Hall, Princeton, St. Bede Among
TRAC Talk
TRAC Talk
Move Would Split Conference In Two Divisions, Three More Schools Added ...
| Northern Illinois Sports Beat http://www.northernillinoissportsbeat.com |
By Cody Cutter
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Publisher
Who can name the three rivers of the Three Rivers Conference?
The Rock and the Mississippi are two. The third one, the Green, is the one that stumps
most conference guessers – as it is south of Amboy.
After a new reconfiguration of the TRC, a pair of new rivers – the Illinois and Edwards –
could enter the fold.
Indeed, that is the geographical range of what TRC officials are hoping for.
For years the conference had looked at ways to expand its conference, and starting next
year will look to see Hall, Princeton and St. Bede join the league. Orion, Rockridge and
Sherrard are also in the expansion mix.
With the expansion, the conference divided itself into two divisions with the cutoff being a
north-south geographical arrangement. Three dividing scenarios were considered, with
the majority of the schools agreeing on the north-south division.
Expansion will divide the conference into two divisions, with Interstate 80 being the border
between the North Division and the South Division. Hall and St. Bede, along with
Kewanee, Princeton, Orion, Rockridge and Sherrard will make up the South Division.
Seven of the eight original members of the TRC – Amboy, Erie, Fulton, Morrison,
Newman, Prophetstown and Riverdale – along with Bureau Valley, will make up the North
Division.
Since Erie and Prophetstown co-op in football, cross country, wrestling, baseball, softball
and track, the North Division would thus be a seven-school arrangement in those sports.
The six new schools will enter the frays in all sports starting with the 2013-14 school year.
Hall's football team will join one year early, as it had already been approved earlier this
year to join. The Red Devils will fill in the void left by Ottawa Marquette, who will leave for
the Northeastern Athletic Conference in football next school year.
The Marquette move led to the opportunity to make major changes to the conference's
makeup.
“The principals saw the opportunity to expand the Big Rivers back to original form, that
being two divisions with non-conference cross over games with the other side of the
conference,” Morrison principal and TRC president Scott Vance said. “The schools that
we felt would be interested expressed their desire to come into our conference for all
sports including football. After several meetings, the principals decided that having two
separate conferences with the majority of the schools being in both conferences and one
or two schools not being in both was confusing and unnecessary so we eventually
decided to expand both the Big Rivers and the TRAC.”
Red Devils Get Head Start
Next year's Big Rivers will see its roster already full of winning tradition be bolstered with
Hall's presence (which includes a pair of state football titles). Hall's football team
competed this year in the western Illinois-based West Central Conference's North
Division, a move that was made after the shakeup of the NCIC in 2010.
Hall athletic director Eric Bryant is pleased to see some stability for his schools in a past
few years filled with many conference moves in the area. Not to mention more comfort in
football travel as well.
“We will have a conference that will have all of our sports in it, and we won't be traveling
back and forth between two different conferences,” Bryant said. “The conference is a
good one for all sports, and with the teams that they're bringing in, it makes it that much
better. You're always looking for something that's going to make your postseason better,
trying to play teams that are going to make you better for the postseason.”
Hall's other sports will join the gridders the following season. Not too long after the football
team's move to the West Central, the rest of the athletic teams moved to the Tri-County
Conference. The move was the first for Hall since joining the NCIC in 1942.
“We are probably on the lucky side compared to everyone else,” Bryant said. “We'll
prepare for everybody in the Big Rivers next year and having maybe a little bit of an
upper hand on everyone else next year, being as we'll be the only team that has played
everybody.”
St. Bede Finds Stability
Hall won't be the eastern geographical extreme in the mix. That honor will go to St. Bede,
just a few miles east of Spring Valley.
Unlike Hall, St. Bede is no stranger to trying to find athletic conferences to fit in. After a
few years in the Tri-County, St. Bede moved to the NCIC in 2010 as a replacement for
current TRC school Kewanee.
However, with the landscape of the NCIC not looking bright, a move to assure stability and
relationships with other schools was needed. St. Bede has had to fill its schedules with
plenty of non-conference games on odd dates because of the small number of current
NCIC games.
