What Peoria-area high school football coaches are saying about the potential change to districts

A potential move to district scheduling for Illinois high school football has come with varying opinions from coaches across the Peoria area.

“There is always a fear of the unknown,” Metamora coach Jared Grebner said. “Schools are wondering right now about who would be in their district and how far they might travel. It will be interesting to see how the vote turns out.”

Illinois High School Association member schools will vote from Dec. 4-18 on Proposal 18 — which if passed would give the state's governing body the responsibility of putting together a seven-week, round-robin schedule for the eight classes based on geography and enrollment. A no vote would keep the status quo, with schools and conferences remaining in charge of regular-season schedules.

Background: IHSA schools could vote to change the football scheduling process. Here’s what it means

Richwoods coach Jim Ulrich is for the change to districts. He and his staff think it would benefit their program, saying it would cut the current travel within the Big 12 Conference. Trips to Danville, Urbana and the two Champaign schools make for long road trips, especially when having to make two or three a season.

Also under district play, former local rivalries will be rekindled and new ones developed.

"In theory, districts level the playing field when you play schools with a similar student population," Ulrich said. "Playing smaller schools doesn't necessarily help you for the playoffs. The bigger schools that have larger numbers and two-platoon definitely have an advantage over the smaller ones or schools that lack numbers."

A look at the Mid-Illini

Washington will be voting no, according to new coach Todd Stevens, who has taken over for the retiring Darrell Crouch.

"We are against the proposal for various reasons," the former longtime defensive coordinator said, noting the proposal doesn't benefit them, "but the biggest issue is that we'd hate to see the Mid-Illini Conference (for football) disbanded. The atmosphere for our kids and community each Friday is electric."

The Mid-Illini includes eight teams traditionally spread across four classes, meaning that it's likely only a few of those rivalries would remain in district play — although some of the schools could choose to play one another in non-district games the first two weeks each season.

Canton likely would classify as a 4A school; East Peoria, Limestone, Metamora, Morton likely would slot into 5A; Dunlap and Washington likely in 6A; and Pekin likely in 7A.

"Throughout the years, there's been some incredible rivalries created, and we'd like to see those games continue," Stevens said. "Only having two non-district games threatens the existence of those rivalries. We also have enjoyed moderate travel due to our conference being centrally located."

Tremont is on the same page as Washington.

“Districts are no help specifically for us here at Tremont,” Turks coach Benny Prather said. “The (Heart of Illinois Conference) is set up for us to not have to worry about having an open week and trying to find a team for weeks 1 and 2 like we would in district play.

“This conference has a tradition of producing great competition and rivalries. Our conference is set up for teams to play in a competition that fits their enrollment by splitting into big schools and small schools and making it a fluid switch if needed.”

Some want to wait and see

The proposal as written does not include any details about how districts would be arranged or which teams would be included in which district, leaving some coaches in a wait-and-see mode.

Fieldcrest coach Nick Meyer is in that camp. The Knights are the northernmost team in the HOIC, while consistently being on the Class 1A/2A enrollment border.

“If it doesn’t pass,” Meyer said, “we’re excited to stay in the HOIC — great players, great coaches, and great programs to compete against. If it does pass, we could have some carry-over from the HOIC or play seven new opponents — lots up in the air and too early to know if it’ll be a good or bad change for Fieldcrest.”

State records, upsets and more: IHSA crowns its eight football state champions

As it stands, Morton coach Adam O’Neill enjoys his team’s position within the Mid-Illini Conference.

“We like that we have to chase some bigger schools every year who we know are going to challenge us because of their successful tradition and number of potential student-athletes," O'Neill said. “We look at that as a great opportunity and advantage to compete against those teams within our Mid-Illini Conference schedule.”

One positive to districts, according to O’Neill, is the freedom to schedule whoever they want for the first two weeks. One or two losses to really good non-district teams aren’t going to affect a team’s playoff chances. He says this makes for scheduling some really interesting matchups across not only the area but throughout the state.

“Those district games probably have a ton of meaning all the way to the final game of the season, too,” he said.

Toby Vallas says there are other factors at play when it comes to Proposal 18. The never-ending private/public debate on where schools should fall classification-wise, as well as the proposal writers being tunnel-visioned when it comes to making sweeping changes across the state, according to the Farmington coach.

Ultimately, districts may be a good idea for the Farmers now. But the move could potentially come with baggage later.

“The largest issue is that the IHSA does not make proposals,” Vallas said, “those come from the body of schools. But the body doesn't have a statewide view. This is a huge problem when it comes time for (the) first order (of) change.

“I think some areas need (districts) to happen, but I think it’s a drastic change. I worry about what the long-term effects will be. I think it does benefit our community right now, but I think there are bigger issues.”

The district system has a past

Districts were voted into effect in 2018 before being rescinded in 2019. The timeframe of this vote — all proposals go into effect on July 1, 2024 — potentially doesn't allow for reversing the decision.

So, could the IHSA have one year of districts then go back to the old scheduling model?

"I think if you get it approved," Peoria Notre Dame coach Pat Armstrong said, "people are going to find out how competitive and how convenient it is, and I think they’re going to be happy with it."

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA district football vote: Peoria-area coaches speak on schedule change