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Seneca, Sandwich set to join Illinois Central Eight Conference in 2027-28 · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Seneca, Sandwich set to join Illinois Central eight Conference in
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  twenty twenty seven to twenty eight. Written by J. T. Penalty,
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  This article is being read by an automated voice brought
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  to you by Everleitt. The Illinois Central eight Conference is
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  expected to expand to ten schools as this week, Seneca
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  and Sandwich's boards of education listed agenda items to leave
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  their current homes to join the ICE Conference beginning with
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  the twenty twenty seven to twenty eight school year. Seneca,
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  which voted unanimously at wednesday's board meeting to join the ICE,
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  will remain a member of the Tri County Conference in
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  sports other than football and wrestleling next school year, and
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  compete as an independent for football and wrestling. We just
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  think this is the right time to make this move,
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  Seneca athletic director ted O Boyle said Thursday morning. Sandwich,
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  which verified Friday that the school board had voted yes
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  on the agenda item, approved membership to the Illinois Central
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  eight Conference for the twenty seven to twenty eight school
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  year at its May nineteenth meeting, will play a fourth
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  and final school year in the Kishwaukee River Conference in
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  twenty twenty six to twenty seven before rejoin I in
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  many former conference rivals in the ICE. The decision to
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  make this change was based on several factors, including enrollment comparability,
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  athletic competition, travel considerations, and fine arts opportunities. Sandwich Athletic
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  director Corey Stevens said in a statement. He continued, we
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  look forward to continuing our Kishwaukee River Conference partnerships over
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  the next year while also preparing for this new chapter
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  with the Illinois Central eight Conference. When the additions take effect,
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  The Illinois Central eight seems likely to move to a
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  closed schedule for football, meaning member school's entire regular season
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  schedules are filled by conference games with no non conference
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  contests for other sports. Nine or eighteen game conference schedules
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  are possibilities. Scheduling scenarios, along with a possible conference name
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  change to reflect the increased number of schools, will be
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  weighed this summer. Seneca rejoins a trio of schools that
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  co formed the original Interstate eight Conference with back in
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  nineteen seventy nine. Coal City, Reid, Custer, and Wilmington. Sandwich
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  joined the I eight a half dozen years later, and
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  all were members until the late twenty ten s exodus
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  of Interstate eight member schools that ultimately led to the
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  formation of the Illinois Central Eight. Seneca had already committed
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  to leave the rapidly changing Interstate eight, a conference that
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  has since transformed into a mid to large school conference
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  with no remaining members from its classic one, nine hundred
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  and eighty thousands configuration, and joined the Tri County Conference
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  for sports other than foot and wrestling. In football and wrestling,
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  Seneca moved to the Sangamon Valley Conference Vermilion Valley Football
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  Alliance until leaving to found the Chicagoland Prairie Conference alongside
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  longtime rivals Dwight and Marquette Academy. In twenty twenty three.
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  The Chicagoland Prairie has been dissolved due to inconsistent membership,
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  no doubt a factor in Seneca's decision to join the ICE.
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  It was not, however, the only factor. Oboyle cited not
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  only the additional opportunities the Illinois Central Eight offers Seneca students,
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  but also the fact that declining enrollments at many of
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  the current ICE schools make this a better fit than
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  when Seneca reportedly declined an invitation in twenty seventeen to
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  become a founding member of the ICE Conference. The real
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  reason we did this is that our administration and Board
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  of Education feel that this is best for our school
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  as a whole, not just one individual school or activity,
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  but for all of our students. O'Boyle said, I think
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  it does just make more sense now than in twenty seventeen,
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  when Seneca's offered spot reportedly went to Straighter after Seneca
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  refused it. We're very strong in a lot of activities
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  at Seneca High School that aren't sports related to give
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  those kids opportunities. The ICE just offers a little bit
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  more in terms of that. We did leave the I eight,
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  but now some of the enrollments are down for schools
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  in the ICE and this just seems like the right
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  fit for us right now. Sandwich, along with archrival Plano
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  and Westmont, was one of three Interstate eight schools left
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  out of conversations when the Illinois Central Eight was formed
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  in September of twenty seventeen to begin play during the
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  twenty nineteen to twenty school year. Left alone in the
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  collapsing conference, Sandwich and Plano recruited the six schools that
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  are currently I eight members, Ottawa, lesal Peru, Canland, Morris, Sycamore,
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  and Rochelle to join them, but then abandon the I
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  eight themselves to join the Kishwak River Conference in twenty
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  twenty three to twenty four, while Seneca will be leaving
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  on again off again conference rivals Dwight and Marquette. Sandwich's
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  decision to join the ICE means the Indians will not
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  be in a conference with Plano for the first time
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  since the mid nineteen eighties. If the prospects of a
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  closed ten team football conference proved true in twenty twenty seven,
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  the war on thirty four rivals might not meet on
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  the football field in a season. Both have field varsity
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  teams for the first time since nineteen thirty nine. According
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  to records maintained by reapur nation dot com. Going by
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  current ISSAS enrollment figures, Sandwich would become the third largest
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  member of the Illinois Central Eight, fitting between Coal City
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  and Mantino. Seneca would be the smallest member by enrollment,
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  just three students smaller than the current smallest member, reed
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  Custer twenty twenty five to twenty six. Is IT enrollment
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  figures for the ten schools were Streeter seven hundred and
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  forty two coal City six hundred and forty, Sandwich five
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  hundred forty four, Mainteen five hundred and thirty eight, Hersher
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  five hundred and sixteen, Lizel four hundred and twenty one,
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  Pyotone four hundred and ten, Wilmington four hundred, reed, Custer
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  three hundred and seventy five, and Seneca three hundred and
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  seventy two,