ESCC merging with the CCL for all sports

[EdgyTim]

Chicago Catholic High School Athletic Conferences to Expand Membership With New Schools


• Joining the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference in 2026-27 are Benet Academy, Carmel Catholic High School, Joliet Catholic Academy, Marian Catholic High School, Marist High School, Marmion Academy, Nazareth Academy, and St. Viator


• In 2026-27, the Chicago Catholic League welcomes Benet Academy, Carmel Catholic High School, Joliet Catholic Academy,


Marian Catholic High School, Marist High School, Nazareth Academy, Notre Dame College Prep, St. Patrick High School, and


St. Viator High School.


CHICAGO, May 5th—The Girls Catholic Athletic Conference (GCAC) and the Chicago Catholic League (CCL) have announced the addition of nine new schools in Benet Academy, Carmel Catholic High School, Joliet Catholic
Academy, Marian Catholic High School, Marist High School, Nazareth Academy, Notre Dame College Prep, St. Patrick High School, and St. Viator High School. These institutions are current members of the East Suburban Catholic Conference

“Both leagues are extremely competitive,” said Thomas Schergen, an executive representative of the GCAC and CCL, and Principal of De La Salle Institute. “With the addition of these tradition-rich East Suburban Catholic institutions, we have set our respective conferences on a continued path of success, and continue to strengthen these premier Catholic athletic organizations. We look forward to having these new members under the Chicago Catholic League and Girls Catholic Athletic Conference banners, both athletically and academically.”


The ESCC was founded in 1974 and its charter members include Carmel Catholic, Holy Cross, Marist, Notre Dame, St. Joseph, St. Patrick, and St. Viator. Between 1982 and 2014, the ESCC adopted Joliet Catholic (1982), Benet Academy (1990), Marian Catholic (1990), Nazareth Academy (2001), and Marian Central (2014) as member schools.


In 1991, the ESCC expanded to feature women’s athletic programming, and would later add Fenwick (1994), Bishop


McNamara (2000) and Providence Catholic (2000) to represent the conference in women’s sports. Since 1974, member schools have captured 96 team State championships, earned 91 individual State titles, and have inducted more than 230 teams and individuals into the ESCC Hall of Fame.


“The ESCC’s legacy of academic and athletic success, as well as our standards for competitive excellence, align closely with the heritage of the Chicago Catholic League and Girls Catholic Athletic Conference,” said Dan Tully, chair of the Board of Control of the East Suburban Catholic Conference and principal at Notre Dame College Prep.


“Bringing our schools together will expand competitive opportunities based on geography and parity, while also maintaining long-standing rivalries for the benefit of our communities, teams, and student-athletes. As faith-based institutions, we strive to offer a comprehensive educational experience, along with high-quality co-curricular programming. The ESCC’s history of achievement dovetails with the rich traditions of the CCL and GCAC, and we
look forward to furthering our partnership.”


The Girls Catholic Athletic Conference welcomes seven East Suburban Catholic Conference schools, in addition to current Chicago Catholic League member Marmion Academy, which will transition to a co-ed institution for the start of the 2026-27 school year. This expansion raises the total number of GCAC schools to 24. For its part, the


Chicago Catholic League will extend membership to nine current ESCC schools, which will expand the conference


to 26 institutions.Chicago Catholic League


&


Girls Catholic Athletic Conference


New schools will begin their GCAC and CCL membership at the start of the 2026-27 School Year.


The eight additions to the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference will join 16 continuing members in Aurora Central


Catholic High School, De La Salle Institute, DePaul College Prep, Fenwick High School, IC Catholic Prep, Loyola


Academy, Montini Catholic High School, Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, Providence Catholic High


School, Resurrection College Prep High School, Rosary High School, St. Francis de Sales High School, St. Francis


High School, St. Ignatius College Prep, St. Laurence High School, and Trinity High School, expanding the GCAC


to 24 total schools.


The nine additions to the Chicago Catholic League will join 17 continuing members in Aurora Central Catholic


High School, Brother Rice High School, De La Salle Institute, DePaul College Prep, Fenwick High School, IC


Catholic Prep, Leo High School, Loyola Academy, Marmion Academy, Montini Catholic High School, Mount


Carmel High School, Providence Catholic High School, St. Francis de Sales High School, St. Francis High School,


St. Ignatius College Prep, St. Laurence High School, and St. Rita of Cascia High School, expanding the CCL to 26


schools.


