Changes will be coming to Youngstown City School athletics by 2026.

The Steel Valley Conference will dissolve in 2026 as Cardinal Mooney and Ursuline move on to help found the Ohio Catholic Athletic Conference. That will leave Chaney and East without a home.

With the conference ending, the Cowboys and Golden Bears are looking toward Pennsylvania for a potential answer.

Youngstown City Schools approached the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s District 10 about potentially joining, or at least forming a scheduling partnership in the coming years.

“We’re definitely interested in an affiliation with (District 10), but if we can’t pull off a conference affiliation, we would be more than happy to do a scheduling agreement with them,” YCSD Athletic Director Nick Sferra said.

District 10 controls the regions, the counterpart to conferences in Ohio, and the league schedule. Since the district puts out the schedule, the release is closer to the season than compared to Ohio.

“I think they just got their 2024 schedules two weeks ago,” Sferra said. “I can’t wait until two weeks prior, because here in Ohio, most of us are two years out.”

Sferra said the goal is to find a home for the Cowboys and Golden Bears. He would like to see them join local conferences, and District 10 is an option on the table.

Talks between the district and YCSD began roughly two years ago. Sferra said he had discussions with athletic directors throughout District 10 and D-10 chairman Pete Iacino, and he said the talks went well.

He also said the two programs are not exactly a package deal despite the city connection. He’s had discussions with other conferences about separating the East and Chaney if it means finding the programs a new home.

“I’m just trying to find a way to get our kids busy and not driving up into Cleveland and Akron,” Sferra said. “That’s the shake of why we’re looking at other opportunities.”

Dan Hiner is the sports editor of The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, and he’ll put out a monthly column. Contact him by email at dhiner@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @DanHiner_Sports.