Realignment sometimes good or a necessary evil
By Steve Nemeth
Supposedly change is inevitable, however, as the expression goes, acceptance or joy -- like growth --is optional.
Considering conference changes were driven by football, most soccer coaches take a predominantly positive view with some reservations --at least when speaking on the record.
Obviously there are pluses and minuses, pros and cons, good and bad, whether it’s scheduling, travel, rivalries or league rules.
Perhaps no coach or program has dealt with the issue more than West Aurora and veteran coach Joe Sustersic. The Blackhawks, plus Glenbard East, exited the DuPage Valley Conference (which added Lake Park) prior to the 2014 campaign, to join the Upstate Eight Conference, which then – despite the number in the name --grew to 16 schools with two divisions (River and Valley) of eight.
Then in 2015, Metea Valley, Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley left the UEC to make the DVC a nine-school loop. With their departures, the UEC reshuffled into uneven divisions.
Charting all of the above would require creating some sort of matrix / sequence / timeline diagram that would challenge Rube Goldberg.
“I’m not a persoon who likes a lot of change,” Larkin coach Ken Hall admits. “This is my 29th year coaching high school soccer, and I love a good rivalry. I don’t like when the changes take those away.”
Since Sustersic is close to Hall in longevity, his honesty was also clear.
“I’ve got seniors who essentially will be playing a third set of ‘conference’ opponents,” Susterstic noted. “Don’t get me wrong, I like playing new teams with different formations and philosophies; I’ve gone to all four corners of the state in scheduling, so I’m open to competing with new teams, just not for conference play.
“If we have to mirror what IHSA football is doing, I’m pretty sure we’re not done playing conference musical chairs,” Susterstic said. “Perhaps in soccer we should all just play 21 nonconference games. Tell me where I’m playing, who and when, what uniform to wear, and we’ll be ready when the whistle blows.”
The more nuanced comments generally center around the positive notion of a new challenge as well as acknowledgement that the decision was beyond a soccer coach’s control or input, so it’s time to make the best of it. Perhaps not comprehensive, but the following is a nutshell look at the changing face of 2019 boys soccer conferences.
DuPage Valley
Having gone from eight schools up to nine and most recently down to just five, the DuPage Valley is back to an even six this fall with the addition of DeKalb, one of several schools affected by the demise of the Northern Illinois Big XII and its two divisions. By comparison to past affilations, DeKalb and first-year boys head coach P.J. Hamilton face an uphill task now against Naperville Central and North, plus the “Valley trio” --Metea, Neuqua and Waubonsie.
“Moving to the DuPage Valley is a huge change for our entire program and school, but we are excited to join the DVC,” Hamilton said. “Playing against such high-quality competition will only help our program get better and take a big step forward.
“Our biggest challenge is the unfamiliarity; facing five new opponents will present different challenges in itself game in and game out,” Hamilton said without being reminded Naperville North is not only the defending DVC champ, but IHSA Class 3A champion for the last three years. Of course, he’s already aware that Neuqua has a state crown and that Naperville Central and Waubonsie Valley have also appeared in the state finals.
“I’m thrilled to have DeKalb in the conference. They demonstrated through the entire process that they will be an excellent addition in every way,” said Jay Konrad, North head coach and a former program AD. “It’s always good to add a colleague that adhers to the same values as the league. They’ve got a strong tradition in numerous sports and add competitive value.
“I know DeKalb (soccer) had a solid group last year and that the coach is an excellent leader,” Konrad added. “They are a bit of an unknown to many of us in terms of style of play, formations, etc., so that will make interesting. Our league once has a solid group of returning players and strong traditions, so expect a bunch of 1-0 games to determine the DVC title.”
“I think the more top quality teams the better,” Waubonsie boss Jose Garcia said. “It’s always great to play against the best in the area. DeKalb is a great addition but the first change might be driving an hour or more to Aurora or Naperville. North again presents the biggest challenge for all of us with the momentum they have coming back from a state championship.”
Metea Valley’s Josh Robinson concurred.
“With the many quality players back after winning state, of course North is the favorite. But the conference title last year came down to the last game, which I believe shows the level of play in the DVC,” Robinson stated. “We’re excited for DeKalb to be a part of the DVC as their program has seen tremendous growth and success recently.
“Actually I would love to have a few more teams to make the conference title mean a little more, but the additions have to be quality people,” Robinson said. “The rivalries created from playing a team year in and year out is part of the rason our kids play, so constant change, however, can take away from the prestige of a conference title. Even though we’ve lost some teams, I believe the DVC has maintained that thanks to success at the state level.”
