should be playing each other anyway.

“It also opens up big opportunities for sports like bowling and swimming because there’s not really a championship for those sports,” Hannahs added. “In the end, it’s all about the student-athletes and I feel that this was the right move for us.”

Cash said Brooke was very appealing for one major reason, it’s Olympic-size swimming pool.

“Nobody else in the Buckeye 8 has a swimming pool so when they would have their championship meet, they’d have to rent one somewhere,” Cash added. “It’s also good for Brooke because they have been de-classified from Class AAAA to Class AAA in West Virginia because of declining student enrollment, just like a lot of areas in the Ohio Valley.”

Despite the addition of a West Virginia school, Cash doesn’t see any change forthcoming of the league’s name.

“We talked about it and we’re going to keep it the Buckeye 8,” he said. “The Big Ten isn’t the Big Ten anymore and they haven’t changed the name.”

“We are excited for the opportunity to become a member of the Buckeye 8, a strong conference in the Ohio Valley upon approval from our Board Of Education,” Brooke Athletic Director Bill Garvey said.

Buckeye Local is excited to re-join the league.

“We are happy to be welcomed back to the Buckeye 8 to continue to compete against some of our closest rivals. We believe this move will benefit our student-athletes across all sports,” Athletic Director Jeffrey Patrick said.

“Traveling to opponents will become easier and will promote more support for our athletes. We look forward to our championship events held at the Eco Center.

“The Buckeye Local Athletic Department and school administration are excited to work with member schools.”

Another big change for the league will be holding its championship events, with several events already penciled in, at the newly renovated ECO Center, which is the former Health & Physical Education Center building previously owned by Ohio University Eastern. The ECO Center is also the new home to the OVAC’s headquarters and is under the direction of Angela Hannahs and Mark Cook.

“We will be playing boys’ and girls’ basketball championship games there, as well as wrestling and volleyball,” Cash continued. “Harrison Central will hold the baseball and softball championships.”

“(Former St. Clairsville Athletic Director) Kelly Rine called me early this year and told me the Buckeye 8 was looking for a commissioner and my name came up,” Cash, a Bridgeport graduate and Brookside resident, said of his sudden involvement in the Buckeye 8. “I was hesitant at first because I am a board of education member at Bridgeport, but Kelly said ‘that’s why they want you. You have no ties to any of the schools.’ I thought, “No I don’t.”

During the meeting of athletic directors that Cash attended, he asked them what their vision was for the future.

“They told me about the expansion plans and everything, but I told them if they were looking for a babysitter they had the wrong guy,” he stressed. “I’m pretty outspoken, at times, but I am also very approachable.

“It’s gone well so far,” he added.

As far as why to expand now, Cash said “that was already in the works before I even got involved.”