Western Big 6 Conference

Last updated

Western Big 6 Conference
Conference IHSA
No. of teams8
RegionWest Central Illinois

The Western Big 6 Conference is a high school conference in western central Illinois. The conference participates in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The conference comprises public high schools with large enrollments, as well a private school, in the Illinois Quad Cities, Galesburg, Illinois, and Quincy, Illinois.

Contents

Current membership

USA Illinois location map.svg
Green pog.svg
Alleman
Gold pog.svg
Galesburg
Green pog.svg
Geneseo
Purple pog.svg
Moline
Blue pog.svg
Quincy
Red pog.svg
Rock Island
Blue pog.svg
Sterling
Orange pog.svg
United
Western Big 6 Conference Members (clickable map)
SchoolLocation
(Population)
MascotColors2019-20 Enrollment IHSA Classes 2/3/4 [1] IHSA Music Class [2] IHSA Football Class [3] IHSA Cheerleading Class [2]
Alleman High School Rock Island, IL
(57,108)
Pioneers  435 / 709.50 (multiplied)A/1A/2AB4AMedium squad
Galesburg High School Galesburg, IL
(30,052)
Silver Streaks  1,284AA/2A/3AAA6AMedium squad
Geneseo High School Geneseo, IL
(6,539)
Maple Leafs  840.5AA/2A/3AA4AMedium squad
Moline High School Moline, IL
(42,985)
Maroons  2,061AA/3A/4AAA7ALarge squad
Quincy High School Quincy, IL
(39,463)
Blue Devils  1,788AA/3A/4AAA7ALarge Squad
Rock Island High School Rock Island, IL
(57,108)
Rocks  1,626AA/2A/3AA6AMedium squad
Sterling High School Sterling, IL
(14,782)
Golden Warriors  1,021AA/2A/3AA5AMedium squad
United Township High School East Moline, IL
(21,374)
Panthers  1,666AA/3A/4AAA6AMedium squad

Sources:IHSA Conferences [4] and IHSA Member Schools Directory [5]

History

The Western Big 6 Conference was established in 1969. The conference consisted of four schools from the Quad Cities area, one from Quincy, and one from Galesburg. The charter members were Moline High School, Rock Island High School, Rock Island Alleman High School, United Township High School (East Moline), Quincy Senior High School, and Galesburg High School. Enrollments have ranged from over 2000 students, to Alleman, the league's only private school, with about 300. [6]

Prior to the advent of the Western Big 6 Conference, the schools of the present day conference are known to have participated in several other conferences: [7]

SchoolYearsConsolidationsConference Came FromState Championships (1969–Present)
Alleman High School 1969–Presentn/aUnknown7
Galesburg High School 1969–Presentn/aIllini2
Geneseo High School 2019–PresentAtkinson High School (1988) [9] NIB-12 -
Moline High School 1969–Present1952 Coal Valley [10] Mississippi Valley9
Quincy High School 1969–Presentn/aUnknown9
Rock Island High School 1969–Presentn/aMississippi Valley5
Sterling High School 2019–PresentN/A NIB-12 3
United Township High School 1969–Present1920 Silvis [11] Mississippi Valley3

Competitive success

The present-day Western Big 6 Conference has won 38 state championships in IHSA-sponsored athletics and activities: [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quad Cities</span> Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States

The Quad Cities is a region of cities in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are the center of the Quad Cities metropolitan area, a region within the Mississippi River Valley, which as of 2023 had a population estimate of 467,817 and a Combined Statistical Area (CSA) population of 474,019, making it the 90th-largest CSA in the nation.

The Mississippi Valley Conference is a high-school athletic conference whose members are located in the metropolitan areas of eastern region of the U.S. state of Iowa, including Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Iowa City and Waterloo-Cedar Falls.

