Westlake to Join Great Lakes Conference, Local Rivalries Revived

Westlake Schools have voted to join the Great Lakes Conference, where the long-time rivalry with Bay Village will be revived.

In a press release, Westlake Schools say:

Last evening, in a unanimous vote, the Westlake Board of Education upon the recommendation of Superintendent Dr. Scott Goggin, approved Westlake’s membership into the Great Lakes Conference (GLC) starting in the 2021 school year.

“We believe this move will positively impact the sustainability of our current programs while providing a better experience for our students and in particular our student-athletes.” said Goggin.

Westlake will join past Southwestern Conference (SWC) members, Bay, Rocky River, Fairview, Lakewood and North Olmsted while also competing against Elyria Catholic, Parma, Normandy, Valley Forge, Holy Name, Lakewood and Medina Buckeye.

Principal Paul Wilson on the move, “We truly feel that with the renewal of some of our traditional rivals that this will foster a deeper pride in our schools and hope that that pride will also be contagious in our community as a whole.”

“The flexibility of scheduling for all of our teams along with how we fit within the enrollment numbers of the GLC and the ability to renew traditional rivalries should make for an exciting time within our student body, within the community and with our student-athletes.” said Director of Athletic Tony Cipollone.