Illini Prairie Conference

Last updated
Illini Prairie Conference
Conference IHSA
No. of teams10 (one non-football)
Region Central Illinois

The Illini Prairie Conference is a high school athletic conference in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), based in Central Illinois. The conference comprises ten medium-sized and small high schools resulting from the merging of the Corn Belt Conference and the Okaw Valley Conference. Conference athletics began in the 2017-18 school year. [1]

Contents

History

Member schools of the Corn Belt Conference and the Okaw Valley Conference began discussing a merger after the announced departures of Eureka High School and Mahomet-Seymour High School from the Corn Belt Conference in 2014 and 2015. [2] Principals of the ten schools voted unanimously in February 2016 to begin plans to merge the conferences. [3] School boards of the ten schools approved the new conference in March and April 2016. [4] Student bodies of each school submitted favorite names for the conference to the principals. Illini Prairie was selected unanimously by the principals. [5] [6]

Paxton-Buckley-Loda joined the conference at the start of the 2020-21 school year after, making the move after St. Thomas More decided to play an eight-man football schedule. PBL had played in the Sangamon Valley Conference since 1990. St. Thomas More remains a member of the Illini Prairie Conference in all other sports. [7]

Olympia in 2021, left the Illini Prairie Conference to join the Sangamo Conference, Thus leaving the Illini Prairie Conference with ten teams in the Conference and 9 of them that play football, still leaving St. Thomas-More an 8-man football team. [8]

Member schools

USA Illinois location map.svg
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Central Catholic
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Illinois Valley Central
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Monticello
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Pontiac
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Prairie Central
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Rantoul
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St. Joseph
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St. Thomas
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Unity
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PBL
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Illini Prairie Conference Members (clickable map)
SchoolLocationMascotColorsSchool type2021-22 Enrollment IHSA classYear joinedJoined fromReferences
Central Catholic High School Bloomington, Illinois Saints   Private321 / 530.48 (multiplied)1A/2A/3A2017Corn Belt [9]
Illinois Valley Central High School Chillicothe, Illinois Grey Ghosts  Public6104A2017Corn Belt [9] [10]
Monticello High School Monticello, Illinois Sages  Public5193A2017Okaw Valley
Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School Paxton, Illinois Panthers  Public4633A2020 Sangamon Valley
Pontiac Township High School Pontiac, Illinois Indians  Public6564A2017Corn Belt [9]
Prairie Central High School Fairbury, Illinois Hawks  Public5283A2017Corn Belt [9]
Rantoul Township High School Rantoul, Illinois Eagles  Public7724A2017Okaw Valley [10]
St. Joseph-Ogden High School St. Joseph, Illinois Spartans   Public4493A2017Okaw Valley
St. Thomas More High School Champaign, Illinois Sabers  Private257 / 424.88 (multiplied)2A2017Okaw Valley
Unity High School Tolono, Illinois Rockets   Public5173A2017Okaw Valley

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Corn Belt Conference merger approved, Illini Prairie Conference created". Chillicothe Times-Bulletin. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  2. ↑ Deacon, Joe (28 January 2016). "U High, CCHS hope to continue relationship, rivalry". The Pantagraph. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  3. ↑ Loveless, Matt (16 February 2016). "Okaw Valley, Corn Belt Conferences Approve Plans for Future Merger". WAND. Frankly Media. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  4. ↑ Zilis, Anthony (4 April 2016). "Okaw Valley, Corn Belt conferences will merge". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Pontiac, PC now part of Illini Prairie". Pontiac Daily Leader. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Zilis, Anthony (20 April 2016). ""Illini Prairie" selected as name for Okaw Valley-Corn Belt merger | News-Gazette.com". The News Gazette. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "Paxton-Buckley-Loda accepted into Illini Prairie Conference | High School Sports | pantagraph.com".
  8. ↑ Beherns, Bret (16 December 2020). "Olympia Leaving Illini Prairie Conference | WCIA.com". WCIA. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Corn Belt - 2014-2015". ihsa.org. Illinois High School Association. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  10. 1 2 Kindred, Randy (7 February 2013). "Corn Belt Conference votes to add IVC". The Pantagraph. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
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