The Ohio Cardinal Conference, which began play in 2003, is an OHSAA

Ohio High School Athletic Association

The Ohio High School Athletic Association is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio...

 athletic league whose members are from Ashland

Ashland County, Ohio

Ashland County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States, and was formed in 1846 from parts of Huron, Lorain, Richland and Wayne Counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 53,139. Its county seat is Ashland...

, Holmes

Holmes County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 38,943 people, 11,337 households, and 9,194 families residing in the county. The population density was 92 people per square mile . There were 12,280 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...

, Richland

Richland County, Ohio

Richland County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 124,475. It is included in the Mansfield, Ohio, Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Mansfield–Bucyrus Combined Statistical Area....

, and Wayne

Wayne County, Ohio

Wayne County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States, and is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. As of the 2010 census, the population was 114,520. Its county seat is Wooster....

 counties in Ohio. The conference name stems from the local legacy of the Cardinal Conference

Cardinal Conference

The Cardinal Conference was a high school athletic conference in north central Ohio that existed from 1960 to 1987. With its dissolution, several teams joined the Ohio Heartland Conference...

.

History

In 2001, local athletic directors met in Mansfield, Ohio

Mansfield, Ohio

Mansfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Richland County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau, approximately southwest of Cleveland and northeast of Columbus....

 to discuss the formation of a new athletic conference; seven schools agreed to form the Ohio Cardinal Conference. Clear Fork

Clear Fork High School

Clear Fork High School is located near Bellville, Ohio, USA. The school serves grades 9-12 and is part of the Clear Fork Valley Local School District...

, the only non-original member of the conference, joined for the 2004-05 season. Five of the initial member schools came from the disbanding Ohio Heartland Conference: Ashland, Lexington

Lexington High School (Ohio)

Lexington High School is located in Lexington, Ohio, USA. The school serves grades 9-12 and is the only high school in the Lexington Local School District...

, Mansfield Madison

Madison Comprehensive High School (Mansfield, Ohio)

Madison Comprehensive High School is a public high school in Richland County's Madison Township, near Mansfield, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Madison Local School District. Their nickname is the Rams....

, Mansfield Senior, and Orrville

Orrville High School

Orrville High School is a public high school in Orrville, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Orrville City School District. Their nickname is the Red Riders.-Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships:* Boys Football – 1998...

.. West Holmes

West Holmes High School

West Holmes High School is a public high school in Millersburg, Ohio. It holds grades 9-12. West Holmes is currently rated 'Excellent' from the state of Ohio, and has received this rating three consecutive years...

 joined from the Mohican-Area Conference, and Wooster

Wooster High School (Ohio)

Wooster High School is a public high school in Wooster, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Wooster City School District. The mascot/nickname of the school is the Generals, named after American Revolutionary War General David Wooster....

 from the Federal League

Federal League (OHSAA)

The Federal League is an Ohio High School Athletic Association sports conference that was established in 1964 and includes schools from Stark and Mahoning counties.-Current members:* Boardman Spartans...

.

Bureaucratically, the conference had some early struggles. The first conference commissioner, Jim Glauer, resigned in 2002 before the league even began play. He was replaced by Ron Dessecker from Orrville, who remains the current commissioner.

Lexington High School has dominated the OCC athletically since the conference's inception. It has won four consecutive all-sports trophies, the award given to the school with the greatest success in all conference athletic competitions. It also has won the girl's tennis conference title every year in the conference's history, and has won two state title in that sport. Other schools have dominated specific sports in much the same way: Mansfield Senior has been the champion or co-champion in boy's basketball in all five league seasons, Wooster has won five boy's swimming and four girl's swimming titles, and Ashland has four running girl's soccer championships.

West Holmes High School revived discussions that had begun in 2007 with the East Central Ohio League

East Central Ohio League

The East Central Ohio League is an athletic conference of high schools in Ohio sponsored by OHSAA. Its seven member schools are located in Guernsey, Coshocton, and Tuscarawas Counties.-History:...

 to leave the Ohio Cardinal Conference effective the 2009-10 school year, which would leave the conference with an odd number of teams. West Holmes has since decided, at least for the time being, to remain in the Ohio Cardinal Conference.

