Special to SSN from Sam Houseworth

(11-24-23) With another shift in the Illinois conference landscape approaching, a proposal has been officially sent to the IHSA to completely shift how high school football schedules and conferences are shaped. The proposal would replace conferences in Illinois high school football with a district format that is currently used in other states like Texas and Iowa. In this format, the state would set districts and schedules based on geography and school size.

Currently, much like Ohio, conferences set their own schedules with schools filling in the cracks to make up a 9-game regular season schedule. At the end of the season, all 5-win teams make the postseason with the divisions decided AFTER the end of the regular season.

Questions have been raised about this format as schools are at the mercy of their conferences to face teams similar to their enrollment. In the case of Deerfield, a team that normally plays in 6A, their schedule saw them in the same division as five schools that play in 8A. The same could be said for Hinsdale South, a 6A school who is in the same division has Morton (Berwyn-Cicero), a school with over 7,000 students. With over 20 conference realignments and 4 new conferences created, the current system has a negative impact on traditional rivalries.

https://www.ihsa.org/documents/2023-2024By-LawAmendmentProposals.pdf

A quick mockup of new districts has been made available, with divisions 1A through 6A having 64 teams each, division 7A would have 60, division 8A would have 56. Each division would be separated into 8 districts.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1Xb_-f2H9pHocgHaQtVGIlbwa-iDFzzw&usp=sharing

8A

District I
Barrington
Fremd (Palatine)
Gurnee (Warren)
Palatine
Stevenson (Lincolnshire)
Waukegan
Zion-Benton

District II
Bartlett
Conant (Hoffman Estates)
Dundee-Crown (Carpentersville)
Elgin
Huntley
Lake Park (Roselle)
South Elgin

District III
Evanston
Glenbrook South (Glenview)
Loyola Academy (Wilmette)
Maine South (Park Ridge)
New Trier (Winnetka)
Niles West (Skokie)
Taft (Chicago)

District IV
Curie (Chicago)
Lane (Chicago)
Leyden (Franklin Park-Northlake)
Lyons (LaGrange)
Morton (Berwyn-Cicero)
Oak Park-River Forest
St. Ignatius (Chicago)

District V
Bolingbrook
Downers Grove South
Hinsdale Central
Naperville Central
Naperville North
Neuqua Valley (Naperville)
York (Elmhurst)

District VI
East Aurora
Metea Valley (Aurora)
Oswego
Oswego East
Plainfield North
Waubonsie Valley (Aurora)
West Aurora

District VII
Bloom Twp. (Chicago Hts.)
Homewood-Flossmoor
Lincoln-Way East (Frankfort)
Marist (Chicago)
Rich Township (Richton Park)
Sandburg (Orlando Park)
Stagg (Palos Hills)

District VIII
Belleville East
Joliet Central
Joliet West
Lockport Twp.
Minooka
O’Fallon
Plainfield South

7A

District I

DeKalb
Guilford (Rockford)
Hampshire
Harlem (Machesney Park)
Hononegah (Rockton)
Jefferson (Rockford)
McHenry

District II

Addison Trail
Batavia
Glenbard North (Carol Stream)
Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn)
St. Charles East
St. Charles North
West Chicago
Wheaton North

District III

Elk Grove
Glenbrook North (Northbrook)
Hersey (Arlington Heights)
Maine East (Park Ridge)
Maine West (Des Plaines)
Niles North (Skokie)
Prospect (Mt. Prospect)
Rolling Meadows

District IV

Buffalo Grove
Hoffman Estates
Jacobs (Algonquin)
Larkin (Elgin)
Mundelein
Round Lake
Schaumburg

District V

Argo (Summit)
Downers Grove North
Glenbard East (Lombard)
Lincoln Park (Chicago)
Proviso East (Maywood)
Proviso West (Hillside)
Whitney Young (Chicago)
Willowbrook (Villa Park)

District VI

Andrew (Tinley Park)
Brother Rice (Chicago)
Kenwood (Chicago)
Mt. Carmel (Chicago)
Reavis (Burbank)
St. Rita (Chicago)
Thornton Fractional South (Lansing)
Thornwood (South Holland)

District VII

Bradley-Bourbonnais
Lincoln-Way Central (New Lenox)
Lincoln-Way West (New Lenox)
Plainfield Central
Plainfield East
Romeoville
Yorkville

District VIII

Alton Senior
Belleville West
Collinsville
Edwardsville
Moline
Normal Community
Quincy Sr.