WQPT-TV, virtual channel 24, is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station licensed to Moline, Illinois, United States, serving the Quad Cities area of northwestern Illinois and southeastern Iowa. The station is owned by Western Illinois University-Quad Cities. WQPT-TV's studios are located at Riverfront Hall on the WIU-QC campus in Moline, and its transmitter is located in Orion, Illinois. Master control is based at fellow PBS member WTVP in Peoria, which also has an agreement with WILL-TV in Champaign.

TheMississippi Athletic Conference is a high school athletic conference whose members are located in the Iowa Quad-Cities, plus three other schools in eastern Iowa.

The State Farm Holiday Classic, named after the title sponsor State Farm Insurance, is one of the largest co-ed, high school holiday basketball tournaments in the United States, with 64 teams. Held annually for four days following Christmas and dubbed "The Best Basketball This Side of March", the Classic is held at numerous college and high-school venues throughout Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. In 2017 the tournament will be played December 27–30.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Island High School</span> Public school in the United States

Rock Island High School, also known as "Rocky", is a public four-year high school located in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. Rocky is within the Rock Island–Milan School District 41, and the school colors are crimson and gold.

Kewanee High School, or KHS, is a public four-year high school located at 1211 E. Third Street in Kewanee, Illinois, a city in Kewanee Township of Henry County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. KHS is part of Kewanee Community Unit School District 229, which also includes Central Junior High School, Central Elementary School, Irving Elementary School, Belle Elementary School, and Lyle Preschool. The campus is 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Galesburg, Illinois, 44 miles (71 km) southeast of Moline, Illinois, and serves a mixed city and rural residential community. The school is one of two high schools in the city of Kewanee, the other being Wethersfield High School. The school is within the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL metropolitan statistical area.

Alleman Catholic High School is a private, Catholic high school in Rock Island, Illinois. It is located in the Diocese of Peoria. It is the second largest Catholic high school in the Quad Cities.

United Township High School, also known as UTHS or UT, is a public four-year high school located in East Moline, Illinois, a city in Rock Island County, in the United States. The school is the only public high school in the city of East Moline, and is part of United Township High School District 30. UTHS is served by the feeder schools of East Moline School District #37, Silvis School District #34, Hampton School District #29, Carbon Cliff-Barstow School District #36, Colona School District #190 which provide elementary and middle school educations for the residents of East Moline, Silvis, Carbon Cliff, Barstow and Hampton in Rock Island County, and the city of Colona in Henry County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orion High School</span> Comprehensive public high school in Orion, Henry County, Illinois, USA

Orion High School, or OHS, is a public four-year high school located at 1103 13th St. in Orion, Illinois, a village in Western Township of Henry County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. OHS is part of Orion Community Unit School District 223, which also includes Orion Middle School, and C. R. Hanna Elementary School. The campus is 11 miles south of Moline, Illinois and serves a mixed village and rural residential community. The school is the only high school in the village of Orion, a bedroom community of the Quad Cities and part of the Davenport–Moline–Rock Island, IA–IL metropolitan statistical area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympic Conference (Illinois)</span>

The Olympic Conference was a high school conference in northwest Illinois in existence from 1976 to 2010. The conference participated in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association. The conference comprised high schools with enrollments between 300-600 students on the fringe of the Illinois Quad Cities, Peoria, Galesburg, and in and around the cities of Macomb and Monmouth.

The Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference was a high-school athletic conference with ten high schools in northern Illinois. The conference began competing during the 2010–2011 academic year and dissolved following the 2018–2019 academic year. In many respects, including membership and organization, the NI-Big 12 was much like a reboot of the old North Central Illinois Conference (NCIC). Six of the schools were former members of the North Central Illinois Conference (1929-2011), and the conference was divided into two divisions, much as the NCIC was for decades. The former NCIC schools were Geneseo, LaSalle-Peru, Sterling, Ottawa, and Rochelle. Also, there were five schools that were members of the Western Sun Conference (2007-2010). The former Western Sun Schools are DeKalb, Kaneland, Sycamore, Yorkville, and Rochelle, which left the NCIC in 2007 to join the WSC, and was thus a member of both extinct conferences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockridge High School</span> Public secondary school in Taylor Ridge, Illinois, United States

