Okawville, four more invited to join Cahokia Conference. Who are the other schools?
Roxana High School Athletic Director Mark Briggs confirmed that the Shells have accepted an invitation to become the 14th member of the Cahokia Conference.
The announcement Roxana — a member of the South Central Conference since 1997 — is moving to the Cahokia Conference came following the Roxana District 1 School Board meeting on Thursday.
“The Cahokia Conference is a great opportunity for our student-athletes and a great fit for the future of our athletic programs. Aligning with the strong traditions in the Cahokia Conference will positively impact our school culture and provide an opportunity to strengthen an already strong league,’’ Briggs said in a press release.
“The flexibility of scheduling for all of our teams along with reduced travel, and the ability to renew traditional rivalries should make for an exciting time within our student-athletes, student body, and our community.’’
Roxana moving to the Cahokia Conference could be the first of several in the upcoming weeks. Cahokia Conference President Dr. Vince Hughes confirmed this week five schools — Roxana, East Alton-Wood River, Chester, Sparta and Okawville — had been extended invitations to join the league, which has been around since 1928.
Although no official date has been announced, the Cahokia Conference expansion could begin in either the 2021-22 or 2022-23 school year.
Long one of the top independent Class 1A athletic programs in Southern Illinois, the Okawville Rockets may soon be competing for conference titles as well as state championships.
Okawville Athletic Director Jon Kraus confirmed the Rockets’ invitation by the Cahokia Conference. He said a decision will be discussed at the next Okawville School Board meeting on May 28.
The Cahokia Conference currently includes 13 schools. Valmeyer and Steeleville were added prior to the 2006-07 season with Salem joining the league in 2016-17.
Marissa High School Principal and Conference President Dr. Vince Hughes said the league considered several variables when deciding which schools to ask to join.
“Geography, level of competition, tradition, size of their school, sports offered in each school, and other school traits/characteristics all played into our decision to invite these five schools,” Hughes said. “The Cahokia Conference has been an active and successful conference since 1928.
“The Cahokia Conference is not simply an athletic organization. The administrators meet regularly to share ideas about teacher professional development, integrating technology into the classroom, share educational best practices and much more. Inviting other schools into our conference will provide us with an opportunity to have five more schools share ideas on how we can all provide a better academic and athletic experience for our students.
“All 13 of the current Cahokia schools were/are in full agreement to invite the five schools into our conference. We are all excited about the possibilities ahead.”
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 4:03 PM.