An invitation for membership was extended to Triway High School

Triway High School (Wooster, Ohio)

Triway High School is a public high school near Wooster, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Triway Local School District. Their nickname is the Titans.-Background:...

 in 2009, but Triway's administration voted to remain in the PAC-8

Principals Athletic Conference (OHSAA)

The Principals Athletic Conference is an Ohio High School Athletic Association athletic league made up of eight schools from Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, and Wayne counties. The following are currently members:-Former members:...

.

Members

School	Nickname	Location	Colors	Middle school(s)	Joined League
Ashland	Arrows	Ashland Ashland, Ohio Ashland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Ashland County. The population was 21,249 at the 2000 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan Statistical Area...	Orange, Black	Ashland MS	2003
Clear Fork Clear Fork High School Clear Fork High School is located near Bellville, Ohio, USA. The school serves grades 9-12 and is part of the Clear Fork Valley Local School District...	Colts	Bellville Bellville, Ohio Bellville is a village in Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,773 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...	Green, Black, White	Clear Fork MS	2004
Lexington Lexington High School (Ohio) Lexington High School is located in Lexington, Ohio, USA. The school serves grades 9-12 and is the only high school in the Lexington Local School District...	Minutemen	Lexington Lexington, Ohio Lexington is a village in Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,822 at the 2010 census, an increase from 4,165 in 2000....	Purple, Gold	Lexington JHS	2003
Madison Comprehensive Madison Comprehensive High School (Mansfield, Ohio) Madison Comprehensive High School is a public high school in Richland County's Madison Township, near Mansfield, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Madison Local School District. Their nickname is the Rams....	Rams	Madison Twp. Madison Township, Richland County, Ohio Madison Township is one of the eighteen townships of Richland County, Ohio, United States. It is a part of the Mansfield Metropolitan Statistical Area...	Green, White	Madison JHS	2003
Mansfield	Tygers	Mansfield Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Richland County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau, approximately southwest of Cleveland and northeast of Columbus....	Orange, Brown	Mansfield MS	2003
Orrville Orrville High School Orrville High School is a public high school in Orrville, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Orrville City School District. Their nickname is the Red Riders.-Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships:* Boys Football – 1998...	Red Riders	Orrville Orrville, Ohio Orrville is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, United States. The population was 8,551 at the 2000 census.The J.M. Smucker Co., owner of the Smucker's brand, is headquartered in Orrville.-Geography:Orrville is located at ....	Red, White, Black	Orrville MS	2003
West Holmes West Holmes High School West Holmes High School is a public high school in Millersburg, Ohio. It holds grades 9-12. West Holmes is currently rated 'Excellent' from the state of Ohio, and has received this rating three consecutive years...	Knights	Millersburg Millersburg, Ohio Millersburg is a village in Holmes County, Ohio, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 3,326. It is the county seat of Holmes County.-Geography:Millersburg is located at , along Killbuck Creek...	Red, Blue	West Holmes MS	2003
Wooster Wooster High School (Ohio) Wooster High School is a public high school in Wooster, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Wooster City School District. The mascot/nickname of the school is the Generals, named after American Revolutionary War General David Wooster....	Generals	Wooster Wooster, Ohio Wooster is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio approximately SSW of Cleveland and SW of Akron. Wooster is noted as the location of The College of Wooster...	Blue, Gold	Edgewood MS	2003

Conference rivalries

• Orrville vs. Wooster
• Wooster vs. Madison
• Mansfield vs. Madison
• Ashland vs. Lexington
• Mansfield vs. Ashland

Non-conference rivalries

• Orrville vs. Triway
• West Homes vs. Triway
• West Holmes vs. Hiland

State championships

This table only includes state championships won by schools while a member of the Ohio Cardinal Conference:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! School
! Sport
! Year(s)
|-
|Ashland
|align="center"|none
|
|-
|Clear Fork
|Boys Baseball
|2010
|-
|Lexington
|Girls Tennis
Boys Tennis
|2006, 2007
2004
|-
|Madison
|align="center"|none
|
|-
|Mansfield
|align="center"|none
|
|-
|Orrville
|Volleyball
|2003
|-
|West Holmes
|Wrestling (individual)
|2005, 2006
2007, 2008
Girls Tennis (individual)
2011