All of those "soft, weak programs which never succeed in the playoffs." still have teenage student-athletes on them that want to play the game, maybe not at the highest absolute level, but just play the game, build the camaraderie, and create lifelong memories. We need to stop thinking that CCL/ESCC and a few high end public schools rule the land. Every member of the IHSA is an equal member. Votes count the same no matter who they come from. Some on here have a hard time with this thought process, but that is what the schools signed up for. Don't like it? Then leave the IHSA. Over 90% of high school football players will not be playing beyond high school. Some of you on here think we are talking about professional athletes and how the IHSA will destroy society as we know it if the Districts Proposal passes.
And some of us here, all of us from successful programs prefer to be successful due to decisions we’ve made rather than the decisions made for us. The current district plan would cause schools south of 80 to travel further for games for nine weeks out of the year. This means fans will have further to travel, and potentially not make the trip. We see a lot of multi class conferences such as the Sangamo with classes 1-3 and the CS Eight with 4-6. The schools made these decisions in order to cut down on travel expenses and increase fan participation. This means a school like U-High, a small 4A school will play Glenwood, a larger 6A school. Ironically, U-High went 7-2 this year before getting beat in the playoffs. But they still made the choice for themselves to compete at a higher level.
Districts will force a school such as Rochester to travel across the state to play Macomb, an inferior program, simply because mediocre programs want districts. Rochester left its previous conference due to excessive travel and inferior competition. Taylorville
And Lincoln left the CS8 several years ago because they could not compete. Lincoln returned this year and promptly was out scored 113 to 14 by Rochester in the regular season and playoff matchups. Taylorville’s district would include Rochester, and create the same problem, which forced Taylorville to secede from the CS8 several years ago.
Next, I would like to hear about the benefits of East St. Louis, traveling to Danville for a matchup. Both of these schools are in communities with high poverty rates. This is a six hour 20 minute round-trip in a car, that round-trip gets longer in a bus.
Next I would like you to discuss the seven hour round-trip from Edwardsville to Frankfurt Lincoln Way, East. Again, that is by car. That round-trip gets a lot longer by bus. And let’s not make all of this about schools south of 80. The schools north of 80 must travel to the southern schools as well.
Yes, this is about the kids. And putting them on the road nine weeks out of the year with the potential long road trips is not conducive to success. Now, I can see support for doing the playoffs as a 1–32 set up, if simply, because it guarantees a true champion and fewer schools will be traveling such distances as the playoffs proceed. otherwise, districts, dilute the quality of the season and encourage mediocrity.
