West Holmes to join Principals Athletic Conference in 2028-29

West Holmes is betting that a move to the Principals Athletic Conference will give its athletes a better long-term fit, with scheduling, travel and competitive balance taking priority over tradition. The Knights will leave the Ohio Cardinal Conference and begin PAC competition in the 2028-29 academic and athletic year.

The decision lands as a major shift in Holmes County athletic identity. West Holmes was a charter member of the OCC, which began competition in the 2003-04 school year after its constitution was ratified in 2002. For more than two decades, West Holmes has been tied to that league structure, so the switch will reset familiar rivalries and alter the way Knights teams prepare for league play, tournament seeding and postseason travel.

West Holmes Superintendent Eric Jurkovic said the move came through a collaborative process involving the school board, administration, athletic department and athletic council, with the district focused on what is best for students over the long term. The West Holmes Board of Education placed the PAC membership item on its April 20, 2026 agenda. Board members listed in those minutes were Ezra Day, Hans Ramseyer, Patricia Sage, Joel Yoder and Tina Zickefoose.

PAC Commissioner Gary Woods said West Holmes had shown interest for more than a year before the talks accelerated once Tuslaw and Fairless made their exits official. Woods said the PAC process included a letter of interest, a get-to-know-you interview and then a unanimous 6-0 league vote. The PAC will add West Holmes and Cloverleaf at the same time Tuslaw and Fairless leave for the Northeast Senate League, keeping the conference at eight schools.

That matters close to home because the change could redraw the Friday-night and tournament calendar for Holmes County families who follow West Holmes across football, basketball, soccer and the rest of the athletic program. A conference built around similar school size and geography may mean different travel patterns, different gate-night matchups and a new set of regular opponents, but it also raises the possibility of a better competitive fit for athletes who spend months preparing for league play.

The OCC, meanwhile, will again have to adjust after losing one of its founding members. Commissioner Ron Dessecker has said the league has operated with seven schools before and can do so again. For West Holmes, the shift is less about leaving one era behind than choosing the next one before the 2028-29 school year arrives.