6A

District I

Antioch
Cary-Grove
Grant (Fox Lake)
Grayslake Central
Grayslake North
Lakes (Lake Villa)
Libertyville
Wauconda

District II

Auburn (Rockford)
Belvidere North
Burlington Central
Crystal Lake Central
Crystal Lake South
Kaneland (Maple Park)
Rockford East
Streamwood

District III

Deerfield
Fenton (Bensenville)
Highland Park
Lake Forest
Lake Zurich
Notre Dame (Niles)
Vernon Hills
Wheeling

District IV

Amundsen (Chicago)
Fenwick (Oak Park)
Hubbard (Chicago)
Lake View (Chicago)
Mather (Chicago)
Schurz (Chicago)
Senn (Chicago)
Von Steuben (Chicago)

District V

Geneva
Hinsdale South (Darien)
Lemont
Oak Lawn
Providence Catholic (New Lenox)
Richards (Oak Lawn)
Riverside-Brookfield
Wheaton Warrenville South

District VI

Bremen (Midlothian)
Crete-Monee
Eisenhower (Blue Island)
Oak Forest
Shepard (Palos Hts.)
Simeon (Chicago)
Thornton (Harvey)
Thornton Fractional North (Calumet City)

District VII

Dunlap
Kankakee Sr.
Normal West
Pekin
Richwoods (Peoria)
Rock Island
United (East Moline)
Washington

District VIII

Bloomington
Champaign Centennial
Champaign Central
Danville
East St. Louis
Glenwood (Chatham)
Granite City
Springfield

5A

District I

Bulls (Chicago)
Chicago Academy
Elmwood Park
ITW Speer (Chicago)
Payton (Chicago)
Pritzker (Chicago)
St. Patrick (Chicago)
Westinghouse (Chicago)

District II

Benet Academy (Lisle)
Carmel (Mundelein)
Glenbard South (Glen Ellyn)
Joliet Catholic Academy
Marmion Academy (Aurora)
Morris
Nazareth Academy (LaGrange Park)
St. Francis (Wheaton)

District III

Englewood STEM (Chicago)
Goode (Chicago)
Lindblom (Chicago)
Muchin (Chicago)
Perspectives Leadership (Chicago)
Solorio Academy (Chicago)
St. Laurence (Burbank)
UIC (Chicago)

District IV

Brooks (Chicago)
Corliss (Chicago)
Evergreen Park
Hillcrest (Country Club Hills)
Marian (Chicago Hts.)
Morgan Park (Chicago)
Thornridge (Dolton)
Tinley Park

District V

Belvidere
Freeport
Prairie Ridge (Crystal Lake)
Rochelle
Sterling
Sycamore
Woodstock
Woodstock North

District VI

East Peoria
Galesburg
LaSalle-Peru
Limestone (Bartonville)
Metamora
Morton
Ottawa Twp.
Peoria

District VII

Eisenhower (Decatur)
Lanphier (Springfield)
MacArthur (Decatur)
Mahomet-Seymour
Mattoon
Sacred Heart-Griffin (Springfield)
Springfield Southeast
Urbana

District VIII

Carbondale
Centralia
Highland
Jacksonville
Marion
Mascoutah
Mt. Vernon
Triad (Troy)

4A

District I

Boylan Catholic (Rockford)
Harvard
Johnsburg
Marengo
North Chicago
Richmond-Burton
St. Viator (Arlington Hts.)
Wheaton Academy (West Chicago)

District II

Coal City
Dixon
Hall (Spring Valley)
Plano
Pontiac
Rock Falls
Sandwich
Streator Twp.

District III

ASPIRA Business and Finance (Chicago)
Clark (Chicago)
DePaul (Chicago)
Golder (Chicago)
Phoenix Military (Chicago)
Rauner (Chicago)
Ridgewood (Norridge)
Sullivan (Chicago)

District IV

Agricultural Science (Chicago)
Chicago Vocational
Comer (Chicago)
De La Salle (Chicago)
Dyett (Chicago)
Hyde Park (Chicago)
IC Catholic (Elmhurst)
Manteno

District V

Canton
Geneseo
Illinois Valley Central (Chillicothe)
Kewanee
Macomb
Manual (Peoria)
Normal University
Notre Dame (Peoria)

District VI

Charleston
Effingham
Lincoln
Mt. Zion
Rantoul
Rochester
Staunton
Taylorville

District VII

Breese Central
Cahokia
Civic Memorial (Bethalto)
Columbia
East Alton-Wood River
Freeburg
Jersey
Waterloo

District VIII

Anna-Jonesboro
Carterville
Harrisburg
Herrin
Massac County (Metropolis)
Murphysboro
Richland County (Olney)
Salem