Upstate Eight
From the 16-school pinnacle followed by departures and division shifts, the UEC will now be a top-to-bottom loop for a second-straight year. Larkin, Elgin, South Elgin, Streamwood, Bartlett, Glenbard East, Glenbard South, East Aurora, and West Chicago welcome Fenton in place of West Aurora. The 2018 UEC race also came down to the wire before Elgin finished atop it all with a 7-0-2 ledger followed by Streamwood (6-1-2) and the Blackhawks (6-2-1).
“The (UEC) changes have been good and bad,” Elgin coach David Borg said. “The conference for soccer looks to be very even and almost everyone can be in the hunt. But I’d prefer we leave it alone now to make it our own and deepen some of the rivalries. From what I’ve heard, West Chicago is very good, Larkin and Streamwood are always solid, so I’d say they are the three (2019) favorites.”
Despite the reservations expressed earlier, Hall would love to see Larkin rule the UEC
“We were right there at 5-1-3 and lost only two starters, so not to be conceited, I consider us a favorite,” Hall said. “Alek (Zdravkovic) is a senior and one of the top players in the state, so he can lead us quite far. To be honest, don’t know much about Fenton, but even if they’re loaded with seniors, so was West Aurora last year and we beat them.”
“When I look at the make-up of our conference, I feel it will still be as challenging as ever,” Streamwood coach Matt Polovin said. “We lost a great team in West Aurora, but I’m sure Fenton will be just as challenging and eager to prove themselves. As for a favorite, my guess is Larkin, West Chicago, Elgin, and us as well.”
“I don’t know who the favorites will be, but if we prepare well and execute, I hope we’ll be in the mix,” Fenton coach Victor Ruiz said. “I feel tihs move is great for our program. I’ll miss some of the rivalries and friendships developed through the years, but this is a positive challenge. We look forward to playing new teams, developing relationships and new rivalries. Our philosophy is always to play our best to win every match.”
Southwest Prairie
In 2015, the Southwest Prairie Conference added Joliet Central and West in order to become a 10-program league. Now with the addition of West Aurora and Yorkville --a former Northern Illinois Big XII school like DeKalb --the SPC now grows into a 12-school conference with two divisions.
The East consists of Joliet Central and West, Romeoville, and three of four Plainfields: Central, East and South. Plainfield North is in the West Division with holdover Minooka, plus Oswego and Oswego East while adding West Aurora and Yorkville.
“This will be a transition year for our players and also for me. I’m trying to gauge how much more emphasis to put on conditioning and obvously additional season-long work on PKs,” Susterstc said in noting the SPC is an example of how so many conferences show independence.
There are no ties in the SPC as regulation draws are followed by two, non-golden goal overtime periods, and if the tie still remains, the IHSA shootout format is used.
“When a weeknight match involves an extra 20 minutes, perhaps the added time for a shootout, later arrival from a bus trip home may necessitate revising a practice plan for the next day,” Susteric noted. “It’ll be interesting to learn how others approach those scenarios or even second-half play. As always, we intend to be competitive but my experiences with these schools are too old or varied for me to label a favorite.”
The SPC’s other newcomer also has a new head man as Chris Palmisano takes over directing a Fox program that was becoming more competitive under Andrew Johnson.
“It’s a big change because we are going into a conference with bigger schools,” Palmisano said based on the homework he’s done. “We were one of the largest in the conference before and now we are one of the smallest. Knowing it’s a conference that is extremely competitive, has great talent and features well-coached teams, it will be a challenge. But we look forward to and embracing that opportunity and the new foes we’ll battle.”
By Steve Nemeth
Supposedly change is inevitable, however, as the expression goes, acceptance or joy -- like growth --is optional.
Considering conference changes were driven by football, most soccer coaches take a predominantly positive view with some reservations --at least when speaking on the record.
Obviously there are pluses and minuses, pros and cons, good and bad, whether it’s scheduling, travel, rivalries or league rules.
Perhaps no coach or program has dealt with the issue more than West Aurora and veteran coach Joe Sustersic. The Blackhawks, plus Glenbard East, exited the DuPage Valley Conference (which added Lake Park) prior to the 2014 campaign, to join the Upstate Eight Conference, which then – despite the number in the name --grew to 16 schools with two divisions (River and Valley) of eight.
Then in 2015, Metea Valley, Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley left the UEC to make the DVC a nine-school loop. With their departures, the UEC reshuffled into uneven divisions.
Charting all of the above would require creating some sort of matrix / sequence / timeline diagram that would challenge Rube Goldberg.
“I’m not a persoon who likes a lot of change,” Larkin coach Ken Hall admits. “This is my 29th year coaching high school soccer, and I love a good rivalry. I don’t like when the changes take those away.”
Since Sustersic is close to Hall in longevity, his honesty was also clear.
“I’ve got seniors who essentially will be playing a third set of ‘conference’ opponents,” Susterstic noted. “Don’t get me wrong, I like playing new teams with different formations and philosophies; I’ve gone to all four corners of the state in scheduling, so I’m open to competing with new teams, just not for conference play.
