Conference shuffle continues
Months of talk, invitations, applications and consideration came to a head last Thursday afternoon with a quick vote at Candlelight Inn in Sterling.
The Three Rivers Conference principals voted to accept Hall, Orion, Princeton, Rockridge, Sherrard and St. Bede into the fold for all sports starting in the 2013-14 school year.
Those schools only have to approve the invitation, an almost surety at this stage of the process.
The additions to the conference once easily abbreviated as the TRAC-8 is the latest domino to fall in a conference shuffle that has been ongoing for several years.
It’s hard to point to the exact first domino to fall, but Rochelle leaving the now-defunct NCIC after the 2005-6 school years seems to be as good as any.
The Hubs left for the Western Sun, and the NCIC greeted Illinois Valley Central into the fold.
Along with the change, the NCIC decided to separate the newly named Reagan and Lincoln divisions in every sport. Before that, football had been the only sport with separate divisions.
The Reagan division, whose schools now make up the Northern Illinois Big 12 West, contained the larger-enrollment schools. The Lincoln had the smaller-enrollment schools.
With little meaningful interaction between the two sides, it quickly became clear there was little point for the two divisions to stay together. With no required crossover games in football, it didn’t even ease scheduling headaches in the fall.
Eventually, the Reagan teams joined members of the Western Sun to form the Northern Illinois Big 12, which started competition in the 2010-11 season.
The Lincoln teams tried to make it a go alone, but a six-team conference was hard to maintain.
When Kewanee left for the Three Rivers in 2010-11, it was death nail to the historic NCIC.
Rock Falls and Mendota bolted for the Big Northern before risking the position of being left without a conference.
Princeton, Hall and IVC all had to find new homes.
IVC joined the Mid-State 6, a geographic fit for a school in Chillicothe with teams around Peoria.
Princeton and Hall have now found a logical conference to land. Adding Orion, Rockridge and Sherrard will provide a high level of competition in most sports.
The key to long-term success will be maintaining the bond between the two divisions.
Hall, Kewanee, Princeton, Rockridge, Sherrard and St. Bede likely will make up one division.
Amboy, Bureau Valley, Erie, Fulton, Morrison, Newman, Prophetstown and Riverdale will comprise the other.
A rotation of crossover games in football will be a good start, but meaningful games and meets in other sports is a must.
The conference cross country, track and wrestling meets should involve all schools vying for one title. Basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball could play each team once.
Most of all, keeping the roster of schools the same for an extended period of time is a must.
The NCIC was once a great conference because it had decades without any change in schools. When Rochelle left, part of that history went with it.
It will be interesting to see if the Three Rivers can get that sort of lasting commitment from all 15 of its schools.
