Southwest Suburban Conference

The Southwest Suburban Conference is an athletic and competitive activity conference consisting of public secondary schools located in the south and southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.

Southwest Suburban Conference
Established2005
AssociationIHSA
DivisionsRed Division
Blue Division
Members10
Sports fielded
  • 17 (14 boys', 14 girls')
RegionSouthern Chicagoland

The conference was formed in 2005 when most of these schools split off from the South Inter-Conference Association (SICA). The division resulted in a lawsuit claiming that schools that were majority white in population were abandoning the schools which were majority black. The lawsuit was eventually settled and paved the way for the conference to expand.

History

For 33 years prior to 2006, most of the public high schools in the south and southwest suburban Chicago area were a part of the South Inter-Conference Association (SICA) which by 2005 had reached a membership of 33 schools split into five divisions.[1] The conference covered a large geographic area and sociological spectrum "from the Indiana border to Joliet, from impoverished Ford Heights to affluent Frankfort, from virtually all-black Hillcrest to almost all-white Lincoln-Way Central and from Joliet, enrollment 4,993, to 1,066- student Rich South"[1] In 2004, the athletic directors voted 30–3, the principals' board of control voted 6–2, and the district superintendents voted 16–3 to approve a new conference realignment which was to take effect in 2006.[1] The realignment had been pushed because of long travel times and a reduction of sports offerings at some schools. The realignment split the association into three roughly equal and geographically contiguous conferences, one of which, the southeast, contained most of the predominantly African–American schools (compared to one school in the remaining two conferences).[1] It was from these schools that a majority of the votes against the realignment had come.[1] Leaders from these schools demanded an investigation from the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, and petitioned the Illinois State Board of Education to investigate as to whether this action violated rules on equity.[1]

In March 2005, ten schools announced that they were unilaterally leaving SICA to form a new conference, the Southwest Suburban Conference.[2] These ten schools collectively were among the largest in student population.[2] Shortly after the announcement, a board member from Lincoln-Way Community High School District, a district representing two of the schools leaving to form a new conference, was forced to resign after racially insensitive statements were left on a reporter's voice mail.[3]

Shortly after this, eleven more schools split off to form the South Suburban Conference.[4]

In April 2006, a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against the schools which had left claiming that "(an) apartheid-like realignment used public funds to regress to separate but equal".[5] The suit was settled out of court with the three schools of Thornton Township High Schools District 205 joining the Southwest Suburban Conference, and the two schools of Thornton Fractional Township High School District 215 joining the South Suburban Conference.[6] The remaining six teams would remain known as SICA.[6]

Starting in 2019-20, Thornridge High School, Thornton Township High School, and Thornwood High School left the conference to join the Southland Athletic Conference.

Member schools
SchoolTownAreaTeam NameColorsIHSA Classes (2/3/4)[nb 1][nb 2]Reference
Victor J. Andrew High SchoolTinley ParkSouth SuburbsThunderbolts         AA/3A/4A[7]
Bolingbrook High SchoolBolingbrookSouth SuburbsRaiders              AA/3A/4A[8]
Carl Sandburg High SchoolOrland ParkSouth SuburbsEagles              AA/3A/4A[9]
Homewood-Flossmoor High SchoolFlossmoorSouth SuburbsVikings         AA/3A/4A[10]
Lincoln-Way Central High SchoolNew LenoxSouth SuburbsKnights         AA/3A/4A[11]
Lincoln-Way East High SchoolFrankfortSouth SuburbsGriffins              AA/3A/4A[12]
Lincoln-Way West High SchoolNew LenoxSouth SuburbsWarriors         AA/2A/3A[13]
Lockport Township High SchoolLockportSouth SuburbsPorters         AA/3A/4A[14]
Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High SchoolBradleyEast IllinoisBoilermakers         AA/3A/4A[15]
Amos Alonzo Stagg High SchoolPalos HillsSouth SuburbsChargers         AA/3A/4A

Sports

The conference sponsors competition for young men and young women in basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, water polo.[16] The conference also sponsors competition for young men in baseball, football, and wrestling; and for young women badminton, cheerleading, and softball.[16]

Activities

The conference sponsors competition in Individual Events, Chess, Drama and Group Interpretation.

State placers

Since 2005, the following teams and activities have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state tournaments:

