First year of IHSA's four-class system draws mixed reviews

Tag : 3a & 4a
By Eric Becker

ericbecker@yourjournal.com

There has been some debate on whether schools really enjoy thefour-class system that the Illinois High School Association (IHSA)adapted for the past school year.For the first time, instead of thebasic two-class system (A and AA) which had been in use since the1970s, Illinois high school athletic teams began competing in fourclasses (1A, 2A, 3A and 4A) in sports such as girls volleyball,boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball.

Predictably, Triad High School seems to favor the move, whileschools in the Southwestern Conference have mixed reviews on theexpansion of classes.

The four-class system seems to have benefited the Triad Knights themost out of the area schools in the Suburban Journals MadisonCounty coverage area, as they are the only 3A school the newspapercovers on a regular basis.

"Going to four classes has given us opportunities to win moreregionals," Triad athletics director Jeff Faulkenberg said. "If wehave to beat teams like Edwardsville and Alton, it makes it verydifficult.

"It may seem unfair to some, but there was a huge discrepancybefore,"

Triad has an enrollment of 1,316 going into the 2008-09 season;Collinsville is at 2,018; Granite City 2,352 and Edwardsville2,494.

In past years, Triad would be facing those bigger schools inpostseason competition. But no longer.

"I think it benefits us, and it's been long overdue," Triadsoftball coach Bruce Lewis said.

His team was one of the beneficiaries of the four-class move. In2007, the Knights lost to Collinsville in the Class AA regionalchampionship game. This past year, they beat rival Highland toadvance to the Class 3A sectional.

"Having schools with 2,000-some students, with our size it's hardto compete with them," Lewis said. "It's a great move by the IHSA."

No Class 4A school in the Southwestern Conference made it to statein basketball, baseball, softball or volleyball, although therewere a few Elite Eight (super-sectional) appearances, which in thetwo-class system would mean the state finals.

Highland, meanwhile, won the Class 3A baseball state title, andAlthoff made the state tournament in Class 3A volleyball.

Faulkenberg did say travel was a negative against the new system.Triad volleyball team had to travel to Effingham to play inregionals, while boys tennis went to Olney for postseason.

The IHSA grouped Triad with four other schools for regionals,instead of putting them in a Sectional Complex.

"The IHSA made amendments to include more regional groupsthroughout the state," Faulkenberg said. "It's the best for ushaving local regional competition. Having Triad and Highland willbe good for crowds."

One of the bigger concerns facing Class 4A schools is travel.Besides the Southwestern Conference, there are no other 4A schoolschools south of Quincy or Normal. A majority of 4A schools are inthe greater Chicagoland area.

"Our coaches have mixed feelings about it," Edwardsville athleticsdirector Brad Bevis said. "If competing for a state championship,whether it be football, baseball or basketball, you have to gothrough the Chicago suburbs anyway.

"A drawback of this is we see teams in our regional that areconference teams, and it's like a mini-conference tournament.

"But I don't think that was the intent."

Collinsville athletics director Matt Badgley was not in favor ofincreasing classes.

"Our conference doesn't like it and I don't like it," Badgley said."Going to four classes changed a lot of things. But we don't wantto dampen what the past athletes have done or what the currentathletes are doing.

"I think it's very unfair to all of us in the conference."

Edwardsville made trips to Bloomington-Normal for postseasoncontests in girls and boys basketball and softball this past schoolyear, which is at least 150 miles one way.

Edwardsville and O'Fallon met at U.S. Cellular Coliseum inBloomington in February's boys basketball sectional final, won byO'Fallon on a buzzer-beater.

The crowd at that game was 1,200, which could have been bigger witha different venue closer to where the conference foes compete.

"Traditionally, that game would have been played at the VadalabeneCenter at SIUE," Bevis said. "It's a guaranteed sellout if playedlocally.

"But we had 1,200 for that game (in Bloomington), and it was a bitof a letdown."

As it stands now, the sectional consists of the boundaries fromQuincy to Moline to Normal to the Southwestern Conference schools,quite a large chunk of the state.

"For us, a four-class system will stay for now," Bevis said. "Wehave to learn to deal with it and accept it."