“Stability in a conference leads to stability in scheduling so it gives a sports season a
rhythm,” St. Bede athletic director and girls basketball coach Tom McGunnigal said. “It's
important as a coach to get your team into a rhythm when they are playing on some
normal scheduling. Familiarity in opponents also makes for rivalries and that type of
competition builds memories for our student-athletes to talk about when they have long
since graduated.”
St. Bede's football team had joined the Big Rivers in 2004 but its other athletic teams
remained in the Tri-County, as that conference did not support a full football contingent.
When the move to the NCIC was made, the football team wasn't able to get out of the Big
Rivers to complete a six-team NCIC league.
Starting in 2013-14, St. Bede all student athletes will have similar opponents to take on.
However, the football program will move from having to face such schools as state powers
Morrison and Newman to those of Princeton, Kewanee and Orion.
McGunnigal calls that the biggest shakeup in the move for his school.
“The familiarity we have had with the other teams we face is now gone and we have to re-
establish the knowledge base we have for our football opponents,” McGunnigal said. “The
crossover games we will play will be interesting to maintain some of our old rivalries but
the new division games are going to challenge us on many levels.”
More New Faces For Kewanee
Kewanee's entry into the South Division lineup is another quick turn-of-the-page in its
athletic arrangement.
The Boilermakers have long struggled with trying to find a perfect athletic situation in
which its kids can compete in. In the past decade, Kewanee has discussed joining the
Olympic Conference with Orion, Rockridge and Sherrard and leaving the NCIC (of which
they had been a member since 1958). The Olympic arrangement didn't work out, but
Kewanee wound up moving to the TRC in 2010.
Now with a new lineup of chief competition with its entry in the TRC's South Division,
Kewanee finds themselves competing with former NCIC rivals as well as former Olympic
schools.
“All the teams that are coming into the TRAC South we know very well,” Kewanee athletic
director Tim Atwell said. “We are playing all these schools in some way in our athletic
programs right now. And we have good relations with all these schools. Some of them are
our old friends and rivals from our playing days in the NCIC, those being Hall and
Princeton. And bringing in Old Olympic Conference foes Sherrard, Orion and Rockridge
raises the competition level even more. And St. Bede we have been playing in Football in
the Big Rivers Conference and in other sports in non conference play.”
One obstacle for Kewanee to find its way through will be travel. Even though they will be in
the geographic center of the South Division arrangement, they felt that schools shouldn't
have to travel a great amount of time for conference meetings.
“The North-South Division Play is going to have some teams in the South traveling close
to 100 miles one way,” Atwell said. “Kewanee had lobbied for another proposal, an East-
West division which minimized the travel issue. Two years ago, Kewanee signed up to play
the schools in the TRAC. With the passing of this proposal, this pretty much eliminates
this. We are disappointed with that aspect.”
With the new setup, the rekindling of the football rivalry with Princeton was made possible.
The Boilermakers and Tigers began its football rivalry in 1897. The two became North
Central Illinois Conference foes in 1958 and later divisional foes in 1982. The last
Kewanee-Princeton game was played in 2009, and the Tigers have possession of the
annual traveling trophy.
But for how long?
“When Kewanee left the NCIC for the TRAC, that was one of the negatives that we would
loose that football rivalry game with Princeton,” Atwell said. “So with Princeton being
invited into the TRAC South, this is a positive. It will be fun to bring back that rivalry game
with Princeton. I think a lot of people in both communities will be happy that it is back.”
Can It Work?
Creating a new conference landscape is primarily meant to improve on many facets of
high school sports competition.
Still, there are some kinks to work out.
In football, this year's Big Rivers Conference was considered a closed conference, with no
out-of-conference games. Because of this, football teams that finish 5-4 are almost a lock
for postseason competition.
Kewanee finished 5-4 this season and had 40 playoff points, giving them a berth in the
football postseason for the first time since 1999. But with mandatory conference
crossover games, that 40-point threshold may not be possible.
“The big change will be that a 5-4 team is not guaranteed 40 playoff points,” Atwell said.
“Currently in the Big Rivers Conference a 5-4 team will get 40 playoff points. Under this
new conference that is not a given.”
