Willard to join new tennis conference

Seven high schools across seven northwest Ohio counties have officially joined together to form a brand-new high school tennis conference — The Northwest 7 Tennis Conference (NW7) — beginning with the 2026–2027 school year. The charter member schools of the NW7 are: Bucyrus, Fremont St. Joseph Central Catholic (boys only), Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic, Tiffin Calvert, Toledo Christian (girls only), Upper Sandusky and Willard. The creation of the NW7 comes in response to changes affecting existing league structures. All seven member schools were set to be without a tennis conference — or were already without one — beginning in 2026–2027, following the dissolution of the current format of the Sandusky Bay Conference. The shifting of schools included Willard, which will leave the SBC for the Northern 10 Athletic Conference next fall. In other varsity and junior varsity sports, Bucyrus, Upper Sandusky, Tiffin Calvert, and Willard will remain members of the N10, while Toledo Christian will continue to compete in the Toledo Area Athletic Conference (TAAC). SJCC and SMCC will continue participation in the SBC for all other sport offerings, excluding football. Girls tennis schedules for the 2026 season have already been established among the member schools, ensuring a smooth transition into conference play. The idea for the new conference was initiated and led by Daniel Miller, assistant athletic director and head boys and girls tennis coach at SMCC, who spearheaded the conversations and meetings among northwest Ohio schools beginning in early September 2025. After months of collaboration, the NW7 bylaws were officially adopted and approved by building principals of the charter member schools on Nov. 13. Last spring, the Willard boys tennis team went 18-2 overall and a perfect 13-0 in the SBC Bay Division. "We're very appreciative and excited for the opportunity to participate in the Northwest 7 Conference," Willard boys head coach Jeff Sanderson said. "I'm glad this came together and that the kids will have something to play for during the season, so that we didn't have to go the independent route. "I also want to thank all those who were involved to make this conference happen in a short period of time." The new league will provide opportunities for student-athletes and the member schools to compete for conference championships in both boys and girls tennis, earn individual conference honors, and foster new relationships among programs throughout northwest Ohio. "This conference gives our student-athletes a consistent, competitive environment and allows all member schools the opportunity to compete for a conference title," Miller said. "We're proud of the collaboration among schools that made this possible and excited for what the future holds."