The MVC Metro Valley Conference will begin starting in 2026 I'm sure if out resident Althoff poster finds his way back onto this board we will get much more insight.
New Conference announced starting in 2026
- Thread starter Edgytim
- Start date
The MVC Metro Valley Conference will begin starting in 2026 I'm sure if out resident Althoff poster finds his way back onto this board we will get much more insight.
I think so. Since they restored the program in 2017 they have not had to forfeit a single game (other than maybe in spring 2021, which is the fault of COVID if so) and, despite a hodgepodge schedule sometimes involving long trips and generally involving schools with much larger enrollments, they have looked vaguely competitive and actually been able to put up some points on occasion. They also have a turf field so there is investment in a financial and figurative sense. A conference will help them fill out their schedule, and I would put them as favorites to at least beat Alton Marquette in this lineup. In a setting where teams are dropping football it's good to see a small program with positive momentum.
They went 0-9 last year. Their closest game was a 24-7 loss to East Alton-Wood River (whose only win was over Alton Marquette). Otherwise their closest loss was by 28 points, they were shut out four times and only scored a safety in another game, and only once did they get more than one score. Probably getting some competition from Althoff, to be fair, but since COVID hit the Explorers have been miserably bad.
Is Marquette led by a new coach? Enrollment numbers down? They use to be very competitive but its crazy how they have fallen, especially losing to Wood River!
Not substantially down. Enrollment numbers were 707.85 in 2016 (meaning actual numbers were 429 because of the multiplier) and were 420 last year, 372 this coming year. So that's not the culprit. And it's not just Althoff, because starting in 2018 they were bad for a while until making the playoffs in 2022. They were at least competitive, getting at least five wins every year from 2006 until spring 2021 (when they went 2-4 with a new coach) and have falled off from there.
All.... Once you get that sixth conference member load up with four good competition non con games. It appears Coach Frazier is already thinking that way. Ratsy
If it's good for the schools in it, does that matter?
This is the conference I want: Highland, Mascoutah, Triad, Columbia, Waterloo, Cahokia.
The Southwestern Seven.
The Southwestern Seven.
Fair enough.
This is kind of the way I was leaning also, siucubfan8.
I was thinking of it in terms of the current independent schools involved. Madison, BMD, Marquette, Althoff are all now guaranteed 5 games it sounds like. Finding 4, from our experience at QND, is a lot easier than trying to fill all 9 over the course of a 4-8 year period. I've also said for years now that BMD and Althoff should be a package. I know BMD has fallen on tougher times in regards to the quality of football played but their history is solid as a program. Not to mention an auto-berth for the winner, likely Roxana and Althoff depending on the year. Plus you get the benefit of scheduling a couple tough non-conf and a couple easier non-conf if you choose.