As far as crossover arrangements in other sports, the athletic directors are currently
working on a structure. Games counted toward championship standings will be within the
division.
“For right now conference play outside of football will be divisional only, with some schools
scheduling cross-over non-conference games,” Vance said. “We have established a
committee of conference athletic directors to look at scheduling. The final schedule will be
finalized as soon as possible. The conference principals are very interested in
developing a schedule that includes some form of crossover games for all sports outside
of football.”
The enrollment numbers in the new Three Rivers setup will range from Erie's 234 to
Princeton's 619. The average enrollment in the North Division is 326 with some schools
competing in the state's smallest class, while the average in the South Division is 464 with
all of its schools competing in 2A in sports other than football.
Atwell and Bryant have seen first-hand now conferences can go into demise based on
enrollment and how that works into competition, as was the case with the NCIC. They
hope this new Three Rivers arrangement doesn't end up the same way.
“A lot will depend on how hard and sincere these TRAC Principals are, and willing to work
out the details. And it will take some hard work and time,” Atwell said. “There are a lot of
details that are going to have to be addressed if the conference is going to have a
chance to succeed.”
“It can last, if it's done the right way,” Bryant said. “What you don't want to do is get into a
situation with the NCIC that we were in, that busted up, because a lot of those big schools
decided they didn't want to play those small schools anymore. That kind of hurt the NCIC
a lot, whereas I don't think that would hurt when everyone's in a 1A and 2A conference in
the Three Rivers.”
Winning and losing can have many impacts on high-school-aged kids. So finding a fit that
is positive in almost every aspect of educational development is paramount.
“Shake this all down from travel to tradition and turning a page in the Three Rivers
conference to one of the strongest conferences in the state and it all comes down to our
kids,” McGunnigal said. “The kids at each of our schools are the ones whose best interest
has to be at the forefront of creating this conference. ... Those who participate are
entitled to the best atmosphere for learning and growth to develop into healthy, well-
rounded adults when their high school playing days are over.”
And at the same time, become very competitive.
“The addition of these six schools we feel solidifies our conference and hopefully keeps
the TRAC from some of the upheaval that other area conferences have unfortunately
gone through as of late,” Vance said. “As for the student-athletes, our athletes will now
have the ability to compete in one of the best small school conferences in Northern Illinois
as well as the state of Illinois. Win or lose, all of our student-athletes will be better
prepared, battle-tested when post season play begins. It will also give our student-
athletes the exposure to other schools that they may not have seen outside of post-
season play.”
Princeton officials were unavailable for comment on this story. Its move to the Three
Rivers effectively ends the history of the NCIC, which has been in service since 1929.
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat. He can be reached at
Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message
Boards!
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Publisher
Who can name the three rivers of the Three Rivers Conference?
The Rock and the Mississippi are two. The third one, the Green, is the one that stumps
most conference guessers – as it is south of Amboy.
After a new reconfiguration of the TRC, a pair of new rivers – the Illinois and Edwards –
could enter the fold.
Indeed, that is the geographical range of what TRC officials are hoping for.
For years the conference had looked at ways to expand its conference, and starting next
year will look to see Hall, Princeton and St. Bede join the league. Orion, Rockridge and
Sherrard are also in the expansion mix.
With the expansion, the conference divided itself into two divisions with the cutoff being a
north-south geographical arrangement. Three dividing scenarios were considered, with
the majority of the schools agreeing on the north-south division.
Expansion will divide the conference into two divisions, with Interstate 80 being the border
between the North Division and the South Division. Hall and St. Bede, along with
Kewanee, Princeton, Orion, Rockridge and Sherrard will make up the South Division.
Seven of the eight original members of the TRC – Amboy, Erie, Fulton, Morrison,
Newman, Prophetstown and Riverdale – along with Bureau Valley, will make up the North
Division.
Since Erie and Prophetstown co-op in football, cross country, wrestling, baseball, softball
and track, the North Division would thus be a seven-school arrangement in those sports.
The six new schools will enter the frays in all sports starting with the 2013-14 school year.
Hall's football team will join one year early, as it had already been approved earlier this
year to join. The Red Devils will fill in the void left by Ottawa Marquette, who will leave for
the Northeastern Athletic Conference in football next school year.
