Dominoes Start To Fall In Illinois HS Athletic
Conferences
By Dave Schmidt of THE
SENIOR REPORTS – www.theseniorreports.com
(10-9-12)
- Illinois High School
athletic conferences are starting to change membership at a rapid pace. You hear many times the “dominoes are
starting to fall” they are doing that in Illinois. It doesn’t take much to see these changes and
the effect it will have for several years.
Please note that we have excluded names of some schools and conferences who have
asked to with hold that information.
Here is a quick look at some changes taking place all over Illinois:
Big Northern
Conference
*The Big Northern Conference has been quite active adding
new members..
This year they added Rockford Christian to the East Division. The BNC will now add in the future Johnsburg ,
who was a BNC member just a few years ago, who is now leaving the Fox Valley
Conference. They will also add Dixon
who is leaving the Northern Illinois Big 12 after being a member for just a
couple of years after
the formation of that conference. This
will give the BNC 16 total members in 2 divisions.
Northeastern Athletic
Conference
*Added Ottawa Marquette for football only and Elgin Harvest
for all other sports to replace Rockford Christian.
Fox Valley Conference
*Announced in the past several weeks they will add 1 to 3
public school members to replace Johnsburg. Depending on who they manage to add will keep
the dominoes falling for sure.
Northern
Illinois Big 12
*Looking to replace at least Dixon
the NIB 12 contacted 3 schools, Hampshire of the Fox
Valley has already declined the
invitation. The 2 other schools at last
report are still in play, one is located north of the current membership and
should they join the ripple effect will cause another conference to consider
there future. The other school is
located south of the NIB 12 membership.
Should these two join divisional alignment might be changed. Also Streator had made public they were
considering a change, after finding no one who was interested they remain in
the conference, but with all of the changes they might be in play. (We have not mentioned the names of schools
at there request to keep it off the record) UPDATED: 11-17-12 – Streator has
indicated they will talk with the Corn
Belt Conference about future membership.
DuPage Valley Conference
*West Chicago announced they will leave the DVC to join the
Metro Suburban. This will leave the DVC
with 7 members. Lake
Park has been approved to join and
now the leaves the Upstate 8 looking
to replace a member in the Valley Division.
However; we are also aware of one other DVC member talking about a
possible move to another conference. With the DVC looking to add another new
member another conference will be put in play in the falling of the
dominoes. (We have not mentioned the names of schools at there request to keep it
off the record) UPDATED: 11-17-12 – West
Aurora and Glenbard East
were invited to join the Upstate 8. Also, West Chicago had it’s membership rescinded after learning they had applied to
join the Upstate 8. West Chicago also has received
an invitation to join the Upstate 8.
Okaw Valley Conference
*It looks like it will disband with 9 members forming a new
conference the Central Illinois
Conference and leaving 3 members to find a new home. The 9 schools who plan
on forming the CIC - Argenta-Oreana, Central A&M, Clinton, Meridian,
St. Teresa, Shelbyville, Sullivan, Tuscola and Warrensburg-Latham.
The 3 schools left out of the “back door” defection are Maroa-Forsyth, Monticello
and Tolono Unity. Maroa-Forsyth,
Unity and Monticello have applied
to join the Sangamon Valley Conference, along with Dwight (Upstate 8) and Milford
(Vermillion Valley).
Also the 3 remaining OVC members have been talking with St.
Joe-Ogden, St. Thomas More and Rantoul of the Corn Belt Conference to keep the OVC
viable. UPDATED: 11-17-12 – Rantoul will
leave the Corn Belt and
join the OVC.
Central
Illinois Conference
*UPDATED 10-10-12
- Argenta-Oreana voted out of new CIC and will look to join
Little Okaw Valley Conference.
Western Big Six
Conference and Mid-State Six Conference
*The two conferences agreed to merge in July (football only)
and will begin play next season. Peoria Central, Peoria Manual, Peoria Notre
Dame and Peoria Richwoods will join WB6 teams Galesburg,
Rock Island Alleman, Moline,
Quincy, Rock Island and United
Township.
Sangamo Conference
*The Sangamo Conference voted to bring Nokomis in to fill the
void created after Sangamon Valley
accepted a spot in the Little Okaw Valley Conference
for the 2014-15 school year. UPDATED 10-10-12 - Unity, Monticello, and Dwight will not be joining the Sangamon Valley Conference. The schools did not receive the six votes needed for
entry.
Little Okaw Valley Conference
*The conference approved the membership applications of The
Lutheran School Association, Sangamon
Valley and Oblong. The three will
join the conference beginning in the 2014-15 school year.
The additions give the LOVC a 10-team football conference
and allow for division play in most other sports.
*UPDATED 10-10-12
- Argenta-Oreana voted out of new CIC and will look to join
Little Okaw Valley Conference.
Little Illini Conference
*Paris leaves
the Apollo Conference to join the LIC.
Apollo Conference
*Taylorville is set to join the Apollo in 2014-15.
Prairie State Conference
*Metro-East Lutheran High to join conference.
West Central
Conference
*West Central Conference voted to extend an invitation to
Quincy Notre Dame, Chillicothe Illinois Valley Central and Canton
to join the conference for football only, starting in 2013.
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