SCC schools get favorable ruling from IHSA
The closing of Driscoll Catholic High School at the end of this school year left the new Suburban Christian Conference with an important question to ask the IHSA regarding football.
The Suburban Catholic Conference, which currently includes Aurora Central, Driscoll, Immaculate Conception, Marian Central, Marmion, Montini, St. Edward and St. Francis, will expand as well as change its name this fall to include Aurora Christian, Chicago Christian, Guerin Prep and Wheaton Academy.
The 12 schools were slotted into two, six-team divisions (Blue and Gold), membership in which will vary from sport to sport based on several criteria and will be re-examined every two years.
The IHSA requires all football conferences to maintain a minimum of six member schools in order to qualify for an automatic playoff berth for its champion. The loss of Driscoll left the SCC Blue Division with five teams, but the IHSA made an exception to its rule Tuesday due to the unusual circumstance of Driscoll closing its doors unexpectedly.
In a letter faxed to St. Edward athletic director P.J. White, the 2008-09 president of the Suburban Catholic Conference, the IHSA ruled: "For the 2009-10 football season, the winner of the Blue Division will receive an automatic playoff bid even though only five teams will compete in the Blue Division of the conference."
The SCC asked the IHSA for a ruling on April 16. Athletic directors from the 12 SCC schools, including Driscoll AD Bob Carlson, were informed of the IHSA decision in a meeting at St. Edward High School in Elgin Wednesday.
"We've been waiting for a while for this to come through, and this is what we were hoping for," White said. "The nice thing is the first-place team in each division will still get an automatic berth into the playoffs. That's what having 12 teams in two divisions was all about - having more schools with a chance to get an automatic bid.
"Right now we're good for next year, which is a huge load off our minds and that's a big thing for us. Now we have to search to see if we can find another school to join the conference."
White said the league is now open to any school that wishes to apply for SCC membership for the 2010-11 school year.
The new league also requested a formal ruling from the IHSA in regard to previously scheduled football games against Driscoll next fall for seven of its member schools.
"For the 2009-10 football season only, members of the Suburban Christian Conference will be granted a forfeit win if they are unable to find an opponent to replace Driscoll High School," said the letter signed by IHSA executive director Marty Hickman.
A forfeit win could help the member schools reach the five wins necessary to qualify for playoff consideration, however, no playoff points are awarded for forfeits. Meanwhile, the seven SCC teams originally scheduled to play football against Driscoll next fall are scrambling to find replacements.
"I know other schools are desperately looking to find a game because they'd like to play and not have a week off," White said. "You can go look for a game, which is what most schools would like, but it's hard to do because no one right now is available for next school year. Pretty much everybody in the state has contracts for football games with the exception of one or two games here or there."