Get better or get better players: IHSA's public vs. private dilemma
A couple weeks ago, I was listening to a podcast about high school football. The hosts began with developments on an investigation into the Maine South High School football program, which allegedly brought in players from nearby communities outside of their district to play for the Hawks.
Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Ill., hosts over 2,300 students within an area of about 10 square miles butted up against the northwest side of Chicago. The team advanced to the 8A Quarterfinals in 2022, but had all their wins stripped after the season due to their alleged cheating.
The next topic on the podcast was about the results of games in the CCL/ESCC, a super-conference of 24 Chicagoland private school football programs, most of which make impressive runs into the playoffs each year.
These schools, ranging from 300 students to 3,000 students, have the opportunity to bring in student-athletes from a 30-mile radius, amounting to about 2,800 square miles of range, including Chicago and its highly-populated suburbs.
The Advantage
Many of the CCL/ESCC schools are within a 30-mile radius of Maine South's district. When it's time to crown a state champion (in any sport, not just football), there's a decided advantage for the private schools:Loyola Academy (8A Champion) can pick from Maine South. Maine South cannot pick from Loyola Academy.
In 2022, 6 of the 8 football state champions were private schools; the two public schools - Lena-Winslow (1A) and East St. Louis (6A) are perennial powerhouses anyway.
What about the other champions? St. Teresa (2A) covers the 30-mile radius around Decatur. Sacred Heart-Griffin (4A) pulls from around Springfield. IC Catholic (3A) from Elmhurst, Nazareth Academy (5A) of LaGrange Park, and Mt. Carmel (7A) from Chicago can all pull student-athletes from the city and its central, western, and southern suburbs.
It's more likely that these teams will be able to build an area 'dream team' than any of the dozens of small-boundary districts within their radius.
2,800 square miles of city vs. 100 square miles of soybeans
This year, Tuscola High School drew Althoff Catholic from Belleville as their first-round opponent in the 1A South playoff bracket.
Tuscola's public school district covers about 100 square miles south of Champaign. Althoff Catholic, a private school, pulls its students from a 30-mile radius. This radius includes all of the Metro-East Suburbs in Illinois and the hub of St. Louis and its Missouri suburbs.
The Tuscola High School athletics account (@TuscolaAD) on X (Twitter) posted about their matchup:
"Get to know your opponent... Belleville is a community of about 42,000 is about 20 miles from St. Louis. Being a private school their attendance is made up of anywhere within 30 miles of the school."
For reference, the furthest corner of Tuscola's district boundary is about 10 miles from the school itself. The closest boundary is less than 3.5 miles away.
It would not be surprising to see Althoff (who beat 7A qualifier Collinsville this season) end Tuscola's season by a wide margin. Althoff Catholic can take the top talent from a highly populated area, while Tuscola is limited to its few small villages and municipalities tucked between cornfields.
Beyond Football
This issue is not limited to the gridiron. In the 2022-2023 school year, in sports with the 4-class system, private schools accounted for 3 baseball champions, 3 boys basketball champions, 3 girls volleyball champions, 2 girls basketball champions, and 2 softball champions.
Is 50% or 75% a statistical anomaly? Not necessarily, but it becomes one when it happens every year, and when less than one-third of eligible schools account for those consistent 50-75% marks. Yes, some schools will consistently have good teams and some will fluctuate in their success, but that route to building success comes down to one main difference...
The Main Difference?
The IHSA needs to separate its playoffs for public and private schools, and the reasoning boils down to how each can improve:
For public schools, it's about players getting better.
For private schools, it's about getting better players.
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