The Marquette move led to the opportunity to make major changes to the conference's
makeup.
“The principals saw the opportunity to expand the Big Rivers back to original form, that
being two divisions with non-conference cross over games with the other side of the
conference,” Morrison principal and TRC president Scott Vance said. “The schools that
we felt would be interested expressed their desire to come into our conference for all
sports including football. After several meetings, the principals decided that having two
separate conferences with the majority of the schools being in both conferences and one
or two schools not being in both was confusing and unnecessary so we eventually
decided to expand both the Big Rivers and the TRAC.”
Red Devils Get Head Start
Next year's Big Rivers will see its roster already full of winning tradition be bolstered with
Hall's presence (which includes a pair of state football titles). Hall's football team
competed this year in the western Illinois-based West Central Conference's North
Division, a move that was made after the shakeup of the NCIC in 2010.
Hall athletic director Eric Bryant is pleased to see some stability for his schools in a past
few years filled with many conference moves in the area. Not to mention more comfort in
football travel as well.
“We will have a conference that will have all of our sports in it, and we won't be traveling
back and forth between two different conferences,” Bryant said. “The conference is a
good one for all sports, and with the teams that they're bringing in, it makes it that much
better. You're always looking for something that's going to make your postseason better,
trying to play teams that are going to make you better for the postseason.”
Hall's other sports will join the gridders the following season. Not too long after the football
team's move to the West Central, the rest of the athletic teams moved to the Tri-County
Conference. The move was the first for Hall since joining the NCIC in 1942.
“We are probably on the lucky side compared to everyone else,” Bryant said. “We'll
prepare for everybody in the Big Rivers next year and having maybe a little bit of an
upper hand on everyone else next year, being as we'll be the only team that has played
everybody.”
St. Bede Finds Stability
Hall won't be the eastern geographical extreme in the mix. That honor will go to St. Bede,
just a few miles east of Spring Valley.
Unlike Hall, St. Bede is no stranger to trying to find athletic conferences to fit in. After a
few years in the Tri-County, St. Bede moved to the NCIC in 2010 as a replacement for
current TRC school Kewanee.
However, with the landscape of the NCIC not looking bright, a move to assure stability and
relationships with other schools was needed. St. Bede has had to fill its schedules with
plenty of non-conference games on odd dates because of the small number of current
NCIC games.
“Stability in a conference leads to stability in scheduling so it gives a sports season a
rhythm,” St. Bede athletic director and girls basketball coach Tom McGunnigal said. “It's
important as a coach to get your team into a rhythm when they are playing on some
normal scheduling. Familiarity in opponents also makes for rivalries and that type of
competition builds memories for our student-athletes to talk about when they have long
since graduated.”
St. Bede's football team had joined the Big Rivers in 2004 but its other athletic teams
remained in the Tri-County, as that conference did not support a full football contingent.
When the move to the NCIC was made, the football team wasn't able to get out of the Big
Rivers to complete a six-team NCIC league.
Starting in 2013-14, St. Bede all student athletes will have similar opponents to take on.
However, the football program will move from having to face such schools as state powers
Morrison and Newman to those of Princeton, Kewanee and Orion.
McGunnigal calls that the biggest shakeup in the move for his school.
“The familiarity we have had with the other teams we face is now gone and we have to re-
establish the knowledge base we have for our football opponents,” McGunnigal said. “The
crossover games we will play will be interesting to maintain some of our old rivalries but
the new division games are going to challenge us on many levels.”
More New Faces For Kewanee
Kewanee's entry into the South Division lineup is another quick turn-of-the-page in its
athletic arrangement.
The Boilermakers have long struggled with trying to find a perfect athletic situation in
which its kids can compete in. In the past decade, Kewanee has discussed joining the
Olympic Conference with Orion, Rockridge and Sherrard and leaving the NCIC (of which
they had been a member since 1958). The Olympic arrangement didn't work out, but
Kewanee wound up moving to the TRC in 2010.
Now with a new lineup of chief competition with its entry in the TRC's South Division,
Kewanee finds themselves competing with former NCIC rivals as well as former Olympic
schools.