Although it is not the oldest high school athletic conference in the State of Illinois, the Chicago Catholic League has


been in operation longer than any of its contemporaries. On October 3rd, 1912, representatives of eight parochial


schools conferenced in Chicago’s Great Northern Hotel—demolished in 1940, and now the site of the Dirksen


Federal Building—to found the Catholic League. The charter members of the Catholic League included Loyola


Academy, St. Cyril (now Mt. Carmel), DePaul Academy, St. Philip, St. Ignatius, De La Salle, Cathedral, and St.


Stanislaus. Learn more about the history of the CCL by visiting chicagocatholicleague.com


The Girls Catholic Athletic Conference was established in 1974, three years before the Illinois High School


Association would incorporate women’s athletics. Under the early leadership of 12 female athletic directors, the


GCAC would flourish into the largest all-girls athletic conference in the country, with membership reaching 36


institutions. At its peak, GCAC schools were located as far south as Chicago Heights, east as 102nd Street near the


Indiana border, west as Rolling Meadows, and north as Lake Forest. Learn more about the GCAC at

 

[ramblinman]

'Bout time!

There is strength in numbers. As Josef Stalin said, "Quantity has a quality all its own."

 

[SiuCubFan8]

Makes sense to me.

 

[ramblinman]

Could this be the beginning of the NIPL?

Will the expanded CCL and GCAC begin reaching out to other Catholic schools like Christ the King, Cristo Rey, St Martin de Porres, Bishop Mac, Northridge, Willows, Woodlands, Regina, etc. that are currently in conferences with public schools or other private schools and offer them a chance to get on the bandwagon? Will there be outreach to non-Catholic private schools?

Enquiring minds want to know!

 

[pjjp]

The geography and travel of the ESCC has always been a problem. This should be a definite improvement for that. Also, it makes sense to form closer ties in all sports, as Rambln has been stating for years. Looking forward to the further development of rivalries in all the sports. Smart move, IMO.

 

[USD24]

The geography and travel of the ESCC has always been a problem. This should be a definite improvement for that. Also, it makes sense to form closer ties in all sports, as Rambln has been stating for years. Looking forward to the further development of rivalries in all the sports. Smart move, IMO.

Those midweek rides from Joliet to St Pats, NND or Carmel were brutal as both a player and a parent.

 

[Quags57]

Those midweek rides from Joliet to St Pats, NND or Carmel were brutal as both a player and a parent.

I'll bet they loved to drive to JCA too

 

[Lion4Life01]

The ride from Viator to Marian Catholic was always brutal!

 

[JCHillmen]

I'll bet they loved to drive to JCA too

Marian had to be the roughest.

The ESCC was a really good boys league. It was a good girls league for lots of girls sports too, but the quantity of girls schools was just too low. Only 7 schools, sometimes only fielding 5-6 varsity teams in each sport. So this makes sense most of all for the ESCC girls sports.

Will be curious to see how they work this for each sport. Will they do breakdowns by geography for each sport? Or will they try to make it geography and competitive balance on a sport by sport basis?

If universal for all boys sports except football, they could do a northern league of 13 and a southern league of 13 for most sports and play everyone once within your geographic half, though that wouldn't work for baseball. Or they could look to make four divisions of 6-7 or even three divisions of 8-9 each.

Three divisions seems to make the most sense geographically. If you go with two 12 or 13 team North/South divisions then you are likely splitting a lot of schools very close together on the southside and near south suburbs.

North (7): CoM, Viator, ND, Pat's, LA, DePaul, Ignatius
South (10): BR, MC, Marist, SL, Leo, SR, DLS, Marian, Fenwick, SFDS
West (9): Benet, JC, Naz, IC, Montini, Marmion, SF, PC, ACC

I know there are a few geographic inconsistencies there, but even though PC isn't really West, the South is already too full. Fenwick could go west, but they seem to fit in closer and more traditionally with the schools of the old CCL.

It's tough because there aren't a lot of north suburban schools here and it makes no sense to do an East/West split and put Marian and Loyola in the same division. And girls sports would likely have a totally different geographic breakdown that boys just because of the difference in institutions.

 

[scrapper329]

Could this be the beginning of the NIPL?

Will the expanded CCL and GCAC begin reaching out to other Catholic schools like Christ the King, Cristo Rey, St Martin de Porres, Bishop Mac, Northridge, Willows, Woodlands, Regina, etc. that are currently in conferences with public schools or other private schools and offer them a chance to get on the bandwagon? Will there be outreach to non-Catholic private schools?

Enquiring minds want to know!

Regina left the GCAC about 3 years ago and went to the ISL. The ISL is more of a small school conference. Most of those other schools you listed are also in that conference.

