Some fun with realignment

With a new era in Big Ten college football beginning next year, there has been lots of talk about divisions and realignment over the past several weeks.
By now you know that the Big Ten has 12 teams, and the Big 12 Conference is down to 10 schools. Teams from the Rocky Mountains (Colorado, Utah, etc.) are moving to the Pac-10, and Notre Dame is insistent on remaining independent for now.
It’s madness, I tell you. Madness.
With the addition of Nebraska, a good fit in terms of athletic tradition and academics, the Big Ten has officially been divided. The conference announced its two-division format Sept. 1, with Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Minnesota, Northwestern and Iowa making one division, and Ohio State, Penn State Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue and Indiana forming the other. Would it not be fitting for Michigan’s division to be named the “Schembechler Division” and Ohio State’s be the “Hayes Division?” Just a thought.
All this talk about realignment got me thinking about Manchester and the Cascades Conference. The Dutchmen were once part of the Lenawee County Athletic Association, but jumped to the Cascades in 1982. If one really looks at the conference as is, you may wonder where Manchester fits in. After all, the Dutchmen are the lone Washtenaw County school in the league, while the rest is Jackson County (except for Addison, which is Lenawee).
Take a look at other conferences. For example, the LCAA is now down to six teams, with half in Monroe County. The Tri-County Conference has Morenci on the Ohio border and Whitmore Lake in northern Washtenaw.
So here is my proposal for a new conference, one that works in terms of locations and traditional rivalries. It features Manchester, Addison, Napoleon and Grass Lake from the Cascades, Clinton from the TCC, Onsted and Hudson from the LCAA and Brooklyn Columbia Central from the Southern Michigan Activities Association. Then you take the rest of the Cascades and hook up with the SMAA, have Blissfield join the TCC along with the Monroe County schools and send Whitmore Lake east to join with the South Lyon schools.
In terms of location, my league would work perfectly, as the eight schools form a circle. Travel would not be an issue, as the longest stretch would be between Grass Lake and Hudson. Manchester and Clinton are seven miles apart, Columbia Central and Napoleon are about five miles apart, and all the school districts are connected.
Think of the rivalries in the league. You have the Manchester-Clinton “Battle of M-52,” the Addison-Hudson “Battle of 127,” Columbia Central-Napoleon and Clinton-Onsted, all of them meaning something for a conference title. Think of the potential rivalries that the Dutchmen could develop with Hudson and Onsted. And this is not just limited to football – this works for all sports.
Now to come up with a name. It could be the Sauk Trail Athletic Conference, named after the trail that Native Americans blazed along what’s now U.S. 12, which passes through Clinton, Onsted and Addison. It could be nicknamed the “STAC,” which would be fitting since the quality of the teams would definitely make it a “stacked league.”
It’s probably a pipe dream, but it is interesting to think about. Let me also say that I have no problem with the Cascades, as it is a very good league. With all the talk about divisions and conference realignment, wouldn’t it be interesting to see Manchester and other local high schools join in the fun.