Illinois high school football schedules would change under a proposal Illinois High School Association member schools will vote on over the next couple of weeks.
The proposalwould replace conferences with districts arranged by class into eight geographic groups.
It involves a nine-game regular season with the final seven games against district opponents. The top four teams in each of the eight groups would make the playoffs.
Marion High School head coach Kerry Martin says being a large school in a small school area forces his team to travel four hours or more sometimes to find a game. So, he's in favor of the proposal because it would reduce travel times for his team.
"You would look at Marion, Mt. Vernon, Carbondale, Centralia, Mascoutah, Triad, Waterloo, Highland. This group of teams south of I-64 basically, what teams are south of that line and are 5A."
Anna-Jonesboro High School head coach Brett Detering is on the IHSA's legislative committee that voted to send the proposal to the schools.
"From my perspective as a commissioner on that is, 'hey, let's let the membership vote. If this is something they want to do, let's move forward with it. If not, then maybe it kind of puts that to bed a little bit.'"
Detering says he's not sure how A-J will vote or how it will go over statewide.
"The straw poll in the town hall meetings it wasn't one that would've passed coming out of that. But, we just felt as commissioners on the legislative commission is was worth putting it forward and seeing what the membership felt they wanted to do with it."
Martin says he says he understands why some schools would fear the change.
"I think the big apprehension is not so much that it's not a good idea, I think the anxiety is coming from, the apprehension is coming from, losing some traditions, losing some games that you've played for years."
School will receive the ballot Monday and they have until December 17th to submit their votes. The results will be released on the 18th.
The proposal only impacts football. If approved, the new scheduling system would start with the 2021 football season.
