Change is the steady framework in sports in all manner of methods, in personnel, conference affiliation, and rivalries.
The West Suburban Conference, Silver and Gold, are dominant in football and often in basketball. That’s steady. The once flaming-hot football rivalry between East Aurora and West Aurora is non-existent because of the obligations of their respective conference affiliations, West Aurora in the Suburban Prairie West Division, and East Aurora in the Upstate Eight Conference. Aurora Central Catholic (ACC) a member of the Metro Suburban Conference, will end in its affiliation following this school year.
There will additional changes as we weave our weave through the school year and plans must be met for the 2023-2024 school year.
Aurora Central this week, following deliberations to join the Chicago Catholic League (CCL), decided to play an independent schedule for three school years and ponder realignment. Schedules must be arranged for the subsequent three years and Aurora Central will evaluate its alignment allegiance. The CCL has several levels of competition based on strengths and the Aurora Central Chargers will review its positions in all sports. No doubt other schools are in constant review mode. Enrollment changes are not as wide-ranging as they were more than 20 years ago. There are evaluations behind the scenes which often we do not see, nor hear the conversations.
• March Madness basketball, boys and girls, men and women, is heating up with boys regional tournaments completed last week and girls sectional tournaments completed last week and the super-sectionals completed Monday this week. Girls State champions will be determined later this week and among the candidates include Benet Academy, Geneva, and Nazareth Academy. Geneva and Benet will play in a Class 4A semifinal game at 4:15 p.m. Thursday, March 2 in Normal. See Bobby Narang. Four classes will be played in three days. Nazareth is Class 3A. The biggest schools are in Class 4A.
There was a time, more than 40 years ago, when State basketball tournaments often played in front of sold-out crowds of 16,000. With an aging population and more college basketball games played on television the latter’s growth has been strong.
There are 68 teams selected these years for the college Division I national basketball tournament. The Selection Sunday Television Show will be in the afternoon Sunday, March 12. There are college tournaments for schools with lesser enrollments in Division II and Division III. It is all part of the Madness that includes high school, community college, three levels in college.
Then there is Spring training baseball.
• Riley Ammenhauser of the University of Michigan indoor track team last weekend won the Big Ten Conference championship in triple jump, with 43-3. She will compete in the outdoor season. Her younger brother, James Ammenhauser, a senior at his sister’s alma mater, Neuqua Valley High School, last year won championships in triple jump.
• Oswego High School graduate, Joey Niesman, playing basketball for Waubonsee Community College, became a member of the school’s 1,000 Point Club last weekend. He is a 6-2 sophomore guard who had played in 62 games for the Chiefs.