  • Badminton: 4th place (Andrew: 2007–08, 08–09); 3rd place (Andrew: 2005–06); 2nd place (Andrew: 2006–07; Lincoln-Way Central: 2007–08, 08–09)[17][18]
  • Basketball (boys): 4th place (Thornwood: 2005–06); 3rd place (Thornton: 2008–09)[19][20]
  • Basketball (girls): 2nd place (Bolingbrook: 2006–07, 07–08); State Champions (Bolingbrook: 2005–06, 08–09)[21]
  • Bowling (boys): 3rd place (Lincoln-Way East: 2006–07; Lincoln-Way Central: 2007–08, 2017-2018); State Champions (Andrew: 2005–06)[17][18][22]
  • Cross Country (boys): 4th place (Sandburg: 2006–07)[23]
  • Cheerleading: 3rd place (Bradley-Bourbonnais: 2006–07; Sandburg: 07–08); 2nd place (Bradley-Bourbonnais: 2007–08, 08–09); State Champions (Sandburg: 2005–06, 08–09)[23][24]
  • Drama: State Champions (Thornridge: 2005) 2nd Place (Thornridge: 2006) ; (Homewood-Flossmoor:2012) Fourth Place (Homewood-Flossmoor: 2007,2010) [25]
  • Football: State Champions (Lincoln-Way East: 2005, 2017, 2019); (Bolingbrook 2011)[22][26]
  • Group Interpretation: State Champions (Homewood-Flossmoor:2007) ; (Thornwood: 2006, 2009) 2nd Place (Homewood-Flossmoor: 2008,2010,2011) ; (Thornwood: 2007) 3rd Place (Thornwood: 2005) ; (Thornton:2013) ; (Homewood-Flossmoor: 2012) 4th Place (Thornwood:2010) ; (Homewood-Flossmoor: 2006) ; (Thornton:2011)
  • Golf (girls): 2nd place (Homewood-Flossmoor: 2008–09)[26]
  • Gymnastics (boys): "State Champions" (Lincoln-Way Co-Op: 2011); 4th place (Lincoln-Way Co-Op: 2006–07); 2nd place (Lincoln-Way Co-Op: 2007–08)[22]
  • Gymnastics (girls): 2nd place (Sandburg: 2008–09)[23]
  • Soccer (girls): 4th place (Lincoln-Way Central: 2006–07); 3rd place (Sandburg: 2008–09)[18][23]
  • Softball: State Champions(Lincoln-Way Central: 2008)[18][23]
  • Track & Field (girls): "State Champions" (Lincoln-Way East: 2013); 3rd place (Thornton: 2006–07)[20]
  • Volleyball (boys): "2nd Place" (Lincoln-Way North: 2013); 4th place, 1st place (Lincoln-Way East: 2006–07, 2014)[22]
  • Water Polo (boys): 4th place (Sandburg: 2007–08); 2nd place (Sandburg: 2008–09)[23]
  • Wrestling: 4th place (Lincoln-Way Central: 2012-2013);3rd place (Lincoln-Way Central: 2007–08); State Champions (Sandburg 2005–06, 06–07)[18][23]

Notes
  1. The state series class which a school competes in not only depends on the school's student population, but on the sport or activity. Some activities divide schools into two classes, some into three, and others into four. The listing here is in the order of two class, three class, and four class. The more "A"s in a class, the larger the schools competing. For more information on this, see Illinois High School Association#State Series Format.
  2. Schools are not assigned a classification for football until they have qualified for the playoffs each year. A school's classification not only depends on their student population, but on the populations of the other schools who have qualified. Thus, some schools routinely move between classes. SWSC schools are routinely in the highest classes; 8A, 7A, or 6A.

References
  1. Temkin, Barry (6 February 2005). "SICA struggling for perfect balance". Chicago Tribune. p. 17.
  2. Sakomato, Bob (1 March 2005). "10 bail on SICA, form new league". Chicago Tribune. p. 6.
  3. Ziemba, Stanley; Greco Jr, Carmen (4 March 2005). "School board member resigns ; Derogatory remarks attributed to official". Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
  4. Ziemba, Stanley (16 November 2006). "Districts likely to settle SICA divisions ; New athletic groupings address diversity issue". Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
  5. Napolitano, Jo (11 April 2006). "Schools allege discrimination ; Suit sees race as key to prep conference split". Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
  6. Napolitano, Jo (30 December 2006). "Dispute ends over athletic league split". Chicago Tribune. p. 24.
  7. "Tinley Park (Andrew)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 28 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  8. "Bolingbrook". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 28 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  9. "Joliet (Twp.)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 28 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  10. "Joliet (Twp.)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 28 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  11. "New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 28 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  12. "New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 28 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  13. "Lockport (Twp.)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 28 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  14. "Burbank (Reavis)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 28 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  15. "Bradley (Bradley-Bourbonnais)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 28 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  16. "Sports Guidelines". Southwest Suburban Conference. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  17. "IHSA Season Summaries for Andrew HS". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 16 November 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  18. "IHSA Season Summaries for LW Central HS". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 16 November 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  19. "IHSA Season Summaries for Thornwood HS". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 16 November 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  20. "IHSA Season Summaries for Thornton HS". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 16 November 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  21. "IHSA Season Summaries for Bolingbrook HS". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 16 November 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  22. "IHSA Season Summaries for L-W East HS". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 16 November 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  23. "IHSA Season Summaries for Sandburg HS". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 16 November 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  24. "IHSA Season Summaries for Bradley-Bourbonnais HS". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 16 November 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  25. http://www.ihsa.org/SportsActivities/DramaGroupInterpretation/RecordsHistory.aspx
  26. "IHSA Season Summaries for Homewood-Flossmoor HS". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 16 November 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
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