What does CCL do now?
- Thread starter TPF523
- Start date
For a few it may make sense. Both Marians are long distance outliers from the core of their conference. Of the Heights may seek a way into the lower CCL division or join the Southland or SSC. Come to think of it, perhaps only Benet, ND, Carmel and Viator are the true core of ESCC. JCA is iffy, Naz might fall out of favor, Marist is more CCL Blue and Pats would be CCL green or white.
LA was never leaving the CCL. Unless the CMC comes back, they are firmly in the CCL.
All.... SHG was a founding member along with the other seven teams that formed the CS8 in 1993. Ratsy
Not sure what u mean by JCA is iffy. Joliet Catholic is a founding member of the ESCC and has no intention of leaving.
For football, the CCL should go to a dual conference setup with Large and Small divisions. Move worst large division record team down to small, best small division record team moves up to large.
CCL - Large
Loyola
Bother Rice
Mt. Carmel
St. Rita
Providence
Fenwick
Montini
CCL - Small
De La Salle
Marmion
St. Laurence
St. Ignatius
St Joe's
Leo
DePaul
With seven teams per division, everyone plays six division games and three cross-over games. This is the simplest way to do it.
CCL - Large
Loyola
Bother Rice
Mt. Carmel
St. Rita
Providence
Fenwick
Montini
CCL - Small
De La Salle
Marmion
St. Laurence
St. Ignatius
St Joe's
Leo
DePaul
With seven teams per division, everyone plays six division games and three cross-over games. This is the simplest way to do it.
Not even Lourdes toward the end.The Catholic League should've called Dr Phil, since he has experience with the type. .
Right. But everyone with eyes can see that Smart and Washington are gone now. But the return to glory was cute.
My guess is:
MC, SR, BR, PC, LA
Montini, Marmion, Friar, DLS, Laurence
DePaul, Leo, Joe's Hope, Ignatius
MC, SR, BR, PC, LA
Montini, Marmion, Friar, DLS, Laurence
DePaul, Leo, Joe's Hope, Ignatius
Agree - 3 divisions of 5 is a scheduling nightmare. Ignatius is much to large to be in the mix with DePaul, Leo, Joe's, Hope.
Best approach is 2 divisions - a large and small.
CCL really missed their opportunity to bring in other smaller private schools like ICCP, Aurora Central, St. Ed's etc. Adding former SCC teams would have solidified the CCL. I predict they end up losing the small schools and this becomes an 11 school conference of 5A-8A schools.
Would be great if the CCL became home of 7A-8A private schools and ESCC became home of 5A-6A private schools (or vice versa). Otherwise combine CCL and ESCC to form mega-conference of 5A-8A schools with enrollment divisions.
Why didn't merging the conferences work the first time?
If they did merge why would it work this time when it didn't before?
Kind of curious since a lot of people around here seem to like the thought of merging.
Back when they were merged, there was an unequal balance, and as is the case now, no one wanted to be in the Blue. Now that Marist seems to have grown up a bit, maybe they would fall on the sword?
JCA was not a founding member of the ESCC.
The founding members of the ESCC were (in 1974):
Carmel, Holy Cross, Marist, Notre Dame, St. Francis de Sales,
St. Joseph, St. Patrick, and St. Viator.
St. Joseph played an independent schedule in 1975 and came back in when St. Francis de Sales left before the 1976 season.
JCA was added in 1982. Marian Catholic and Benet were added in 1990.
Didn't know that Laurence is going into next season with just incoming Juniors.
That senior Class was 7-2 as freshmen and Sophs and their talented Freshman Class was 8-1 and would not be surprised to see some of them earning Varsity reps next season.
Normally, I would have contributed to this thread long before now. It's the sort of topic that really interests me and that I like to discuss with other posters. It has taken this long for me to jump in the conversation because I'm just sorta sad about the whole thing, and I don't really have that much to add at this point.
I'm not all that sad about losing the old SCC schools that are leaving. Didn't have much time to develop an affinity with them. I'm a little sad about Mac leaving because of their relative longevity in the CCL. I'm sad for schools like Leo, St. Joe, and DePaul Prep who will no longer have as many similarly sized schools within the CCL to compete against. Mostly, I'm sad that the CCL, and other private schools, just can't seem to get it together and realize that strength and flexibility lie in their numbers and in their combined voices.
Has there ever been a meeting of the private school minds with respect to athletics in general, and conference alignment in particular, to try to identify common ground? No. We'd hear about it if that ever happened. About the closest we came to it was around the time of the multiplier when that was being forced down private school throats and when 30+ private schools banded together to try to stop the IHSA from violating its own rules.
Seriously, wouldn't it make sense to sit down and just talk with each other once every 2-3 years? Understand each other's needs a little better? Forge relationships? Create larger professional networks? Organize ourselves?
