Conference Musical Chairs
XII: It Just Won't End
XII: It Just Won't End
Big Northern Now Wants Expansion ...
After the Three Rivers Conference finally succeeded in its plan for expansion ...
After formerly independent Princeton found a home in the Three Rivers ...
Just when it looked like everything would be stable for some time ...
The conference expansion talks came up once more.
This time, it's the Big Northern Conference, who already has expansion plans for the next
school year.
To start this year, the BNC saw Mendota join its roster for all sports except for football.
Mendota joined the conference's West Division which includes Byron, Lutheran, Oregon,
Rock Falls, Stillman Valley and Winnebago. Next year, the Trojan football team (whose
head coach is yet to be determined after the retirement of John McKenzie) will join the
BNC fold. Mendota was formerly in the NCIC before its breakup, and its football team was
formerly in the West Central Conference's North Division.
Also next year, Rockford Christian will depart the Northeastern Athletic Conference for the
BNC's East Division in all sports – including football.
Fourteen schools, seven on the West and seven on the East, was apparently not enough
for the BNC, who, according to published reports, wants to expand to to sixteen schools.
And the carousel turns once more.
Possible BNC Candidates
(Disclaimer: “Possible BNC Candidates” in this writer's opinion only ... should save
principals from sending me angry emails stating that I am wrong, was misinformed, etc.)
The perfect candidate for the Big Northern Conference would be any school between its
smallest, that being Oregon's 525 students, and its largest, that being Burlington Central's
1,059 students. The perfect geographical area would range from the Rock River to the
West to Illinois Route 47 to the East, and from the Wisconsin State Line from the north to
Interstate 80 to the south.
Problem is, there are no such ideal matches. Either no school fits the description, or those
that do are happy with the situation they are already in.
But when it comes to conference expansion, constraints are often thrown out of the
equation and the new choices become the new constraint. Meaning, the Big Northern
would have to find a school larger or smaller than its current enrollment boundary, and
further away from its polar schools.
South Beloit? When it comes to the area around it, the SOBOS would be a perfect fit.
However, the high school is not the largest in the conference it is currently in – the
Northwest Upstate Illini. South Beloit has an enrollment of 297 students (as of last year),
which is less than Pecatonica (318) and the conference's largest school – West Carroll's
410.
The enrollment may sound small, but the area is prime for growth in the future. Perhaps
not as big as the spurt at North Boone a few years back, but the potential is still there.
The only thing that could hold South Beloit back is its athletic competition. Boys basketball
is the school's only prime sport, as the rest have struggled against its current competition
in the NUIC.
Forreston? The Cardinals were a charter member of the Big Northern, having competed
from 1991 to 1995. They departed from the BNC for the NUIC due to size issues. The
enrollment issues, however, are continuing to be on the downward slope. Forreston has
seen its enrollment drop by nearly 75 students to its present total of 252.
However, what may make the Cardinals a prime candidate is its athletic competition.
Forreston has rivalries with several BNC West schools, and its fan base is a strong one.
Rockford Christian Life? Parochial school athletic programs are on the rise in recent
years (I'll leave it at that), and a school enrollment number has become less and less of a
restriction. The Eagles have already proven that they can compete with the rest of its
current Northeastern Athletic Conference schools.
Going to the Big Northern would resurrect the full strength of its rivalry with Rockford
Christian.
The enrollment at the school is 238 actual students (392.7 in IHSA terms), and that could
be a hold-back. This, and past reluctance from certain BNC schools regarding the
addition of private schools into its conference.
But almost every other option from this point on are all private.
Westminster Christian? Not too long ago, Elgin's Westminster Christian (actual
enrollment 204) was a quiet little school that didn't make a whole lot of noise in athletics.
Then its baseball team won the Class 1A state championship two years ago, and that
seemed to be the rallying cry toward a surge in extra-curricular activities.
Westminster's teams are currently competing very well in the Northeastern Athletic
Conference. However, the biggest drawback to a potential conference move is that it does
not field a football program.
St. Edward? For years, the Green Wave (actual enrollment 381) has fielded competitive
athletic programs. The football program is on the rise. The girls basketball program has
been one of the better small-school teams in the greater Chicago area for the past three
decades. In fact, all of its girls sports teams have done quite well in postseason
competition in the past decade.