 

[BornNRazed]

Will this favorably effect playoff eligibility in other sports like football with smaller divisions?

 

[King MJ]

I won't have an opinion on this until I see how it is implemented.

Will there be A, B, C divisions like in football? I think there will definitely be an increase in travel. Not sure Carmel wants to be traveling to Marist for a Wednesday afternoon baseball or lacrosse game, where the round trip travel would be significantly longer than the game itself

Right now, lots of CCL schools in minor sports play a predominant non-conference schedules which gives them the ability to schedule more freely, schedule top teams and have more out of state games. Lots of that could go away with this. for instance, right now Loyola's boys lax team plays 4 conference games out of 20. If they have to add games against ESCC teams, then they will need to drop some games against top opposition.

 

[SiuCubFan8]

Will this favorably effect playoff eligibility in other sports like football with smaller divisions?

?

 

[ramblinman]

Regina left the GCAC about 3 years ago and went to the ISL. The ISL is more of a small school conference. Most of those other schools you listed are also in that conference.

I know what Regina did and why they did it. They moved to the ISL because they are a much smaller school than they were in the 80s and 90s and they simply were not as athletically competitive as they used to be within the GCAC. They left because they were tired of banging their heads against the wall with the likes of much larger schools like Loyola, Ignatius and McAuley. The ISL is a much better fit for them.

BUT, if Regina were to return to the GCAC and bring Willows and Woodlands with them, and assuming some of the other schools I mentioned jump on the GCAC bandwagon, then they would likely be competitive in a small/medium school division of the GCAC where they would be in with the likes of Willows, Woodlands, Martin de Porres, ICCP CTK, Cristo Rey, Resurrection, DLS, OLT, etc.

 

[USD24]

I won't have an opinion on this until I see how it is implemented.

Will there be A, B, C divisions like in football? I think there will definitely be an increase in travel. Not sure Carmel wants to be traveling to Marist for a Wednesday afternoon baseball or lacrosse game, where the round trip travel would be significantly longer than the game itself

Right now, lots of CCL schools in minor sports play a predominant non-conference schedules which gives them the ability to schedule more freely, schedule top teams and have more out of state games. Lots of that could go away with this. for instance, right now Loyola's boys lax team plays 4 conference games out of 20. If they have to add games against ESCC teams, then they will need to drop some games against top opposition.

They have been doing it for the last 40 years in the ESCC.

 

[King MJ]

They have been doing it for the last 40 years in the ESCC.

fair point, but I think this could make it worse.

 

[ramblinman]

fair point, but I think this could make it worse.

In what way? Can you provide examples?

 

[Alexander32]

'Bout time!

There is strength in numbers. As Josef Stalin said, "Quantity has a quality all its own."

I knew it. You are a Communist!

 

[mc140]

Could this be the beginning of the NIPL?

Unless you will still have 8 titles in football and 4 in other sports, not a chance.

 

[ramblinman]

Unless you will still have 8 titles in football and 4 in other sports, not a chance.

Hell, why stop at 8? It can have 10 titles for all I care.

 

[King MJ]

In what way? Can you provide examples?

Obviously, this is theoretically until you absolutely see a schedule.

But let's say take Loyola Boys lacrosse.

Let's say they will now need to remove 3-4 non-conference games to add 3-4 more conference games.

So let's say they drop Libertyville, Lake Forest, GBS, and Evanston and pick up Benet, Marmion, St. Viator and Naz. Definitely more travel involved.

Now is they create more geographic CCL divisions, then it could help or be neutral. That's why its all in the details.

If they do some type of divisions alignment, I think it probably gets worse across the board. Looking at smaller sports, Naz, St. V and Benet would be in the top bracket in most smaller sports, which would mean a lot more travel for the Loyolas, Carmels and Marists who tend to have the been programs top to bottom.

 

[ramblinman]

But let's say take Loyola Boys lacrosse.

Let's say they will now need to remove 3-4 non-conference games to add 3-4 more conference games.

So let's say they drop Libertyville, Lake Forest, GBS, and Evanston and pick up Benet, Marmion, St. Viator and Naz. Definitely more travel involved.

If your concern is travel based, don't you think they would drop schools on their current schedule like Glenbard West, York or Wheaton Academy before dropping two nearby schools like GBS and Evanston?

They already have Marmion on their schedule.

 

[Quags57]

Obviously, this is theoretically until you absolutely see a schedule.

But let's say take Loyola Boys lacrosse.

Let's say they will now need to remove 3-4 non-conference games to add 3-4 more conference games.

