I don't recall seeing you weigh in on the CCL/ESCC merger. I know this is a topic near and dear to your heart. What do you think about it overall? What about the divisions? I believe the Blue Conference teams will not play the Red, which addresses the crossover mismatch / blowout issue you abhorred.
What say you? This could be a precursor to your much discussed NIPL.
https://www.suntimeshighschoolsport...ic-east-suburban-catholic-divisions-revealed/
I like the merger in general because I believe there is strength (and flexibility) in numbers. I'm not wild about the divisions or about the crossovers, but I'll take what I can get.
I still think there are too many crossovers (caused by too many small divisions). Here is what I posted at the time when the merger was a rumor and not yet officially approved:
I understand that it looks like groupings of four is the way it is going to be. However, here is what I would like to see:
A
Loyola
Notre Dame
Carmel
Pat's
Viator
B
Montini
Ignatius
Fenwick
Naz
MCC
C
Rita
Rice
Laurence
MC
DLS
D
Marist
Benet
Marmion
PC
JCA
E
DePaul
Leo
St. Joes
Marian
Teams from the first four divisions play a four game division schedule, and one game against a team from each of the other three divisions. That leaves each team having to schedule two other games. Those other two games could be against teams from within the conference or outside of it.
Teams from the E division play a three game division schedule and scramble to find six non con games. Sorry guys. Blame the schools that ditched the CCL for the Metro. Or bring back ACC and Chicago Hope, add Christ the King next year, and your division champ will be an automatic qualifier in your seven team division, and you only need to find three non con games.
Obviously, my thought here is to give more weight to geography than to competitive level or number of boys in the school. I truly believe that the only way this merger will succeed is to make it a real athletic conference in all sports. If the schools don't develop solid relationships and friendly rivalries with each other, then I think the merged conference for football only stands a very good chance of repeating the same ultimate fate as the old CMC. These relationships will be strengthened by necessary cooperation and exposure to each other in all sports. The sooner that can happen, the better.
Also, if the merger is for all sports, then the GCAC and the ESCC girls teams should merge into this new conference as well and have the same conference infrastructure for both boys and girls. Makes no sense for Loyola, Ignatius DLS, Montini, Fenwick etc. to have their girls in a different conference from Marist, Benet, JCA, Nazareth, Viator, etc. Bigger is better. Make this mega conference for boys and girls an attractive one stop Catholic athletic shop for coed schools like Mac, ICCP, St. Francis, Guerin, ACC, etc., and welcome those lost sheep back to the fold when they themselves are ultimately ditched by the public schools in the Metro Suburban.
