Major shift in metro-east HS football: Why MVC folded and Southwestern Conference expanded

As the dust settles on the Mississippi Valley Conference’s disbandment, a new look is coming together for Southwestern Conference football teams.

Conference leadership is expecting more balanced competition, rivalries and, hopefully, multiple championships with the new league structure.

“We’ve created from top to bottom one of the strongest conferences in the state of Illinois,” Southwest Conference Commissioner Bill Schmidt said.

Mascoutah and Triad are leaving the MVC for the Southwestern Conference, and Granite City is set to rejoin Southwestern after years of being independent.

Collinsville’s football team, which also has been independent, will be returning, too, joining the seven schools currently in the Southwestern conference.

The conference changes go into effect beginning in the 2026-27 seasons, but athletic directors are already starting to nail down some specifics.

Here’s what they know, so far, about the future of local high school sports in the metro-east:

Where are the current Mississippi Valley Conference schools going?

The final puzzle piece came Monday night when Highland, the last of the current MVC schools to switch conferences, announced it will go to the South Seven. It will join Cahokia, Carbondale, Centralia, Marion and Mount Vernon.

Three of the MVC’s current six schools — Bethalto’s Civic Memorial, Jerseyville and Waterloo — are joining the three-division Cahokia Conference.

Triad, a traditional rival for Highland, and Mascoutah are switching to the Southwestern Conference.

Will the expanded, 10-school Southwestern Conference have divisions?

So far, Schmidt said, this question has only been answered for football.

Football will consist of two divisions.

One will include Belleville East, Belleville West, East St. Louis, O’Fallon and Edwardsville.

The other will have Alton, Collinsville, Granite City, Mascoutah and Triad. The divisions were based on school size and past success, Schmidt said.

Schmidt said the specifics of football championship play have yet to be determined. There could be one champion for the entire Southwestern Conference or two champions, one per each division.

Teams will divided into the Black Division and Gold Division, in homage to the Southwestern Conference’s traditional colors.

What about other sports?

Divisions for other sports won’t necessarily match the football divisions, and some sports may not have divisions at all, Schmidt said.

That is one of the many details the schools’ athletic directors will discuss starting next week.

“This isn’t something you throw together in five days,” Schmidt said. “It takes a lot of time, and a lot of people express their opinions.”

What will the football schedule look like?

The regular football season consists of the standard nine games. Schmidt broke down schedule structure like this:

• Each team will play the other four teams in their division

• Each team will play two games against teams in the other division

• Individual schools will determine their opponents for three games

So, that’s four division games, two inter-divisional games and three non-conference games.

Why did the Mississippi Valley Conference break up, and why did the Southwestern Conference expand?

The makings of the moment started a few years ago, Schmidt said.

At the same time Schmidt said the Southwestern Conference was looking to add stability, make scheduling more efficient and create rivalries, there were rumblings that some teams in the Mississippi Valley Conference were considering going elsewhere, said Kenny Deatherage, Triad’s athletic director.

At that time, Triad entered into a four-year agreement with the MVC. Triad is now in year three of that agreement, he said.

“In thinking that there may be some movement among different conferences, we decided to be proactive and look at different options for Triad,” said Deatherage, who served as the MVC’s president in the past.

It wasn’t about pitting conferences against each other, Schmidt said. Belleville West Principal Malcolm Hill, the Southwestern Conference’s president, said there were multiple meetings where the different schools collaborated with each other to determine what’s best for their school teams.

School and conference leaders agree the expansion give the Southwestern Conference added stability because more teams allow greater opportunities for matching members competitively.

“This change adds opportunities for every school and every district to be successful,” said Brian Mentzer, superintendent of Belleville Township High School District 201.

The larger conference also lends more notoriety to individual athletes and their teams. With multiple classes in the conference, the conference could see multiple state championship winners.

It can also ignite — or create new — rivalries, resulting in more intense games, Schmidt said.

“We think that what’s been created here is going to be good for the schools, athletes and really the fans,” Schmidt said.

This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM.