Hard to think who else would join. Hall might make sense if and only if they maintain their coop with Putnam County, otherwise they’re too small. Mendota is also too small, same for Bureau Valley. Dixon probably doesn’t join, Streator is bad too. Is IVC a theoretical choice? Morris? If St. Bede or Newman were bigger they could make sense.
WB6 enrollment '25-'26
- Thread starter Swansa01
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I’m telling ya’ll… nobody is interested in a 1 division NCIC reboot. 2 divisions makes all the sense.
A problem is there are only 6 schools that make sense to me in the “Large” Division. Dixon, Geneseo, Sterling, Rochelle, LP and Ottawa. I don’t see Morris having any interest in this, they are better suited east.
The “Small” conference has 7 potential teams to draw from. Rock Falls, Sterling Newman, Kewanee, Princeton, Bureau Valley, Mendota, and Spring Valley Hall. While I think St Bede would also fit, they seem to have chosen another route to tie in with the other Catholic schools.
Why would Rock Falls be interested was asked? I think in non football sports, being tied to geographical schools like Sterling, Dixon and Newman presents a very favorable draw. In Football, competitively Rock Falls fits right in with my proposed NCIC Small division (outside Princeton). Mendota and Spring Valley programs have been from bad to downright terrible in recent years so Rock Falls isn’t at a disadvantage outside the Princeton game in a hypothetical NCIC Small reboot. Plus RF hasn’t ever needed Football to be a successful athletic school, they are a basketball and baseball school.
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The team you most reasonably leave out there is Bureau Valley, as they seem happy (enough) in their new conference. Though, query this... if the NUIC needs another team, does Newman go there and leave this NCIC? Or maybe do you bring in Alleman and have eight teams in the NCIC Small? Perhaps move one team to the large division and play a crossover game each week of conference play based on estimated strength or other factors? (Sterling-Princeton is a fun idea for competitive reasons and we've seen it before. Geneseo-Kewanee is an old cultural rivalry. Hall-LP is interesting. Some possibilities there.)
In all reality, this could work. That leaves Erie/P-town, Riverdale, Orion, Sherrard, Rockridge, Mercer County and Monmouth-Roseville in a basically rebooted Olympic Conference; they could probably find one extra team to fill it out. Try to poach Knoxville or ROWVA/Williamsfield, or Annawan/Wethersfield (boy, that'd be fun). The only trouble here is that the Western Big Six has only five schools in this scenario with no obvious way to add someone else and no reasonable conference to merge with.
Or you move E/P to the NCIC Small in place of Alleman, have a six-team Olympic Conference that doesn't extend into Whiteside County, and leave the Western Big Six as it originally was. Except with an unreliable Alleman.
Great ideas. Good luck getting it done. Districts would be easier to make because it would be tough to get every one of these schools to agree. But a wonderful idea.
Districts wouldn’t get all those schools together. Dixon would be 3A, Geneseo 4A, Sterling probably 5A… not to mention, what would Moline’s district look like…
Alleman will have to join my newly proposed TRAC, because the NCIC teams have zero interest. Ditto for EP. Zero interest there. If Bureau Valley is out, gives a perfect 6 in small with Newman being the 6th. (Princeton, RF, Kewanee, Mendota, Hall, Newman).
6 Large + 6 Small and you’re right on target with 1 crossover per year.
Also for everyone saying good luck making it happen, I agree wholeheartedly. Never know though, I think if the right leaders are within these schools, it could happen.
I also agree that Districts is a disaster for these schools. Their geography doesn’t lend itself to conferences based on rigid enrollments.
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I don't disagree. But again. Good luck getting everyone to agree. It looks good on paper. Go ahead and get it started. Talk to people.
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