SCC decides it's ready for makeover

The way Paul Linden sees it, the Suburban Catholic Conference isn't just adding four new schools, it's adding four new friends.

Aurora Christian, Wheaton Academy, Guerin and Chicago Christian will join the eight-school Suburban Catholic Conference in the 2009-10 school year, and the conference will be renamed the Suburban Christian Conference, a rumored move the SCC announced officially Wednesday.

"It's a natural fit," Linden said. "We looked at it as a business merger. All the schools are really excited about it."

In sports where there are 12 teams, the conference will break up into two yet-to-be-named divisions based on school enrollment and competitiveness. In other sports, like soccer, where there are only nine or 10 schools, there will only be one big division.

In football Aurora Central will start off playing against some of the conference's bigger, more powerful teams, like Driscoll and Montini, but in the second season will play against the smaller schools. The first-place team in the second division will move up.

Divisions will be adjusted every two years as needed.

Guerin, located in River Grove, just started admitting boys four years ago. It is in the GCAC for girls sports, the Chicago Catholic League for boys sports. Chicago Christian is in Palos Heights and joins Wheaton Academy and Aurora Christian in coming over from the Private School League. Wheaton Academy just completed its first year of varsity football.

The merger could cut down on travel times and travel expenses, Linden said, but it also will help the schools become more competitive in many sports. In sports where the schools break into divisions, they will play fewer conference games, allowing them to play nonconference games against teams they are likely to meet in the IHSA's state tournament.

"I think it's a great move," added Aurora Christian football coach Don Beebe. "As an athlete myself I always wanted to raise the level of my play by playing better people."

Beebe noted that his Eagles often routed their opponents early in games last season, and his star quarterback, junior Jordan Roberts, often watched the end of games from the bench so the Eagles didn't run up the score.

"I think a kid like that deserves to play the whole game," Beebe said.

"For us it does a couple of things," Wheaton Academy football coach Ben Wilson added. "One is it's going to definitely be a greater challenge for our program and the initial growth of our program.

"But I think if you look in the long term for our program, I think it's going to really challenge us to compete with the best on our school-size level. It's just going to be better for us, make us more visible in the community, in DuPage County, and hopefully will attract great athletes to Wheaton Academy. Just the fact that we're in arguably the best small-school football conference in the state."

Not everyone was totally enthusiastic about the change.

"I have mixed feelings about it," St. Edward girls basketball coach Michelle Dawson said. "Part of me feels we have such a strong conference, so why are we changing it? We have great competition in the Suburban Catholic night in and night out.

"But sometimes change isn't all bad. I'm sure the new schools will bring some good teams and good competition. But to be honest, I like our conference as it is."

There also was concern about mixing Catholic and Christian schools, but Linden sees this as a positive, that the new conference can be a role model for the two groups in society as a whole.

"There was concern by some people, some constituents, but we've eased all fears," Linden said of the school leaders who acted on this merger. "That's a huge block to get past. That takes a lot of vision by the people that are sitting at the table.

"They're making a bold move, they really are. But it's bold in a good direction."

Beebe agreed.

"We all serve the same god," he said. "It doesn't matter if it has Christian behind your name or Catholic behind your name.

"I think it's going to be a unique unity between different faiths."

The new SCC will include strong teams in sports like basketball and volleyball.

"There's some pretty good basketball programs in there," Driscoll coach Nick Latorre said. "Chicago Christian is pretty good year in and year out, Wheaton Academy is pretty good year in and year out, Guerin has a pretty good program year in and year out, and Aurora Christian has a great basketball tradition. Coach (Don) Davidson is a legend."

In Aurora the merger creates a new rivalry between Aurora Christian and Aurora Central Catholic.

"Every school needs a rival," said Beebe, noting the schools are neighbors on the city's west side. "Now it's going to be AC-ACC. That's only going to create a very competitive atmosphere."

The new SCC

How schools will be divided for football in 2009 in the new Suburban Christian Conference. Division names have not been decided.

Division A

Aurora Central Catholic

Driscoll

Marian Central Catholic

Marmion/Rosary

Montini

St. Francis

Division B

Aurora Christian

Chicago Christian

Guerin

Immaculate Conception

St. Edward

Wheaton Academy