COLUMBUS — It is no secret that there will be some big changes coming to the conferences that area high schools belong to starting in the fall of 2017.

To avoid any more confusion that is already out there, the Inquirer reached out to Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference commissioner Terry Williams for some clarity.

The changes date back to 2016, after the fall football season, when the Fairbanks Panthers departed the MOAC Red Division to join the Heritage Conference.

In 2017, one conference will be minimizing and a new conference is forming.

First and foremost, the MOAC.

Currently, the MOAC is comprised of a small school, or Blue Division; and a Red Division. As of the start of the fall 2017 season, the MOAC will be still be a conference but, but there will no longer be two divisions.

Ontario and Clear Fork will be the new kids in town and will be joining current MOAC schools, Buckeye Valley, Marion Harding, Pleasant, North Union, River Valley and Galion.

Ontario is joining the conference as the Northern Ohio League, or NOL, is disbanding after being in existence since 1944.

Clear Fork is leaving the Ohio Cardinal Conference.

Jonathan Alder is leaving the MOAC to join the

Central Buckeye Conference-Springfield Area.

Elgin also is leaving, to join the Northwest Central Conference.

Other schools that were once members of the MOAC Blue Division are forming a new conference in 2017.

The Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference, or KMAC, will include Cardington, Centerburg, East Knox, Fredericktown, Highland, Mount Gilead and Northmor, all were members of the MOAC Blue Division. Danville, currently a member of the Mid-Buckeye

Conference with Crestline, will be the eighth team to round

out the new conference. Barry Wolf will be the inaugural commissioner of the KMAC.