The All-American Conference is a high school athletic conference made of up of schools from Trumbull, Mahoning, and Stark Counties in Ohio. They compete in the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
Members School Location Nickname Colors TenureNotes Austintown Fitch Austintown Falcons Blue, red 2011– Independent in football since 2019 Boardman Boardman Spartans Maroon, white 2014–Independent in football since 2019 Canfield Canfield Cardinals Red, black 2008–Independent in football since 2019 Howland Howland Tigers Orange, black 2008–In Eastern Buckeye Conference for footballLouisvilleLouisvilleLeopardsBlue, white 2026–Independent in football Warren G. Harding Warren Raiders Black, gold 2014– Independent in football since 2019
Former members School Location Nickname Colors Tenure Notes Beaver Local1 East Liverpool Beavers Red, white 2008–2013 left for Buckeye 8 Athletic League Brookfield Brookfield Warriors Blue, gold 2014–2020 left for Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Campbell Memorial Campbell Red Devils Red, black 2008–2020 left for Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Champion Champion Golden Flashes Purple, gold 2008–2020 left for Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Crestview Columbiana Rebels Black, gold 2017–2020 left for Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference East Youngstown Panthers/Golden Bears2 Navy blue, gold 2014–2019 left for Steel Valley Conference Edgewood Ashtabula Warriors Red, gray 2014–2019 left for Chagrin Valley Conference Hubbard Hubbard Eagles Royal blue, white 2008–2018 left for Northeast 8 Conference Girard Girard Indians Red, black 2008–2018 left for Northeast 8 Conference Jefferson Jefferson Falcons Red, black 2011–2018 left for Northeast 8 Conference LaBrae Leavittsburg Vikings Crimson, gray 2008–2020 left for Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Lakeside Ashtabula Dragons Green, gold 2015–2019 left for Chagrin Valley Conference Lakeview Cortland Bulldogs Blue, gray 2008–2018 left for Northeast 8 Conference Liberty Liberty Leopards Maroon, gold 2008–2020 left for Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Newton Falls Newton Falls Tigers Orange, black 2008–2020 left for Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Niles McKinley Niles Red Dragons Red, blue 2008–2018 left for Northeast 8 Conference Poland Seminary Poland Bulldogs Blue, white 2008–2018 left for Northeast 8 Conference Salem Salem Quakers Red, black 2008–2011 left for Northeastern Buckeye Conference Struthers Struthers Wildcats Red, white 2008–2018 left for Northeast 8 Conference 1Beaver Local maintained membership in the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference during their tenure in the AAC. 2Youngstown East changed their mascot and school colors in 2017. History The All-American Conference (AAC) was formed in 2008 following the merger of the Trumbull Athletic Conference and the Metro Athletic Conference. From its inception, the AAC utilized a tiered alignment system based primarily on school enrollment to maintain competitive balance. At various points, the conference included four tiers: Red, Gold, White, and Blue, which grouped schools with similar student populations while still maintaining conference-wide competition in many sports. This structure allowed large Division I schools to compete in the same league as smaller Division III and IV programs while minimizing competitive disparities.
During the early 2010s, the AAC became one of the largest high school athletic conferences in Ohio, eventually expanding to more than 20 member schools across its tiers. Schools such as Austintown Fitch, Warren G. Harding, Canfield, Poland Seminary, and Howland represented some of the conference’s larger programs, while schools such as Champion, LaBrae, and Newton Falls competed among the smaller-enrollment tiers.
In 2017, conference administrators voted to restructure the league’s alignment beginning with the 2019–20 school year in response to changing enrollment numbers and new competitive balance factors introduced by the OHSAA. The proposal reduced the number of tiers in most sports and reorganized several schools within the conference structure.
Major realignment occurred following the 2017–18 school year when several mid-sized schools left the conference to establish the Northeast 8 Athletic Conference. Founding members of the new conference included Lakeview, Niles, Girard, Hubbard, Struthers, Poland, and Jefferson, and South Range.
Further changes followed in 2019 when Lakeside, Edgewood, and East High School departed the AAC to join the Chagrin Valley Conference and Steel Valley Conference, respectively. These departures further reduced the size of the conference and contributed to additional restructuring.
In 2020, the schools that made up the AAC’s Blue Tier announced their withdrawal from the conference to form the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference alongside former members of the Inter-Tri County League. The move significantly altered the league’s structure and left the conference primarily composed of larger schools in the region.
Despite the departures, the AAC continues to operate, removing the tier system after 2020. In July 2025, Louisville announced they will join the conference beginning with the 2026–27 school year after previously competing as an independent program. In May 2026, Salem, West Branch, and Alliance announced that they have applied to join the conference.
See also Ohio High School Athletic Conferences
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