NAC football has been a fixture of Friday nights across Northeast Ohio since the conference launched its own gridiron schedule in 2009, following years of member schools competing in the now-defunct East Suburban Conference. The sport brings together a tight-knit group of programs from Ashtabula, Lake, and Trumbull counties — with Pymatuning Valley, Grand Valley, Mathews, Fairport Harding, St. John, Cardinal, and Windham all fielding varsity squads in recent years. Not every NAC school plays football — Badger and Maplewood do not participate in the sport — but those that do have built strong traditions, passionate local followings, and rivalries that make each fall season one of the most anticipated on the conference calendar.
On the field, NAC football is defined by physicality, small-school grit, and a competitive balance that keeps title races interesting deep into October. Pymatuning Valley has been the conference’s dominant force in the modern era, capturing six straight NAC championships from 2019 through 2024, while Grand Valley’s multi-title run in the 2010s and Windham’s 2018-19 crown speak to the conference’s history of different programs rising to the top. With OHSAA playoff positioning on the line throughout the season, NAC football games carry real stakes from week one, and the conference continues to be a proving ground for some of the best small-school football in northeast Ohio.
Looking for season award winners? Visit the NAC Awards page for a full archive of NAC Football All-Conference selections, Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year honorees.
NAC Football News
- NAC Expansion: Northeastern Athletic Conference to add Brookfield, Champion, LaBrae & Liberty
- Lakers Flex Muscle in 38-0 Shutout of Grand Valley; Home-Grown Talent Shines in Rivalry Win
NAC Standings: no valid sport specified.