“All the teams that are coming into the TRAC South we know very well,” Kewanee athletic
director Tim Atwell said. “We are playing all these schools in some way in our athletic
programs right now. And we have good relations with all these schools. Some of them are
our old friends and rivals from our playing days in the NCIC, those being Hall and
Princeton. And bringing in Old Olympic Conference foes Sherrard, Orion and Rockridge
raises the competition level even more. And St. Bede we have been playing in Football in
the Big Rivers Conference and in other sports in non conference play.”
One obstacle for Kewanee to find its way through will be travel. Even though they will be in
the geographic center of the South Division arrangement, they felt that schools shouldn't
have to travel a great amount of time for conference meetings.
“The North-South Division Play is going to have some teams in the South traveling close
to 100 miles one way,” Atwell said. “Kewanee had lobbied for another proposal, an East-
West division which minimized the travel issue. Two years ago, Kewanee signed up to play
the schools in the TRAC. With the passing of this proposal, this pretty much eliminates
this. We are disappointed with that aspect.”
With the new setup, the rekindling of the football rivalry with Princeton was made possible.
The Boilermakers and Tigers began its football rivalry in 1897. The two became North
Central Illinois Conference foes in 1958 and later divisional foes in 1982. The last
Kewanee-Princeton game was played in 2009, and the Tigers have possession of the
annual traveling trophy.
But for how long?
“When Kewanee left the NCIC for the TRAC, that was one of the negatives that we would
loose that football rivalry game with Princeton,” Atwell said. “So with Princeton being
invited into the TRAC South, this is a positive. It will be fun to bring back that rivalry game
with Princeton. I think a lot of people in both communities will be happy that it is back.”
Can It Work?
Creating a new conference landscape is primarily meant to improve on many facets of
high school sports competition.
Still, there are some kinks to work out.
In football, this year's Big Rivers Conference was considered a closed conference, with no
out-of-conference games. Because of this, football teams that finish 5-4 are almost a lock
for postseason competition.
Kewanee finished 5-4 this season and had 40 playoff points, giving them a berth in the
football postseason for the first time since 1999. But with mandatory conference
crossover games, that 40-point threshold may not be possible.
“The big change will be that a 5-4 team is not guaranteed 40 playoff points,” Atwell said.
“Currently in the Big Rivers Conference a 5-4 team will get 40 playoff points. Under this
new conference that is not a given.”
As far as crossover arrangements in other sports, the athletic directors are currently
working on a structure. Games counted toward championship standings will be within the
division.
“For right now conference play outside of football will be divisional only, with some schools
scheduling cross-over non-conference games,” Vance said. “We have established a
committee of conference athletic directors to look at scheduling. The final schedule will be
finalized as soon as possible. The conference principals are very interested in
developing a schedule that includes some form of crossover games for all sports outside
of football.”
The enrollment numbers in the new Three Rivers setup will range from Erie's 234 to
Princeton's 619. The average enrollment in the North Division is 326 with some schools
competing in the state's smallest class, while the average in the South Division is 464 with
all of its schools competing in 2A in sports other than football.
Atwell and Bryant have seen first-hand now conferences can go into demise based on
enrollment and how that works into competition, as was the case with the NCIC. They
hope this new Three Rivers arrangement doesn't end up the same way.
“A lot will depend on how hard and sincere these TRAC Principals are, and willing to work
out the details. And it will take some hard work and time,” Atwell said. “There are a lot of
details that are going to have to be addressed if the conference is going to have a
chance to succeed.”
“It can last, if it's done the right way,” Bryant said. “What you don't want to do is get into a
situation with the NCIC that we were in, that busted up, because a lot of those big schools
decided they didn't want to play those small schools anymore. That kind of hurt the NCIC
a lot, whereas I don't think that would hurt when everyone's in a 1A and 2A conference in
the Three Rivers.”
Winning and losing can have many impacts on high-school-aged kids. So finding a fit that
is positive in almost every aspect of educational development is paramount.
“Shake this all down from travel to tradition and turning a page in the Three Rivers
conference to one of the strongest conferences in the state and it all comes down to our
kids,” McGunnigal said. “The kids at each of our schools are the ones whose best interest
has to be at the forefront of creating this conference. ... Those who participate are
entitled to the best atmosphere for learning and growth to develop into healthy, well-
rounded adults when their high school playing days are over.”