We are not being divided and conquered because that implies an outside party that is doing it to us. Instead, we're doing it to ourselves.
I'm not all that sad about losing the old SCC schools that are leaving. Didn't have much time to develop an affinity with them. I'm a little sad about Mac leaving because of their relative longevity in the CCL. I'm sad for schools like Leo, St. Joe, and DePaul Prep who will no longer have as many similarly sized schools within the CCL to compete against. Mostly, I'm sad that the CCL, and other private schools, just can't seem to get it together and realize that strength and flexibility lie in their numbers and in their combined voices.
Has there ever been a meeting of the private school minds with respect to athletics in general, and conference alignment in particular, to try to identify common ground? No. We'd hear about it if that ever happened. About the closest we came to it was around the time of the multiplier when that was being forced down private school throats and when 30+ private schools banded together to try to stop the IHSA from violating its own rules.
Seriously, wouldn't it make sense to sit down and just talk with each other once every 2-3 years? Understand each other's needs a little better? Forge relationships? Create larger professional networks? Organize ourselves?
We are not being divided and conquered because that implies an outside party that is doing it to us. Instead, we're doing it to ourselves.
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So here were are as interested fans with passion and ideas about how the future should be forged. Perhaps there are "higher ups" and decision makers within the CCL and ESCC or even other conferences having discussions. How are we to know?
Then again, maybe there are no discussions. Again, how are we to know? As fans, we are blind to what is happening. You wake up one day and read the news and realize the plans were in the works for over a year.
I have to believe the decision makers of these conferences read the Edgy board. Why would they not? We are their constituents in many ways. We are the voice of the fans. Therefore, I have to believe our voices are being heard. Yet what is being done about it, I don't know. Does anyone?
The CCL leadership has got to be freaking out. Things are not going well for them. I think it will get worse before it gets better.
I knew over a year ago that AC was seeking to leave the CCL. I did not mention anything here because I believed it would be a violation of trust and disrespect to the decision makers at AC. What shocked me was the departure of B-Mac and St. Francis.
When I knew AC had designs on leaving, I voiced my concern here that the CCL needed to expand the number smaller schools in order to insulate small schools from futile CCL Blue matchups. If the CCL were able to pull ICCP and ACC and St. Ed's into the CCL, I believe they would have been able to retain AC and B-mac.
St. Francis clearly wanted a reprieve from CCL Green down to White and would have been a wise move. Push Larry up to CCL Green as a swap. Moves could have been made to create a more competitive environment instead of allowing dissatisfied schools to find a more suitable conference. Make the CCL more suitable. Make the CCL the destination. Why did this not happen? Can anyone answer this?
In the end, I am happy for AC to have opportunity to play ACC, St. Ed, ICCP and St. Francis. Those are good matchups and good geography. I only wish they were happening in context of the CCL - not the Metro Suburban.
If no one wants to do crossovers with the CCL Blue (can't say I blame them) and it's causing strife and friction and departures from other CCL divisions - what about CCL Blue only playing each other and either they or the remains of the DVC reach out to one another for a long term 2 to 3 non conference home and away schedule?
Would this stabilize the CCL for all divisions or help some? I would think It would definitely be a benefit to the remains of the DVC for football scheduling 2018 and beyond. And finally - I think there would be some good matchups to watch and intriguing games.
Thoughts?
I suggested something like this awhile back. Ramblin has posted against many of the crossovers in the CCL for years. Any conference that allows for games, such as: BR/Joe's, MC/DePaul, LA/Leo etc. has issues. Those types of games simply should not be played. Have to believe part of the reason AC and BMac left the CCL is to avoid games like that. Still surprised Francis left.
There are well over 100 private school IHSA members and another bunch of private schools that choose not to belong to the IHSA. If they ALL attempted to gather for discussions, as opposed to a handful of them talking among themselves about switching conferences or as opposed to meetings of conference members, I don't think something like that could be kept quiet for very long. We'd hear about it here, and probably well before the meeting even took place.
yeah makes sense. I'm guessing both parties would be open to at least discussing the possibility of every year non con games that switch dance partners after every two year home and away?
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Hope Academy is joining for all sports? Or just football?
They're very good in basketball and will help strengthen CCL hoops after the demise of Hales, Seton, etc...
They're very good in basketball and will help strengthen CCL hoops after the demise of Hales, Seton, etc...
Sounds like a good short term solution.
However, the answer for long term is getting the CCL and ESCC to work something out. There are enough 7A/8A schools and 5A/6A schools between the two of them to make it work.
While the Marist/Rice game is a huge draw every year I don't think they want to have to play BR LA MC PC and SR year in and year out. LA and C of M could be a great draw to start the year but again does C of M want to start the year with a potential loss?
DVC and CCL for football sounds very interesting thou.
