Principals and athletic directors have unanimously approved applications from seven of the 13 schools in the Suburban Christian Conference to join the Metro Suburban Conference in the 2014-15 school year.
Aurora Central, Chicago Christian, Guerin Prep, Immaculate Conception, St. Edward, Walther Lutheran and Wheaton Academy are the schools reportedly set to join the Metro Suburban in two years.
With the expected departure of over half its league teams, the Suburban Christian Conference retains Montini, Marmion, Rosary, St. Francis and Marian Central.
There’s already speculation, however, the remaining SCC schools might explore the options regarding football of joining another conference like the East Suburban Catholic Conference or Chicago Catholic League. Adding a few new schools to replenish the SCC is another possibility.
Current members of the Metro Suburban include Riverside-Brookfield High School, Fenton, Ridgewood, Elmwood Park, Illiana Christian, Timothy Christian and Glenbard South.
With the infusion of seven new schools into the MSC, football reportedly will have 12 teams broken down into a pair of six-team divisions. Each division champion will receive a postseason berth. Presently, the MSC champion isn’t guaranteed a spot in the playoffs since it only carries five teams.
While Illiana Christian and Timothy Christian compete in the majority of sports offered but the Metro Suburban, the Vikings and Trojans don’t have football programs.
The expanded conference also opens the possibility of additional conference championships for several other sports, like badminton and bowling.
RBHS reportedly supports the expansion, since it comes with the assorted benefits of convenient travel, increased exposure, additional conference championships and diversified competition among the schools.
The change will become official pending approval from all 14 Metro Suburban schools.
Fenton High School’s principal and president of the Metro Suburban Conference Board of Control, Todd Linden, announced the expansion in a press release last week.
“On behalf of the MSC, we are thrilled to be welcoming these seven schools to our conference,” Linden wrote. “The additional opportunity for student growth and achievement is very exciting, and we are confident this expansion will be a positive experience for all communities involved.”
Just four years ago, RBHS, Fenton, Ridgewood and Elmwood Park comprised the Metro Suburban Conference.
