The Illinois Valley Central football team will have a new conference after this season.
After the 2010 season, the Ghosts will leave the North Central Illinois Conference and join the Mid-State 6.
The move has been in the works since Kewanee petitioned the NCIC in 2008 to leave the conference after the 2009 season.
The remaining members of the NCIC then interviewed over 100 schools to join the conference but no one wanted to.
St. Bede then joined the conference in every sport except for football.
With only five members scheduled to be in the conference in 2010, the rest of the members of the NCIC found new homes for the 2011 season.
After being turned down by the Mid-Illini Conference, the Cornbelt Conference, the Big Northern Conference and the West Central Conference due to travel and size reasons, the Ghosts were invited to join the Mid-State 6for football in 2011, with the option to join in other sports in 2012.
“We’re going to give it a year in football only and then see where that leaves us,” IVC athletic director Denny O’Boyle said. “If it’s a good fit for us that first year, we may look to joining in our other sports.”
Although a conference needs six teams for the winner to receive an automatic playoff bid, the winner of the NCIC this season will still receive a bid, despite the conference having only five members.
“We petitioned the IHSA and explained our situation to them,” O’Boyle said. “They agreed to give make an exception for this last year based on the circumstances.”
The Ghosts will join Richwoods, Peoria Notre Dame, Manuel, Peoria Central and Quincy Notre Dame as the sixth member of the conference.
“We’re happy to have our school join the Mid-State 6 next season, and we’re happy that they invited us to join,” O’Boyle said.
