Spring, May specifically, is an excellent time of the year for sports, high schools through the varied professional ranks. The least written the better for Chicago professional baseball teams, the especially the Chicago White Sox who are receiving a great deal of advice from many corners. How much the National Football League (NFL) draft helps in the first year varies and can be interesting.
High schools begin the culmination of school year with Spring sports determine conference champions, State tournament participants, and, of course, State champions.
This week another duty was put into effect. West Aurora High School athletic director, Jason Buckley, answered questions and gave a presentation at the School District 129 School Board meeting Monday this week.
The School athletic department is considering a switch to the Upstate Eight Conference. If completed, it would be the third time in the Upstate Eight for West Aurora. The Blackhawks were in the Conference when it started in 1963, than switched to DuPage Valley conference n 1997, then returned to Upstate Eight and several years ago joined the 12-school Suburban Prairie Conference with Oswego, Yorkville, and Joliet Schools.
The West Aurora administration offers a deeper and better balance in the Upstate Eight than in the Suburban Prairie. Taken as a whole, the Upstate Eight has more levels of competition than the Suburban Prairie. This concluding school year the Upstate Eight had a numbers advantage in all levels of sports, to include four to three in football; four to three in boys soccer; five to four in girls volleyball, six to five in boys basketball, six to five in girls basketball, three to two in girls bowling, three to two in girls badminton, and four to three in baseball.
“We had to play Upstate Eight teams to fill out our lower levels, “ Buckley said.
West Aurora has decided to stay in the Suburban Prairie for the 2023-2024 school year, however, is weighing options for conference alignment beyond next school year.
Another factor in a possible return to the Upstate Eight for West Aurora will be a resumption of long-standing rivalries in East Aurora and Elgin in Conference play.
- Other worthy notes: The next few weeks will bring conference sports, especially boys and girls track. April is tune up time for high school track. Conference meets and sectional meets in four classes will be evident May 17-20. The boys sectional meets will be at Batavia, DeKalb, Lockport, and Wheaton Warrenville South in 3A, Genoa-Kingston, Glenbard South, and Kankakee in 2A, and Seneca in 1A. Girls sectional meets will be at Metea Valley, Huntley, Lockport, Hillcrest, Kankakee, Ridgewood, Sterling, Seneca, and Winnebago.
Baseball and girls softball will be the focal point in the first two weeks in June. The end of the high school and community season arrives all too soon.
We make the best of it now.