The Southwestern Conference is a Ohio High School Athletic Association athletic league that began conference play in 1937 and is made up of member schools of Cuyahoga and Lorain counties in Ohio.
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The Southwestern Conference (SWC) was established during the 1937 school year with founding members Berea, Oberlin, and Rocky River. Three years later, in 1940, Fairview joined the league. Expansion continued in 1945 with the addition of Wellington and Clearview. Just two years later, in 1947, Medina and Steele were also admitted, further strengthening the conference.
The SWC saw its first major change in 1950 when founding member Berea departed for the Greater Cleveland Conference. In 1954, Olmsted Falls, Westlake, and Bay joined the league, replacing Clearview, Steele, and Wellington, which had left for the Lakeland Conference.
In 1964, Avon Lake became a member of the SWC, while founding member Oberlin exited the conference that same year.
The conference remained relatively stable until 1986, when Steele rejoined the SWC, coinciding with MedinaâÂÂs departure to the Pioneer Conference.
A significant shift occurred in 2005 when Bay, Fairview, and the final founding member, Rocky River, left to form the West Shore Conference. To fill the void, Brecksville-Broadview Heights and Midpark were added that same year.
Another major transition came in the 2013âÂÂ2014 school year, when Midpark High School merged with Berea High School to create Berea-Midpark High School. To accommodate this change, Avon High School joined the SWC in 2015âÂÂ2016, along with Lakewood and Midview. During this period, Brecksville-Broadview Heights accepted an invitation to join the Suburban League in 2013 and departed the SWC after the 2014âÂÂ2015 school year. North Ridgeville was subsequently approved to join the conference in 2015âÂÂ2016 as its replacement.
In 2019, Lakewood announced it would leave the SWC following the 2019âÂÂ2020 school year to join the Great Lakes Conference. Elyria was then accepted as its replacement, beginning in the 2021âÂÂ2022 season. Further changes came in February 2020, when North Olmsted and Westlake announced their departures from the SWC to also join the Great Lakes Conference starting in the 2021âÂÂ2022 school year.