And at the same time, become very competitive.
“The addition of these six schools we feel solidifies our conference and hopefully keeps
the TRAC from some of the upheaval that other area conferences have unfortunately
gone through as of late,” Vance said. “As for the student-athletes, our athletes will now
have the ability to compete in one of the best small school conferences in Northern Illinois
as well as the state of Illinois. Win or lose, all of our student-athletes will be better
prepared, battle-tested when post season play begins. It will also give our student-
athletes the exposure to other schools that they may not have seen outside of post-
season play.”
Princeton officials were unavailable for comment on this story. Its move to the Three
Rivers effectively ends the history of the NCIC, which has been in service since 1929.
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat. He can be reached at
Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message
Boards!
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| Those Who Know Northern Illinois High School Sports Know about NISB! |
Enrollments of current
Three Rivers Schools,
and future additions (from
smallest to largest):
Erie – 234
Newman – 254 (419.10)*
Amboy – 294
Prophetstown – 295
St. Bede – 295 (486.75)*
Fulton – 309
Orion – 319
Riverdale – 334
Morrison – 349
Bureau Valley – 377
Hall – 395
Rockridge – 432
Sherrard – 481
Kewanee – 510
Princeton – 629
* denotes multplied enrollment
by IHSA
Three Rivers Schools,
and future additions (from
smallest to largest):
Erie – 234
Newman – 254 (419.10)*
Amboy – 294
Prophetstown – 295
St. Bede – 295 (486.75)*
Fulton – 309
Orion – 319
Riverdale – 334
Morrison – 349
Bureau Valley – 377
Hall – 395
Rockridge – 432
Sherrard – 481
Kewanee – 510
Princeton – 629
* denotes multplied enrollment
by IHSA
Three Rivers Conference
Timeline:
1975 - The Three Rivers
Conference was formed
with eight schools. Five
schools came over from
the Illiowa Conference:
Fulton, Morrison, Newman,
Riverdale and Savanna.
Two more came over from
the Bi-State: Erie and
Prophetstown. Amboy
came over from the Shark
Conference.
1998 - After 23 years
without a lineup change,
Savanna leaves for the
Upstate Illini. The
conference secures
formerly independent
Bureau Valley as a
replacement, three years
after the school opened its
doors.
1999 - The TRAC-8
Football Conference
morphs into the Big Rivers
Football Conference, with
12 schools. The
Mississippi Division
consists of Erie, Fulton,
Morrison, Newman,
Prophetstown and
Riverdale. The Illinois
Division consists of
Amboy, Bureau Valley,
Eureka, Marquette, St.
Bede and the River Valley
co-op.
2001 - Erie and
Prophetstown begin
co-oping in football, and
Amboy moves over to the
Mississippi Division in the
BRC. The La
Moille-Depue-Ohio
cooperative joins the
Illinois Division of the BRC.
2002 - The L-D-O team
fails to form a football
team and drops out of the
football frays, and the
Illinois Division consists of
just five teams for the 2002
and 2003 football seasons.
2004 - The Big Rivers
aligns its football
conference into one
ten-team arrangement
after Eureka departs for
the Corn Belt.
2010 - The River Valley
cooperative, consisting
over the years of Bradford,
DePue, Varna Midland and
Lowpoint-Washburn
departs the BRC for the
Lincoln Trail. For the past
couple of years, the team
has struggled with
numbers. The BRC
secured Kewanee as a
replacement. Kewanee
also joins the Three Rivers
Conference in other
sports. The "TRAC"
acronym starts to wear
with the "Three Rivers"
name more commonplace.
2012 - Marquette departs
for the Northeastern
Athletic Conference, and
Hall joins as a
football-only member.
2013 - The Three Rivers
and the Big Rivers
become one single entity
once more after major
expansion. Hall and St.
Bede join in all sports,
while Orion, Princeton,
Rockridge and Sherrard
join. The new 15-school
conference divides into
two divisions. The North
Division consists of
Amboy, Bureau Valley,
Erie, Fulton, Morrison,
Newman, Prophetstown
and Riverdale. The South
Division consists of Hall,
Kewanee, Orion,
Princeton, Rockridge, St.
