The Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division should be an exciting race to watch this season. The Athens Bulldogs, Alexander Spartans and Nelsonville-York Buckeyes all sit atop the division in a three-way tie at 4-0.
All three teams are seeing their success reflected in regional polls. Athens ranks third in Region 12 for Division III teams, ahead of multiple Cincinnati and Dayton-area teams. One of those teams is Taft, an inner-city Cincinnati team with two high-profile Division I college recruits.
Nelsonville-York ranks fourth in Region 19 for Division V teams, while division rival Alxander is 13th.
Nelsonville-York and Athens have traded titles in recent years, with the Buckeyes taking the division crown in 2008 and 2010. The Bulldogs were champions in 2009.
All three teams could go 8-0 before facing each other, adding even more intrigue to the division race. The first meeting between any of these three undefeated teams will be when Alexander travels to Athens Oct. 14. Nelsonville-York travels to Alexander the week after and then ends the season with a trip to Athens.
Athens appears to have the most favorable schedule, getting both Alexander and Nelsonville-York at home.