So let's say they drop Libertyville, Lake Forest, GBS, and Evanston and pick up Benet, Marmion, St. Viator and Naz. Definitely more travel involved.

Now is they create more geographic CCL divisions, then it could help or be neutral. That's why its all in the details.

If they do some type of divisions alignment, I think it probably gets worse across the board. Looking at smaller sports, Naz, St. V and Benet would be in the top bracket in most smaller sports, which would mean a lot more travel for the Loyolas, Carmels and Marists who tend to have the been programs top to bottom.

Loyola already plays Viator.

 

[penlight]

I'll bet they loved to drive to JCA too

Who wouldn’t! 😏

 

[ramblinman]

Three divisions seems to make the most sense geographically. If you go with two 12 or 13 team North/South divisions then you are likely splitting a lot of schools very close together on the southside and near south suburbs.

North (7): CoM, Viator, ND, Pat's, LA, DePaul, Ignatius
South (10): BR, MC, Marist, SL, Leo, SR, DLS, Marian, Fenwick, SFDS
West (9): Benet, JC, Naz, IC, Montini, Marmion, SF, PC, ACC

I know there are a few geographic inconsistencies there, but even though PC isn't really West, the South is already too full. Fenwick could go west, but they seem to fit in closer and more traditionally with the schools of the old CCL.

I love this stuff.

Are the above divisions for non-football sports? If so, I think they would probably wind up going with smaller divisions for football in order to qualify more teams for the playoffs. For example:

Far North: LA, CoM, Viator, ND, DePaul
Sorta Central: Pat's, Fenwick, Naz, Laurence, Montini
South/East-ish: Ignatius, Marian, DLS, Rita, MC
South/West: BR, Marist, Benet, PC, JCA
West/Etc: Leo, ICCP, SF, ACC, Marmion

 

[King MJ]

If your concern is travel based, don't you think they would drop schools on their current schedule like Glenbard West, York or Wheaton Academy before dropping two nearby schools like GBS and Evanston?

They already have Marmion on their schedule.

Wheaton Academy and GW are top of the best programs in the state, but its a fair point.

I think if they make geographic divisions as suggested above, it will make a ton of sense, though some folks will be pissed about dropping Rita, Marist and Mt. Carmels.

 

[MsDavis10]

It is messy but I think the best course of action is for the breakdown of divisions to be sport-specific. Do all the sports have relegation every 2 years like football? Maybe. Unless you have 2 large divisions, You can’t group the schools into geographical divisions and have that be the same across all sports. Some teams will just get trampled depending on the sport.

If the conference does choose to divide all sports into the same divisions across all sports, does football still do their own thing?

 

[JCHillmen]

I love this stuff.

Are the above divisions for non-football sports? If so, I think they would probably wind up going with smaller divisions for football in order to qualify more teams for the playoffs. For example:

Far North: LA, CoM, Viator, ND, DePaul
Sorta Central: Pat's, Fenwick, Naz, Laurence, Montini
South/East-ish: Ignatius, Marian, DLS, Rita, MC
South/West: BR, Marist, Benet, PC, JCA
West/Etc: Leo, ICCP, SF, ACC, Marmion

My hope would be that the football formula doesn't change. Other sports do need some type of geography consideration. Football should continue to be dictated by competitive balance and maximizing playoff opportunities for the league with geography not even in consideration. I hope they don't change that at all.

For the other sports, they need some type of geography base. I like the five divisions you proposed. I also like the three divisions I listed above.

Regardless of what they pick, I hope it stays somewhat consistent across all sports (football being the exception). I would like these conferences/divisions to be clearly defined and have some meaning and permanence. There is value in schools knowing what their division is and what it takes to win a division championship. If each sport has their own divisional breakdown and those change with promotion/relegation each year, it is hard to develop an athletic identity as a whole athletic program.

In short, the CCL/ESCC football formula is fantastic, but I don't think it would work well if it was broadly applied across 20+ boys and girls sports with constantly altering divisions in dozens of different sports. Whatever breakdown they come up with for all other sports, I hope they at least let it clearly define itself. If not permanently, at least over a period of 5-10 years before reshuffling the deck.

 

[Quags57]

Wheaton Academy and GW are top of the best programs in the state, but its a fair point.

I think if they make geographic divisions as suggested above, it will make a ton of sense, though some folks will be pissed about dropping Rita, Marist and Mt. Carmels.

Viator beat Glenbard West 8-3 and Wheaton 17-2
Loyola beat Viator 7-6.
Just sayin'

 

[SiuCubFan8]

Nothing is perfect, I’m sure Loyola will somehow figure this enormous problem in lacrosse out.