Rockridge High School, or RHS, is a public four-year high school located at 14110 134th Avenue West in Taylor Ridge, Illinois, an unincorporated area in Rock Island County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. RHS is part of Rockridge Community Unit School District 300, which also includes Rockridge Junior High School, Andalusia Elementary School, Illinois City Elementary School, and Taylor Ridge Elementary School. The campus is located in Edgington, IL, 15 miles southwest of Milan, Illinois, and serves a mixed village and rural residential community. The school is short commute to the Quad Cities and part of the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL metropolitan statistical area.

Galva High School, or GHS, is a public four-year high school located at 1020 Center Ave. in Galva, Illinois, a small city in Galva Township of Henry County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. GHS is part of Galva Community Unit School District 224, which also includes Galva Junior High School, and Galva Elementary School. The school is combined with the Galva Junior High School to form Galva Junior-Senior High School. However, academics, athletics, and activities remain mostly separate. The campus is 28 miles northeast of Galesburg, Illinois, 42 miles southeast of Moline, Illinois, and serves a mixed small city and rural residential community. The school is the only high school in the city of Galva. The school is part of the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL metropolitan statistical area.

Cambridge High School, or CHS, is a public four-year high school located at 300 S. West St. in Cambridge, Illinois, a village in Cambridge Township of Henry County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. CHS is part of Cambridge Community Unit School District 227, which also includes Cambridge Junior High School, and Cambridge Elementary School. The school is combined with the Cambridge Junior High School to form Cambridge Junior-Senior High School. However, academics, athletics, and activities remain mostly separate. The campus is 24 miles southeast of Moline, Illinois and serves a mixed village and rural residential community. The school is the only high school in the village of Cambridge. The school is near the Quad Cities and is part of the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL metropolitan statistical area.

Annawan High School, or AHS, is a public four-year high school located at 501 W South St. in Annawan, Illinois, a village in Annawan Township of Henry County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. AHS is part of Annawan Community Unit School District 226, which also includes Annawan Grade School, and Annawan Preschool. The campus is 33 miles east of Moline, Illinois and serves a mixed village and rural residential community. The school is the only high school in the village of Annawan. The school is near the Quad Cities and is part of the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL metropolitan statistical area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Trail Conference</span>

The Lincoln Trail Conference is a high school conference in western central Illinois. The conference participates in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The conference comprises public high schools with small enrollments in portions of Bureau, Henderson, Henry, Knox, Mercer, Peoria, Rock Island, Stark, and Warren counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Rivers Conference (Illinois)</span>

The Three Rivers Conference, also known as the TRAC-8, is a high school conference in northwest Illinois. The conference participates in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association. The conference comprises small public, and two private, high schools with enrollments between 200-600 students in portions of Bureau, Henry, Lee, Rock Island, and Whiteside counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairieland Conference</span>

The Prairieland Conference is a high school athletic conference in western central Illinois. The conference participates in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association. The conference comprises small public high schools with enrollments between 50 and 400 students in portions of Fulton, Knox, Mason, McDonough, Peoria, Schuyler, and Warren counties.

The Illinois–Iowa League was a Minor league baseball league which operated in Illinois, Iowa and Indiana from 1890 to 1892.

References

  1. "School Enrollments (Alphabetical)". Archived from the original on May 23, 2009.
  2. 1 2 "How IHSA Enrollments and Classifications are Determined". Archived from the original on February 27, 2011.
  3. "How the Football Playoff Pairings are Determined — 2009". Archived from the original on May 15, 2010.
  4. "Conferences and Leagues". Archived from the original on May 27, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Schools | IHSA". www.ihsa.org.
  6. "Western Big 6". Archived from the original on March 2, 2012.
  7. "The Great Conferences".
  8. "Geneseo, Sterling join Western Big 6". March 21, 2018.
  9. "The Atkinson High School "Tigers"".
  10. "Coal Valley High School".
  11. "Silvis High School".