Bede and Sherrard.
Timeline:
1975 - The Three Rivers
Conference was formed
with eight schools. Five
schools came over from
the Illiowa Conference:
Fulton, Morrison, Newman,
Riverdale and Savanna.
Two more came over from
the Bi-State: Erie and
Prophetstown. Amboy
came over from the Shark
Conference.
1998 - After 23 years
without a lineup change,
Savanna leaves for the
Upstate Illini. The
conference secures
formerly independent
Bureau Valley as a
replacement, three years
after the school opened its
doors.
1999 - The TRAC-8
Football Conference
morphs into the Big Rivers
Football Conference, with
12 schools. The
Mississippi Division
consists of Erie, Fulton,
Morrison, Newman,
Prophetstown and
Riverdale. The Illinois
Division consists of
Amboy, Bureau Valley,
Eureka, Marquette, St.
Bede and the River Valley
co-op.
2001 - Erie and
Prophetstown begin
co-oping in football, and
Amboy moves over to the
Mississippi Division in the
BRC. The La
Moille-Depue-Ohio
cooperative joins the
Illinois Division of the BRC.
2002 - The L-D-O team
fails to form a football
team and drops out of the
football frays, and the
Illinois Division consists of
just five teams for the 2002
and 2003 football seasons.
2004 - The Big Rivers
aligns its football
conference into one
ten-team arrangement
after Eureka departs for
the Corn Belt.
2010 - The River Valley
cooperative, consisting
over the years of Bradford,
DePue, Varna Midland and
Lowpoint-Washburn
departs the BRC for the
Lincoln Trail. For the past
couple of years, the team
has struggled with
numbers. The BRC
secured Kewanee as a
replacement. Kewanee
also joins the Three Rivers
Conference in other
sports. The "TRAC"
acronym starts to wear
with the "Three Rivers"
name more commonplace.
2012 - Marquette departs
for the Northeastern
Athletic Conference, and
Hall joins as a
football-only member.
2013 - The Three Rivers
and the Big Rivers
become one single entity
once more after major
expansion. Hall and St.
Bede join in all sports,
while Orion, Princeton,
Rockridge and Sherrard
join. The new 15-school
conference divides into
two divisions. The North
Division consists of
Amboy, Bureau Valley,
Erie, Fulton, Morrison,
Newman, Prophetstown
and Riverdale. The South
Division consists of Hall,
Kewanee, Orion,
Princeton, Rockridge, St.
Bede and Sherrard.
Three Rivers/Big Rivers
State Champions:
1976-77 - Fulton Football
(2A), Savanna Wrestling (A)
1978-79 - Savanna
Wrestling (A)
1979-80 - Savanna
Wrestling (A)
1981-82 - Savanna
Wrestling (A)
1984-85 - Amboy Football
(2A), Newman Wrestling
(A)
1990-91 - Newman
Football (1A)
1991-92 - Fulton Football
(2A)
1994-95 - Newman
Football (1A)
2004-05 - Newman
Football (2A)
2005-06 - Bureau Valley
Football (3A)
2009-10 - Newman Boys
XC (1A), Morrison Football
(2A)
2010-11 - Newman
Football (2A), Newman
Wrestling (1A)
2011-12 - Morrison
Football (2A)
State Champions:
1976-77 - Fulton Football
(2A), Savanna Wrestling (A)
1978-79 - Savanna
Wrestling (A)
1979-80 - Savanna
Wrestling (A)
1981-82 - Savanna
Wrestling (A)
1984-85 - Amboy Football
(2A), Newman Wrestling
(A)
1990-91 - Newman
Football (1A)
1991-92 - Fulton Football
(2A)
1994-95 - Newman
Football (1A)
2004-05 - Newman
Football (2A)
2005-06 - Bureau Valley
Football (3A)
2009-10 - Newman Boys
XC (1A), Morrison Football
(2A)
2010-11 - Newman
Football (2A), Newman
Wrestling (1A)
2011-12 - Morrison
Football (2A)