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Yappi.com writer CANTON--Through its proud tradition and history, Canton McKinley has always maintained a championship aura that has allowed them to become the most revered and talked about area school in Stark County. Amidst much anticipation on the part of high school sports fans around Stark County, Canton McKinley became a participant of the Federal League at the start of the 2002-2003 high school athletic season. One of the most storied athletic programs in Stark County and Ohio, Canton McKinley would be challenging head-to-head with other league schools each and every year. This move did terminate McKinley’s independent status but would assure the school of a slew of competitive, not to mention profitable games each year with county rivals Perry, Hoover, Jackson, Lake, and GlenOak and Mahoning County schools Austintown-Fitch and Youngstown Boardman. Add to that the prospect of competing for a league title and not just an elusive Division I state football championship each year and the fit seemed perfect. However, in the wake of the Bulldogs' domination of the Federal League last year en route to league football and basketball titles, some Canton McKinley fans seem to think that the league title no longer has much meaning. Unfortunately, those fans seem to be forgetting what winning the league title really means. In basketball, the league championship takes the form of a tournament, where additional games against the best that the Federal League has to offer can help prepare a team for a playoff run. The Federal League does not have a post-season tournament during football season. The records of teams in league play determine the champion. Considering the talent levels of many Federal League schools, playing and winning against league foes along with capturing the championship is a solid accomplishment. To capture the title, a program must consistently defeat talented rivals throughout the entire season. If viewed this way, a league title is not a meaningless trophy handed out at the end of the season—it is a testament to a team’s talent and effort over the course of the entire season. Independent teams only have the state championship trophy to play for. As a member of the Federal League, Canton McKinley has annual bragging rights to win amongst its Stark County rivals. Of course, winning the state championship is a much more worthy accomplishment than winning a league title. But let’s face it—for some teams including Canton McKinley, winning the league title is going to be the only possible accomplishment some seasons. Instead of dismissing winning Federal League championships as meaningless, maybe we should respect it for the worthy achievement that it is. |
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