St. Edward, Elgin's only catholic school, is currently in the East Suburban Christian
Conference with a lot of resourceful Chicagoland christian schools. The plus side to a
possible move would be the fact that it fields a football team.
Harvest Christian? See a theme here? The Elgin school (actual enrollment 102) just
became a member of the Illinois High School Association for this year. So far the school
has established postseason success in volleyball. That could only mean the potential
elsewhere can get better.
Two drawbacks are that the school, a member of the Northeastern Athletic, is just too new
to establish a meter as to its athletic and developmental successes, and also not fielding
a football team.
Woodstock Marian? The Cyclones have been in the BNC expansion talk in the past, but
wasn't received too well from its schools.
Perhaps a ton of athletic success, combined with its enrollment of 716 actual students had
something to do with it.
The Golden Rule of Conference Speculation
If the idea of a move is planned, a replacement must be sought out. Don't leave anyone
hanging.
When Rochelle left the NCIC for the gone-and-probably-will-be-forgotten Western Sun
Conference in 2006, they had the wishes of the rest of the NCIC schools in mind. Rochelle
and Geneseo would have switched divisions if the Hubs hadn't departed, which would
create havoc on the NCIC's smaller side of things.
Rochelle's move took a while to understand at first, but eventually it worked out well for
the NCIC – saving it from immediate collapse, which would happen later on.
Speaking of the NCIC:
Streator? Behold, a public school option! Streator has discussed a conference move
some time in the future. Streator is a long ways away from the rest of the Big Northern
schools, however its enrollment has them stuck on an island if the Corn Belt isn't
interested in them.
The Bulldogs have struggled against competition against the two-year-old Northern Illinois
Big 12's West Division, as well as in its East Division crossover games. However, the
glaring weaknesses are seen in football, volleyball and girls basketball. Baseball, softball
and boys basketball have been strong in recent years at Streator.
But if Streator leaves, what will that do to the Northern Illinois Big 12? Stability was a point-
of-emphasis in creating the conference. Any other option would be too far, or a
Chicagoland school – which could raise eyebrows on the West Division side of things.
Dixon? Same for the Dukes and Duchesses. However, its athletic programs have been in
decline in the past few years. They compete well in cross country and bowling, but not
much else. Moving to the BNC would be a great athletic fit, and would renew rivalries with
former NCIC foes Mendota and Rock Falls, but that still leaves the NI Big 12 hanging.
Even a package deal to send both schools to the BNC and having the NI Big 12 realign to
one full conference has its cons. As already hinted earlier, the competition is starting to
show some imbalance among the divisions.
Belvidere? Location-wise, this would be a perfect fit. Enrollment-wise, however, is
another story.
What really hurts Belvidere's chances is the fate of its sister school north of town. Will
Belvidere North truly work out, and if not, this puts Belvidere back over two-thousand
students. Until it is absolutely certain that two high schools can work out in the long run,
Belvidere isn't a safe bet for consideration.
This would also impact any move to the NI Big 12.
If Two Had To Be Chosen Now ...
In my view, Rockford Christian Life and Elgin St. Edward.
With apologies to the anti-private school crowd within the conference, if expansion is
wanted then there's no feasible way out of getting at least one private school into the mix.
But Rockford Christian was added for next year, so there's some agreement ground
somewhere.
Such a move would create a void in the Northeastern Athletic Conference. Also another in
the SCC, but I think Westchester St. Joseph can be a replacement there. Unlike the
situation stated above with the NI Big 12, replacement options are actually viable.
Two of them.
Ottawa Marquette will be joining the NAC in football only starting next year. Its other teams
are doing very well in the Tri-County Conference, and a move to bring together all sports
under one umbrella is something that most schools are trying to accomplish.
As for the Tri-County fallout, they can add Dwight to its roster. Dwight has struggled
mightily in Interstate 8 Conference (which has 12 schools) play in all sports. Dwight's
football program can head over to the 13-team Heart of Illinois Conference, and making
its football schedule a little easier to deal with. Then for the I-8, include Westmont in some
sort of suburban conference incarnation (explaining this in detail would throw this column
way off-balance), and collapse the league to a single ten-team loop.
That settles on one NAC void; what about the other?
