Change in class: IHSA girls soccer playoffs bring new classes for area schools

May 6-The upcoming IHSA girls soccer postseason will feature a new look for many schools, including some in The Telegraph area.

Call it a change of class.

Civic Memorial, Alton, Jersey and Granite City are each dropping down a class for the playoffs, which get underway May 16 with regional play-in games.

CM and Jersey have has been in Class 2A since the IHSA went to more than one class for girls soccer. Alton and Granite City have long been in the largest classification, Class 3A.

The changes are being made after the IHSA Board of Trustees voted in 2024 to go to fixed classification enrollment cutoffs.

The cutoffs for girls soccer include:

-Class 1A: Enrollments up to and including 800 students,

-Class 2A: 801 student to 1,800 and

-Class 3A 1,801 students and up.

The IHSA lists Jersey's 2025-26 school year enrollment at 780 students, CM's at 754, Alton's at 1,759 and Granite City's a 1,652.

"I was a little shocked at some of the ways it ended up." CM athletic director and former soccer coach Derek Jarman said. "CM has always been one of the smallest 2A schools in the state, now we're one of the largest 1A schools.

"Under the old two-class system, it seemed like we would go back and forth between being a large 1A school one year, then a small 2A school the next."

Other area enrollments include Roxana 492, Carlinville 351, East Aton-Wood River 515, Southwestern 365, Triad 1,210 and Edwardsville 2,331.

Marquette Catholic's IHSA enrollment is 372 actual students, but 613.8 when the IHSA private school multiplier is applied. Also, Father McGivney High in Glen Carbon has 329 actual students, but the enrollment with the multiplier is listed at 542.85.

"While this does not affect us directly, it still means that CM is now in Class 1A and they're a quality program that can give teams problems," Marquette soccer coach and AD Brian Hoener said. "The new schools in 1A give it a new look, but it won't be teams we aren't familiar with."

The move to Class 2A means a different set of opponents in the playoff, as well as more opportunity to play host to postseason tournaments. This season, CM will host a Class 1A regional tournament as well as a Class 1A super-sectional game.

Alton, in Class 2A, will host a sectional tournament at Public School Stadium.

Hosting and qualifying for are two different things, Jarman said.

"It's definitely not a case where because we're now one of the bigger schools in 1A, it's all of a suddenly easier," Jarman said. "It's definitely far from that.

"Teams at the top of 1A soccer, especially in our area, are as good as any teams in any class in the state. Around here, we have McGivney and Marquette and Columbia, to name just a few."

CM soccer coach Eric Zyung agreed.

"The good news is that we don't age to play Triad in the playoffs," he said. "The bad news is, we could get McGivney or Marquette or somebody else as good."

The area postseason schedules include:

Class 1A

CM will open its own regional tournament Tuesday, May 19 at 4:30 p.m. against Southwestern. That game will be followed by Staunton vs. Jersey.

The semifinal winners will meet Friday, May 22 at 5 p.m. with the winner advancing to the Litchfield Class 1A sectional, along with regional champs from Hillsboro, Carlinville and Marquette

The Marquette Regional will open May 19 at Public School Stadium with the host Explorers facing East Alton-Wood River at 4:30 p.m., followed by Gillespie vs. Roxana at 6:30. The semifinal winners will pay at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 22 for the title.

At Carlinville, the host Cavaliers will face Olney at 4:30 p.m. May 19, followed by Greenville vs. Pana at 6:30 in the second semifinal. The championship game will feature the semifinal winners playing at 5 p.m. for the championship.

At Hillsboro, the semifinals will be played Wednesday, May 20, with top-seeded Litchfield facing Charleston at 4 p.m., followed by Hillsboro vs. North Mac. The final is set for Saturday, May 23 at 4 p.m.

The CM Super-Sectional is set for 5 p.m., Monday, June 1between sectional champions from Litchfield and Columbia, with the winner advancing to the IHSA Class 1A State Tournament June 4-6 at North Central College in Naperville.

Class 2A

Alton will host a Class 2A Sectional Tournament May 27 and 29 at Public School Stadium, which will include champions from regionals at Carbondale, Quincy, Mattoon and Triad.

AHS, a No. 9 seed, will open its postseason in the Mattoon Regional with a play-in game at No. 8 seed Jacksonville at 4 p.m. May 16. The winner will move on to Mattoon on May 19 to face top-seeded Springfield in a semifinal. The other semifinal will feature Mattoon and Sacred Heart-Griffiin. The semifinal winners will play for the title at 5 p.m. Friday, May 22, with the winner moving on to the Alton Sectional.

Granite City will play in the Quincy 2A Regional along with host Quincy (also new to 2A), Chatham Glenwood and Highland.

The Alton Sectional champion will advance to the Chatham Glenwood Super-Sectional June 2 and face the Morton Sectional champion. The 2A state tourney is set for June 5-6 at North Central College.

Class 3A

Edwardsville will open its own 3A regional tourney May 19 with a semifinal against Springfield Southeast at 5 p.m. That game willbe followd by a game between Belleville west and Normal Community at 7 p.m.

The semifinal winners will play for the title May 22 at 6 p.m.

The Collinsville 3A regional at Kahok Stadium will include just three teams. Collinsville will play Belleville East at 6 p.m. May 19. the winner will face O'Fallon for the regional title May 22 at 6 p.m.

The Collinsvillle and Edwardsville regional champs will play each other in a sectional semifinal May 19. The winner will advance to the Normal Community Sectional final May 29 against the winner of a semifinal between regional champs from Minooka and Moline.

The 3A state finals are set for June 5-6 at North Central College.

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