Could Kaneland be headed to the I8?
Kaneland's quest to find a conference home for the 2019-2020 school year and beyond took another turn Friday.
Knights athletic director Peter Goff said the I8 Conference contacted him about the possibility of joining.
Next year Kaneland will be back in the Northern Illinois Big XII for the final year.
Currently for the 2019-20 school year, Kaneland, DeKalb and Yorkville do not have a conference.
"We've been contacted by the I8," Goff said. "They are going to send over some language for me to look at. We're looking for somewhere solid."
With Geneseo and Sterling going to the Western Big 6, that opened up Geneseo's spot in the I8.
Right now the I8 includes Kaneland's fellow NIB XII members Morris, Sycamore and Rochelle, plus Plano, Sandwich, LaSalle-Peru and Ottawa.
"It's familiarity and it's close," Goff said of the advantages of the I8. "The travel would be a lot closer, the longest ride would be to LaSalle-Peru and it's an hour and 10 minutes one way."
Among other options, Goff said Kaneland reached out to the Fox Valley Conference, which recently added Burlington Central to become a 10-team league.
The Knights also have talked to the NIC-10, which includes the Rockford and Belvidere schools.
"We have had some dialogue with the NIC 10, us and DeKalb, and that's really the only other lead we've had," Goff said. "We reached out to the Fox Valley and they are at 10 so they are kind of locked in and I think they want to give that a whirl and see how it goes. So who knows. They sent us a letter thanking us for the inquiry but at the present time they want to stand pat with 10."
Kaneland's next school board meeting is April 9 and Goff said he is not sure if he will have information to present about the I8.
"Nothing is set in stone right now," Goff said. "Once I get something I'll update our school board and we'll go from there."
Goff said one of the main things Kaneland is looking for is stability.
"It wears on us three, us and Yorkville and DeKalb," Goff said. "We would like to be in a conference safe and sound. Everything has a ripple effect. Now we're searching. We just have to wait and see."