3A

District I

Aurora Central Catholic
Byron
Genoa-Kingston
North Boone (Poplar Grove)
Oregon
Pecatonica
Stillman Valley
Winnebago

District II

Dwight
Erie
Eureka
Mendota
Monmouth-Roseville
Prairie Central (Fairbury)
Princeton
Sherrard

District III

Catalyst Maria (Chicago)
Crane (Chicago)
Johnson (Chicago)
King (Chicago)
Noble Academy (Chicago)
North Lawndale (Chicago)
Phillips (Chicago)
Urban Prep Bronzeville (Chicago)

District IV

Carver (Chicago)
Hansberry (Chicago)
Herscher
Lisle
Montini (Lombard)
Peotone
Reed-Custer (Braidwood)
Wilmington

District V

Clinton
Hoopeston Area
Monticello
Paris
Paxton-Buckley-Loda
St. Joseph-Ogden
Sullivan
Unity (Tolono)

District VI

Beardstown
Carlinville
Litchfield
New Berlin
Olympia (Stanford)
Pleasant Plains
PORTA (Petersburg)
Williamsville

District VII

Greenville
Hillsboro
Marquette (Alton)
Nashville
Pinckneyville
Roxana
Southwestern (Piasa)
Sparta

District VIII

Benton
DuQuoin
Fairfield
Frankfort
Mt. Carmel
Newton
Robinson
Vienna

2A

District I

Christ the King (Chicago)
Collins (Chicago)
DRW (Chicago)
Leo (Chicago)
Marian (Woodstock)
Rockford Christian
Rowe-Clark (Chicago)
Westmont

District II

Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin
Chicago Christian (Palos Hts.)
Iroquois West (Gilman)
McNamara (Kankakee)
Momence
Seneca
Watseka
Westville

District III

Bureau Valley (Manlius)
Eastland (Lanark)
Elmwood
Knoxville
Mercer County (Aledo)
Orion
Riverdale (Port Byron)
Rockridge (Taylor Ridge)

District IV

Farmington
Hamilton
Illini West (Carthage)
Lewistown
Notre Dame (Quincy)
Pittsfield
Tremont
Unity (Mendon)

District V

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond
Bloomington Central Catholic
El Paso-Gridley
Georgetown-Ridge Farm)
Maroa-Forsyth
Ridgeview (Colfax)
St. Teresa (Decatur)
Tri-Valley (Downs)

District VI

Athens
Auburn
North Mac (Virden)
Pana
Riverton
Sangamon Valley (Niantic)
Shelbyville
Warrensburg-Latham

District VII

Carlyle
Chester
Christopher
Gillespie
Mater Dei (Breese)
Red Bud
Vandalia
Wesclin (Trenton)

District VIII

Carmi-White County
Eldorado
Flora
Hamilton County (McLeansboro)
Johnston City
Lawrenceville
Marshall
Oblong

1A

District I

Dakota
Forreston
Galena
Lena-Winslow
Newman Central Catholic (Sterling)
Rockford Lutheran
Stockton
West Carroll (Savanna)

District II

Abingdon-Avon
Fulton
Morrison
Princeville
ROWVA (Oneida)
Stark County (Toulon)
United (Monmouth)
Wethersfield (Kewanee)

District III

Aurora Christian
Chicago Hope Academy
Chicago Military Bronzeville
Clifton Central
Orr (Chicago)
Richards (Chicago)
St. Edward (Elgin)
Walther Christian (Melrose Park)

District IV

Deer Creek-Mackinaw
Fieldcrest (Minonk)
Fisher
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley
Heyworth
LeRoy
Marquette (Ottawa)
St. Bede (Peru)

District V

Astoria
Brown County (Mt. Sterling)
Camp Point Central
Concord (Triopia)
Havana
Routt (Jacksonville)
Rushville-Industry
Winchester

District VI

Althoff Catholic (Belleville)
Calhoun (Hardin)
Carrollton
Dupo
Greenfield
Madison
North Greene (White Hall)
Pleasant Hill

District VII

Arcola
Argenta-Oreana
Cerro Gordo
Oakland
Oakwood (Fithian)
Salt Fork (Catlin)
Tuscola
Villa Grove

District VIII

Casey-Westfield)
Central A & M (Moweaqua)
Cumberland (Toledo)
Edwards County (Albion)
Meridian (Macon)
Nokomis
Red Hill (Bridgeport)
Sesser-Valier

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19RdlV3M1v2k-1yAYiS0W1jx8TO5z2XTZ?usp=drive_link