There's no rush, but Hampshire leaving BNC inevitable
It's been a couple of years since we've seen any major changes in conference structures around the Fox Valley.
All that could be changing soon.
As District 300 prepares to draw new boundaries, Hampshire High School is poised to open a new building in the fall that will initially house roughly 1,000 students and could, at some point in the future, be home to 2,500.
With Woodstock North opening in the fall for freshmen and sophomores only, it's obvious the Fox Valley Conference will undergo some kind of change in the next couple of years.
And the obvious fit would appear to be Hampshire, whose sister D300 schools Dundee-Crown and Jacobs are already FVC staples.
Let's make one thing clear -- Hampshire is not eager to leave the Big Northern Conference. The Whip-Purs' sports programs have been a part of the Little Eight and Big Eight conferences -- predecessors to the Big Northern -- and the BNC forever. But the Big Northern is primarily a small-school league and the reality is that at some point Hampshire -- and Burlington Central for that matter -- will outgrow the BNC.
"We know Woodstock is splitting and that will put the Fox Valley with an odd number," said Hampshire athletic director Dave Hicks. "It would be a good fit for us if we have the numbers.
"But we're not in a huge rush to leave the Big Northern. It's a very good conference for us. But the reality is we're going to outgrow it. It's just a question of when."
The 12-school Big Northern, which has East and West divisions, is made up of several schools that are not growing as rapidly as Hampshire and Burlington, and Marengo for that matter. As Central and Hampshire grow into Class AA, or Class 3A depending on the sport, playing crossovers against schools much smaller won't be advantageous to their programs.
"We haven't formally been invited to the Fox Valley Conference or formally discussed anything with the Big Northern yet," said Hicks, who attended the Big Northern ADs meeting Thursday, a day after the FVC's ADs met.
"The way the economy is right now and with the downturn in the housing market it may be later than sooner. Our biggest issue right now is whether we'll be 2A or 3A next year."
And Hicks reiterated that Hampshire is in no hurry to leave the Big Northern.
"It's a great conference made up of good schools and good people who always have the kids' interests in mind first. It's just a great conference to be in," said Hicks, noting that some people have also mentioned the possibility of Hampshire moving to the Western Sun Conference when the time comes.
And even though Burlington Central is now the biggest school in the BNC, and there's been talk of years about the Rockets leaving the conference, AD Dan Cliffe says nothing is imminent.
"I don't think the time is yet," Cliffe said. "Down the road maybe, but the timing isn't now. Our principal (Dave Oleson) has told the Big Northern that if and when we decide to move to another conference, the Big Northern will be the first to know."
The Western Sun might actually be a better fit for BC than it would be for Hampshire, especially if Glenbard South would decide it really doesn't belong in a conference with Rochelle.
And if Hampshire and Central end up in different conferences down the road, Hicks for one wants to see tradition continue in some way.
"If that happens, as long as Dan and Central want to I think it's important to keep the Hampshire-Central rivalry going," Hicks said. "We would certainly want to do that."
Hoops talk: I can't remember a time when receiving the pairings for the Charger Classic at Dundee-Crown have excited me like this past Monday. When I look at those pairings and see all the Daily Herald area teams playing in the 25th version of the best girls basketball tournament in the state, it makes me proud that the Daily Herald continues to sponsor such a wonderful event. Keep your eyes on our paper even after next Friday's final Sports Extra of 2007. We have some special things planned for the 25th anniversary of the Charger Classic.