Changes to high school football format overturned. Local coaches have mixed reaction.
The Illinois High School Association announced Tuesday it has rescinded a plan to change the high school football scheduling playoff formats that was approved almost a year ago.
The new format called for dividing the state into eight districts based on geography and school enrollment. Teams would have been scheduled to play each of the teams in their enrollment classification that were also within their district.
The new format was to begin in 2021, but IHSA member schools voted the plan down through online balloting that was tabulated Tuesday.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said the vote doesn’t mark the end of the discussion. Other ideas and proposals will continue to be considered.
“There is incredible passion for high school football in our state, and the subject of football district scheduling has been no exception,” Anderson said. “Many coaches and communities were excited about the prospect of district scheduling when the vote passed a year ago, just like many are excited today that it will ultimately not occur in 2021.
“We do not expect the discussion surrounding football regular-season scheduling and the playoff structure to dissipate, so we will be charged with continuing to facilitate discussion and ideas among our member school coaches and administrators.”
The failed new format would essentially have made traditional athletic conferences unnecessary, at least for football.
Mascoutah AD in favor of verdict
Mascoutah High School Athletic Director Scott Battas said his school and others in the Mississippi Valley Conference were relieved by Tuesday’s decision.
“I can tell you that from the standpoint of our school’s stance on this topic, and the opinion of our conference, we are extremely thrilled with the outcome of this vote throwing out the district proposal,’’ Battas said. “We take great pride in competing against our league schools as we have dating back to the ’70s and we are excited that those traditions and rivalries will be kept together for the foreseeable future.
“The vote really was not very close this time, so I think after people took a look at what potential districts looked like, that forced them to reconsider their previous stance.”
The Indians, who finished the regular season winning their final three games to finish with the required six wins to clinch a playoff bid, advanced to the Class 5A state semifinals where they lost to Rochester.
Belleville West didn’t make the playoffs this season under first-year coach Bryan Edgar, finishing 3-6 overall. West Athletic Director Lee Meyer said the school was in favor of the new district format. His concern was centered on the so-called “drive for five,” in which schools purposely pad their regular season schedules with smaller opponents in order to reach the five wins needed to become playoff eligible.
“We feel that teams are so concerned with getting to five or six wins that they are sometimes reluctant to play us,’’ Meyer said. “In the district format it would have been easier to schedule games without the pressure of getting five or six wins.’’
Columbia Eagles coach Horner against decision
Columbia coach Scott Horner, who guided the Eagles to a 10-1 season and Cahokia Conference championship, said the decision may not be a good one for the league.
“It’s concerning for what it will mean for the Cahokia Conference. I look for some schools to start exploring other options,’’ Horner said. “I can’t confirm but have to suspect that the smaller schools in our conference may look to join other, more balanced, conferences.”
Athletic directors at 7A and 8A programs, like O’Fallon and Belleville East, had expressed concerns last year the district format would force excessive travel to Chicago in order to meet their quota of games against teams of similar enrollment.
This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 2:33 PM.
