West Chicago High to stay in sports conference

West Chicago High School sports programs will not be leaving the DuPage Valley Conference in the foreseeable future, but District 94 board members said that does not mean it will never happen.

However, they said a more effective solution to make the school more competitive lies in the feeder park districts and school districts.

Principal Moses Cheng recommended not to pursue a move to the Metro Suburban Conference because many schools in that conference do not have as many programs as West Chicago. That would lead to several nonconference games or even the elimination of programs. Also, Cheng said the distance between schools in the metro conference would cause problems.

Board members said they should look into other options in the future. Some said that perhaps an inspection of feeder programs was in order.

Board member Dirk Gunderson laid the blame on a lower level of cooperation between the school and youth programs.

"We have decimated our football program," he said. "Middle schools are not active enough in our sports programs. They have not helped us build a good feeder program."

Despite the recommendation against a move, board member Ruben Campos said any progress made by concerned residents should be taken into account as the board considers how to move forward.

"I don't want this to be pushed aside," he said. "I don't want the momentum and energy of the parents to die down."

Around September, several parents raised the possibility of moving conferences, a discussion that has been ongoing for several years. Some expressed a preference to join the metro conference in order to help the school be more competitive. Cheng said the benefits would move beyond the field.

"It does impact the overall culture and climate of the school," he said. "It's still a priority."

Last season, the West Chicago Wildcat football team went winless in nine games, including going 0-7 in the DuPage Valley Conference. In basketball, the Wildcats currently hold a 3-20 record, including 1-9 in conference.

Athletic Director Doug Mullaney said some major strides have been made to help the school's programs be more competitive.

"Since Day 1, we've been looking at everything our coaches do with the youth programs," he said. Among the improvements are in the wrestling and basketball programs, Mullaney said. Coaches in both sports have jumped into youth-league programs aimed at producing the school's next crop of athletes, he said.

Gunderson said that's exactly what other programs should do because if they don't, a conference switch still would not do much to improve the atmosphere.

"No matter where we go, if we don't have a good feeder program, we won't compete," he said.