Two Divisions for Suburban Prairie

All of a sudden the Suburban Prairie Conference is ending the confusion.

After four years of wondering whether games between conference members actually counted as conference games or were non-conference cross-over games, the SPC finally realized a change was needed.

So, the three division format will be scratched beginning with the 1998-99 school year. The league will be divided into two divisions, the red and the white. Forget the blue, it won't exist when teams line up for the first games in late August.

The Red Division will consist of:

Batavia
Fenton
Geneva
Glenbard South
Oswego
Plainfield
Minooka
Morris

The White Division will have:

Kaneland
Yorkville
Westmont
Elmwood Park
Riverside-Brookfield
Lemont
Evergreen Park
Ridgewood
Sycamore
Herscher (for football only)

"We wanted to try to bring more alignment to the conference," Mike Gaspari, Batavia athletic director, said, "so that fans could keep track of conference races. And, it would eliminate the cross-over games."

Not entirely. White Division schools, which will each roll out two schools in football so that they have only seven conference games, can play another White Division school in a non-conference game. Kaneland rolls out Riverside-Brookfield and Sycamore next year but will play Sycamore in a non-conference game.

Previously, cross-over games were scheduled by the conference on specific weeks.

"Now it will between the schools. It won't be a conference thing," Gaspari said.

The realignment represents the second major change in the Suburban Prairie Conference since it was born in 1995. The first change came when the league split to three six-team divisions for the 1996 season.

"We're trying to get things right," Kaneland football coach Joe Thorgesen said. "There are still a lot of things to iron out. I really like the two divisions. Mathematically, there just weren't enough games.

Kaneland won the old Blue Division last year by winning all five games. This year the Knights will play seven conference games.

A potential problem exists. Since each school in the White Division rolls out two schools, a slight possibility exists that two teams who didn't meet during the season will tie for the division championship.

"I like having seven conference games," Thorgesen said. "I'm sure they'll (athletic directors) have to come up with some formula.

The new Suburban Prairie Conference also retains its flexibility. Schools will remain in these divisions-in all sports-for two years. Then the conference will realign again, depending on enrollment changes.

Morris, for example, might switch places with Lemont for the 2000-01 school year since enrollment projections have Lemont gaining enough students to move it to the bigger (Red) division. Morris would be the smallest in the Red Division, forcing the Redskins to move into the White Division.

New schools, possibly one in the Plainfield district, also could be added to the conference without much difficulty.

Basketball also will change. Each school will play the other members of its division twice. That means 14 conference games in the Red Division and 16 in the White Division. The White Division will have nine schools (without Herscher) compared to eight for the Red Division.

"It's kind of bringing in the best of both worlds," Gaspari said.

At least for two years.