Christian Liberty gains full IHSA membership - finally

The wait was a little longer than expected, but Christian Liberty finally got the word Monday it was approved as a full member of the IHSA for this school year.

Christian Liberty athletic director Steve Rowland said he got the news from IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman.

"We're real excited and we've been working a long time to get it done," Rowland said. "We got caught up in a delay game and it came down to the wire but it worked out great.

"Now we're playing for something. It's a new era for us as far as getting recognized and it's all very positive."

Rowland said the school's consultant with the Illinois State Board of Education had come up in May to make sure everything at Christian Liberty was in proper order but wasn't allowed to travel for a return trip in July because the state budget had not been passed.

But Rowland said that situation was finally resolved and Christian Liberty received the ISBE recognition it needed for full IHSA membership.

Christian Liberty will be part of the new Northeastern Athletic Conference and this fall will have varsity football (its opener is Aug. 28 at Alden-Hebron), girls volleyball and boys soccer.

The school will have boys and girls basketball in the winter and baseball, softball and boys and girls track in the spring. Rowland said he hopes to have boys and girls cross country next year.

"The conference is a great fit for us with a lot of schools we've known and played for years as an (IHSA) approved school," Rowland said.