Hiawatha joining the NAC would bring together all of its sports programs into one
conference umbrella. This, of course, creates a void in the Little 10 Conference – the
oldest continually-operating athletic conference in Illinois.
The Little 10 always tries to get that extra school if a reduction hits. They have some
options available if Hiawatha leaves.
One option is to add Ohio, just to say they have 10 schools. However, Ohio (who co-ops
with Little 10's La Moille in everything) has been in limbo for decades now.
Another is Gardner-South Wilmington, who is on the schedules of several Little 10
schools. Plus, football would not be something to discuss. This knocks the River Valley
down to six, and creates the possibility of a merger with the Sangamon Valley to create a
14-school league. Larger leagues for Class 1A schools works out, just in case there are
consolidations and closures.
Another is Ashton-Franklin Center, who is so far apart from the rest of its fellow NUIC
schools. There.
Now This Will Pan Out
The animosity between smaller public schools and private schools in the Rockford area
has got to stop. Continuing to shy away from private schools will not (emphasis on the
word "not") help the public sports teams come playoff time.
Whatever plans are taken from these ideas will be up to just how willing certain BNC
schools are in taking in private schools.
If anything, bringing in such competition actually helps the BNC schools in the long run.
The immediate impact will simply be the digits of wins and losses, but that's it. However, if
certain BNC schools continue to stray away from wanting to do anything with private
schools, then the postseason may be tough.
The postseason landscape will not change. However, the single teams in them can.
The private schools that do well in the Class 2A thick of things are still going to be there.
That will not change. However, if public teams play against such competition on a regular
basis, they will be battle-tested enough to do well against these same opponents when
the postseason arrives.
Look at it from the reverse: Not playing against such private school teams could lead to
some mis-matches come playoff time ... and then off-court excuses for public school
losses will run rampant, rather than what happened on the playing surface.
We may already be seeing this example this year.
*All enrollment numbers mentioned in this column are that of last year. The IHSA uses last
year's enrollment figures to determine this year's classifications.
Cody Cutter is Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat and wants school officials to
please re-read the Possible BNC Candidates disclaimer one more time. He can be
reached at Northernillinoissportsbeat (at) yahoo (dot) com. --- Talk about what's written
on our Message Boards!
After formerly independent Princeton found a home in the Three Rivers ...
Just when it looked like everything would be stable for some time ...
The conference expansion talks came up once more.
This time, it's the Big Northern Conference, who already has expansion plans for the next
school year.
To start this year, the BNC saw Mendota join its roster for all sports except for football.
Mendota joined the conference's West Division which includes Byron, Lutheran, Oregon,
Rock Falls, Stillman Valley and Winnebago. Next year, the Trojan football team (whose
head coach is yet to be determined after the retirement of John McKenzie) will join the
BNC fold. Mendota was formerly in the NCIC before its breakup, and its football team was
formerly in the West Central Conference's North Division.
Also next year, Rockford Christian will depart the Northeastern Athletic Conference for the
BNC's East Division in all sports – including football.
Fourteen schools, seven on the West and seven on the East, was apparently not enough
for the BNC, who, according to published reports, wants to expand to to sixteen schools.
And the carousel turns once more.
Possible BNC Candidates
(Disclaimer: “Possible BNC Candidates” in this writer's opinion only ... should save
principals from sending me angry emails stating that I am wrong, was misinformed, etc.)
The perfect candidate for the Big Northern Conference would be any school between its
smallest, that being Oregon's 525 students, and its largest, that being Burlington Central's
1,059 students. The perfect geographical area would range from the Rock River to the
West to Illinois Route 47 to the East, and from the Wisconsin State Line from the north to
Interstate 80 to the south.
Problem is, there are no such ideal matches. Either no school fits the description, or those
that do are happy with the situation they are already in.
But when it comes to conference expansion, constraints are often thrown out of the
equation and the new choices become the new constraint. Meaning, the Big Northern
would have to find a school larger or smaller than its current enrollment boundary, and
further away from its polar schools.
South Beloit? When it comes to the area around it, the SOBOS would be a perfect fit.
However, the high school is not the largest in the conference it is currently in – the
Northwest Upstate Illini. South Beloit has an enrollment of 297 students (as of last year),
which is less than Pecatonica (318) and the conference's largest school – West Carroll's
410.
