They won basketball and soccer. Hopefully football will catch up.
2023 Metro Suburban Conference - the leftovers
- Thread starter HRCJR
- Start date
I’ve thrown this out there a few times before. WSC and DVC combine, RB comes over and that’s 21 total.
So new WSC divisions based on size and rough geography:
West:
Nequa
Waubonsie
Metea
Naperville N
Naperville Cent
DeKalb
DGS
East:
Morton
Leyden
LT
HC
York
OPRF
GW
Central:
AT
RB
WB
HS
Proviso E
Proviso W
DGN
7 teams per division allows for 2 non-con, and meets the threshold for division champ to get the automatic playoff bid.
So new WSC divisions based on size and rough geography:
West:
Nequa
Waubonsie
Metea
Naperville N
Naperville Cent
DeKalb
DGS
East:
Morton
Leyden
LT
HC
York
OPRF
GW
Central:
AT
RB
WB
HS
Proviso E
Proviso W
DGN
7 teams per division allows for 2 non-con, and meets the threshold for division champ to get the automatic playoff bid.
Not sure either of the Downers Grove teams are going to be too excited about that.
Well, I imagine you would be right, but if life were fair I’d be on the beach in Hawaii sipping mai-tai’s the rest of my days. Lol!
In this collection you’ve got 13 8A sized schools (including some of the largest and THE largest) and I lumped DeKalb in there as the westernmost school to try and control their travel as best can be helped. If you divide it by enrollment, which IMO is the most logical way, DGS lies best with the southern and western group. The rest of the schools, in the Central division, are 6A-7A sized and aren’t too far apart geographically with DGN being the outlier as the westernmost. And the bulk of the Silver and Gold are retained for “tradition”. I think it would actually work very well for all sports in this configuration. The DG schools, along with Morton and Leyden, would certainly have the biggest changes.
If this were a CCL situation with competitive balance (“moving up”) a factor I’d agree with your point. But in my dream world somebody with sway in the WSC world is seeing this and seriously considering it, LOL! Football competitive balance doesn’t play well with the decision makers. Not something that motivates them. They want schools of similar ideals and, as best they can, size so all students in athletics are best served.
So in a real world situation the schools will want shorter travel (They wouldn’t want to have Metea having to get to Morton for a Tuesday night basketball game or volleyball match and get back to school after 11pm or Leyden attempting to get out to Aurora and have a normal warmup on a Wednesday baseball/softball first pitch at 4:30. WSC teams struggle with this already) and keeping some of the traditional matchups will keep some folks happy.
I can’t think of a single reason why anyone in the WSC-Silver would want this. Also if DGS wanted to play in the Naperville conference they would have joined years ago. DGS football is a shadow of what it was 10 years ago so I can’t see them signing up for a beating. I don’t get why people want to help these Naperville schools out.
Class size within a conference has never been an issue before for the WSC. LT has almost twice as many kids as some of the other silver teams but it’s not like they have dominate every sport. Aside from PW, all the schools are pretty competitive with each other in every sport.
Fair. But the silver stays mostly intact and the conference gains quality members in all aspects. That could sway administrations to expand. And I think Proviso would immediately vote yes.
As for DGS leaving, they are part of a two school district (as are a majority in the conference: HC/HS, WB/AT, PE/PW & DGS/DGN; 8 of the 14) and districts like the Glenbards that split their schools are rare. Goose and gander. As for signing up for a beating, they are a formidable school in all athletics and, IMO, are a new head football coach/staff/philosophy away from resurgence. At any rate they are 2 votes out of 14.
The lure of the hypothetical is why I’ve included the DVC. No love of Naperville here. I only brought class size and geography into it as a way to divide the divisions with some basis and the DVC made sense. As for competition, a rising tide lifts all boats (full of aphorisms today), the WSC, in a football sense has as a group, not faired well recently in the football playoffs, outside of WB and GW, and the time is ripe to add some competition and get everyone better. Taking one of the remaining 2 weeks of non-con play and playing a crossover would be a great barometer for a team each season. And that week would have 20 member schools in the rotation keeping it fresh every year. An attractive side note, a conference that size would also hold some power as a voting block in IHSA decisions.
In the end it’s a fun hypothetical to think through. And would take a monumental effort to pull off so your opinion is valid Bruce.
Hypothetical if a school like ADDISON Trail was to leave not much WILLOWBROOK could do
The individual school isn’t free to make that decision. Not in D88. That’s a district decision and I highly doubt that the administration and school board would divide the two. The schools are similar size and are treated in all regards by the admin and school board as true sister schools. Although AT did get the bigger benefit for updated facilities after the last major renovation (disgruntled WB alum here) program was completed. WB could really use some more updates.
Without some drastic loss of students by one of the schools they are a package deal. I feel the other districts are the same. Glenbard is the outlier.
Appreciate the insight WB, I’ve wondered why the Glenbards are spread out so much in 3 diff conferences.
There are other examples... Libertyville and Vernon Hills are separated.
Bolingbrook and Romeoville, as well. Talk about 2 schools in the same district being seemingly so estranged.
So why couldn't U46? The 5 teams can fit the profiles of 5 distinct conferences at times.
They are each their own school district.
We don't mention the Orange and Blue team to the south.