The enrollment may sound small, but the area is prime for growth in the future. Perhaps
not as big as the spurt at North Boone a few years back, but the potential is still there.
The only thing that could hold South Beloit back is its athletic competition. Boys basketball
is the school's only prime sport, as the rest have struggled against its current competition
in the NUIC.
Forreston? The Cardinals were a charter member of the Big Northern, having competed
from 1991 to 1995. They departed from the BNC for the NUIC due to size issues. The
enrollment issues, however, are continuing to be on the downward slope. Forreston has
seen its enrollment drop by nearly 75 students to its present total of 252.
However, what may make the Cardinals a prime candidate is its athletic competition.
Forreston has rivalries with several BNC West schools, and its fan base is a strong one.
Rockford Christian Life? Parochial school athletic programs are on the rise in recent
years (I'll leave it at that), and a school enrollment number has become less and less of a
restriction. The Eagles have already proven that they can compete with the rest of its
current Northeastern Athletic Conference schools.
Going to the Big Northern would resurrect the full strength of its rivalry with Rockford
Christian.
The enrollment at the school is 238 actual students (392.7 in IHSA terms), and that could
be a hold-back. This, and past reluctance from certain BNC schools regarding the
addition of private schools into its conference.
But almost every other option from this point on are all private.
Westminster Christian? Not too long ago, Elgin's Westminster Christian (actual
enrollment 204) was a quiet little school that didn't make a whole lot of noise in athletics.
Then its baseball team won the Class 1A state championship two years ago, and that
seemed to be the rallying cry toward a surge in extra-curricular activities.
Westminster's teams are currently competing very well in the Northeastern Athletic
Conference. However, the biggest drawback to a potential conference move is that it does
not field a football program.
St. Edward? For years, the Green Wave (actual enrollment 381) has fielded competitive
athletic programs. The football program is on the rise. The girls basketball program has
been one of the better small-school teams in the greater Chicago area for the past three
decades. In fact, all of its girls sports teams have done quite well in postseason
competition in the past decade.
St. Edward, Elgin's only catholic school, is currently in the East Suburban Christian
Conference with a lot of resourceful Chicagoland christian schools. The plus side to a
possible move would be the fact that it fields a football team.
Harvest Christian? See a theme here? The Elgin school (actual enrollment 102) just
became a member of the Illinois High School Association for this year. So far the school
has established postseason success in volleyball. That could only mean the potential
elsewhere can get better.
Two drawbacks are that the school, a member of the Northeastern Athletic, is just too new
to establish a meter as to its athletic and developmental successes, and also not fielding
a football team.
Woodstock Marian? The Cyclones have been in the BNC expansion talk in the past, but
wasn't received too well from its schools.
Perhaps a ton of athletic success, combined with its enrollment of 716 actual students had
something to do with it.
The Golden Rule of Conference Speculation
If the idea of a move is planned, a replacement must be sought out. Don't leave anyone
hanging.
When Rochelle left the NCIC for the gone-and-probably-will-be-forgotten Western Sun
Conference in 2006, they had the wishes of the rest of the NCIC schools in mind. Rochelle
and Geneseo would have switched divisions if the Hubs hadn't departed, which would
create havoc on the NCIC's smaller side of things.
Rochelle's move took a while to understand at first, but eventually it worked out well for
the NCIC – saving it from immediate collapse, which would happen later on.
Speaking of the NCIC:
Streator? Behold, a public school option! Streator has discussed a conference move
some time in the future. Streator is a long ways away from the rest of the Big Northern
schools, however its enrollment has them stuck on an island if the Corn Belt isn't
interested in them.
The Bulldogs have struggled against competition against the two-year-old Northern Illinois
Big 12's West Division, as well as in its East Division crossover games. However, the
glaring weaknesses are seen in football, volleyball and girls basketball. Baseball, softball
and boys basketball have been strong in recent years at Streator.
But if Streator leaves, what will that do to the Northern Illinois Big 12? Stability was a point-
of-emphasis in creating the conference. Any other option would be too far, or a
Chicagoland school – which could raise eyebrows on the West Division side of things.
Dixon? Same for the Dukes and Duchesses. However, its athletic programs have been in
decline in the past few years. They compete well in cross country and bowling, but not
much else. Moving to the BNC would be a great athletic fit, and would renew rivalries with
former NCIC foes Mendota and Rock Falls, but that still leaves the NI Big 12 hanging.
Even a package deal to send both schools to the BNC and having the NI Big 12 realign to
one full conference has its cons. As already hinted earlier, the competition is starting to
show some imbalance among the divisions.
Belvidere? Location-wise, this would be a perfect fit. Enrollment-wise, however, is
another story.
What really hurts Belvidere's chances is the fate of its sister school north of town. Will
Belvidere North truly work out, and if not, this puts Belvidere back over two-thousand
students. Until it is absolutely certain that two high schools can work out in the long run,
Belvidere isn't a safe bet for consideration.
This would also impact any move to the NI Big 12.
If Two Had To Be Chosen Now ...
In my view, Rockford Christian Life and Elgin St. Edward.
With apologies to the anti-private school crowd within the conference, if expansion is
wanted then there's no feasible way out of getting at least one private school into the mix.
But Rockford Christian was added for next year, so there's some agreement ground
somewhere.
Such a move would create a void in the Northeastern Athletic Conference. Also another in
the SCC, but I think Westchester St. Joseph can be a replacement there. Unlike the
situation stated above with the NI Big 12, replacement options are actually viable.
Two of them.
Ottawa Marquette will be joining the NAC in football only starting next year. Its other teams
are doing very well in the Tri-County Conference, and a move to bring together all sports
under one umbrella is something that most schools are trying to accomplish.
As for the Tri-County fallout, they can add Dwight to its roster. Dwight has struggled
mightily in Interstate 8 Conference (which has 12 schools) play in all sports. Dwight's
football program can head over to the 13-team Heart of Illinois Conference, and making
its football schedule a little easier to deal with. Then for the I-8, include Westmont in some
sort of suburban conference incarnation (explaining this in detail would throw this column
way off-balance), and collapse the league to a single ten-team loop.
That settles on one NAC void; what about the other?
Hiawatha joining the NAC would bring together all of its sports programs into one
conference umbrella. This, of course, creates a void in the Little 10 Conference – the
oldest continually-operating athletic conference in Illinois.
The Little 10 always tries to get that extra school if a reduction hits. They have some
options available if Hiawatha leaves.
One option is to add Ohio, just to say they have 10 schools. However, Ohio (who co-ops
with Little 10's La Moille in everything) has been in limbo for decades now.
Another is Gardner-South Wilmington, who is on the schedules of several Little 10
schools. Plus, football would not be something to discuss. This knocks the River Valley
down to six, and creates the possibility of a merger with the Sangamon Valley to create a
14-school league. Larger leagues for Class 1A schools works out, just in case there are
consolidations and closures.
Another is Ashton-Franklin Center, who is so far apart from the rest of its fellow NUIC
schools. There.
Now This Will Pan Out
The animosity between smaller public schools and private schools in the Rockford area
has got to stop. Continuing to shy away from private schools will not (emphasis on the
word "not") help the public sports teams come playoff time.
Whatever plans are taken from these ideas will be up to just how willing certain BNC
schools are in taking in private schools.
If anything, bringing in such competition actually helps the BNC schools in the long run.
The immediate impact will simply be the digits of wins and losses, but that's it. However, if
certain BNC schools continue to stray away from wanting to do anything with private
schools, then the postseason may be tough.
The postseason landscape will not change. However, the single teams in them can.
The private schools that do well in the Class 2A thick of things are still going to be there.
That will not change. However, if public teams play against such competition on a regular
basis, they will be battle-tested enough to do well against these same opponents when
the postseason arrives.
Look at it from the reverse: Not playing against such private school teams could lead to
some mis-matches come playoff time ... and then off-court excuses for public school
losses will run rampant, rather than what happened on the playing surface.
We may already be seeing this example this year.
*All enrollment numbers mentioned in this column are that of last year. The IHSA uses last
year's enrollment figures to determine this year's classifications.
Cody Cutter is Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat and wants school officials to
please re-read the Possible BNC Candidates disclaimer one more time. He can be
reached at Northernillinoissportsbeat (at) yahoo (dot) com. --- Talk about what's written
on our Message Boards!
| Northern Illinois Sports Beat http://www.northernillinoissportsbeat.com |
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