“If we have to mirror what IHSA football is doing, I’m pretty sure we’re not done playing conference musical chairs,” Susterstic said. “Perhaps in soccer we should all just play 21 nonconference games. Tell me where I’m playing, who and when, what uniform to wear, and we’ll be ready when the whistle blows.”
The more nuanced comments generally center around the positive notion of a new challenge as well as acknowledgement that the decision was beyond a soccer coach’s control or input, so it’s time to make the best of it. Perhaps not comprehensive, but the following is a nutshell look at the changing face of 2019 boys soccer conferences.
DuPage Valley
Having gone from eight schools up to nine and most recently down to just five, the DuPage Valley is back to an even six this fall with the addition of DeKalb, one of several schools affected by the demise of the Northern Illinois Big XII and its two divisions. By comparison to past affilations, DeKalb and first-year boys head coach P.J. Hamilton face an uphill task now against Naperville Central and North, plus the “Valley trio” --Metea, Neuqua and Waubonsie.
“Moving to the DuPage Valley is a huge change for our entire program and school, but we are excited to join the DVC,” Hamilton said. “Playing against such high-quality competition will only help our program get better and take a big step forward.
“Our biggest challenge is the unfamiliarity; facing five new opponents will present different challenges in itself game in and game out,” Hamilton said without being reminded Naperville North is not only the defending DVC champ, but IHSA Class 3A champion for the last three years. Of course, he’s already aware that Neuqua has a state crown and that Naperville Central and Waubonsie Valley have also appeared in the state finals.
“I’m thrilled to have DeKalb in the conference. They demonstrated through the entire process that they will be an excellent addition in every way,” said Jay Konrad, North head coach and a former program AD. “It’s always good to add a colleague that adhers to the same values as the league. They’ve got a strong tradition in numerous sports and add competitive value.
“I know DeKalb (soccer) had a solid group last year and that the coach is an excellent leader,” Konrad added. “They are a bit of an unknown to many of us in terms of style of play, formations, etc., so that will make interesting. Our league once has a solid group of returning players and strong traditions, so expect a bunch of 1-0 games to determine the DVC title.”
“I think the more top quality teams the better,” Waubonsie boss Jose Garcia said. “It’s always great to play against the best in the area. DeKalb is a great addition but the first change might be driving an hour or more to Aurora or Naperville. North again presents the biggest challenge for all of us with the momentum they have coming back from a state championship.”
Metea Valley’s Josh Robinson concurred.
“With the many quality players back after winning state, of course North is the favorite. But the conference title last year came down to the last game, which I believe shows the level of play in the DVC,” Robinson stated. “We’re excited for DeKalb to be a part of the DVC as their program has seen tremendous growth and success recently.
“Actually I would love to have a few more teams to make the conference title mean a little more, but the additions have to be quality people,” Robinson said. “The rivalries created from playing a team year in and year out is part of the rason our kids play, so constant change, however, can take away from the prestige of a conference title. Even though we’ve lost some teams, I believe the DVC has maintained that thanks to success at the state level.”
Upstate Eight
From the 16-school pinnacle followed by departures and division shifts, the UEC will now be a top-to-bottom loop for a second-straight year. Larkin, Elgin, South Elgin, Streamwood, Bartlett, Glenbard East, Glenbard South, East Aurora, and West Chicago welcome Fenton in place of West Aurora. The 2018 UEC race also came down to the wire before Elgin finished atop it all with a 7-0-2 ledger followed by Streamwood (6-1-2) and the Blackhawks (6-2-1).
“The (UEC) changes have been good and bad,” Elgin coach David Borg said. “The conference for soccer looks to be very even and almost everyone can be in the hunt. But I’d prefer we leave it alone now to make it our own and deepen some of the rivalries. From what I’ve heard, West Chicago is very good, Larkin and Streamwood are always solid, so I’d say they are the three (2019) favorites.”
Despite the reservations expressed earlier, Hall would love to see Larkin rule the UEC
“We were right there at 5-1-3 and lost only two starters, so not to be conceited, I consider us a favorite,” Hall said. “Alek (Zdravkovic) is a senior and one of the top players in the state, so he can lead us quite far. To be honest, don’t know much about Fenton, but even if they’re loaded with seniors, so was West Aurora last year and we beat them.”
“When I look at the make-up of our conference, I feel it will still be as challenging as ever,” Streamwood coach Matt Polovin said. “We lost a great team in West Aurora, but I’m sure Fenton will be just as challenging and eager to prove themselves. As for a favorite, my guess is Larkin, West Chicago, Elgin, and us as well.”
“I don’t know who the favorites will be, but if we prepare well and execute, I hope we’ll be in the mix,” Fenton coach Victor Ruiz said. “I feel tihs move is great for our program. I’ll miss some of the rivalries and friendships developed through the years, but this is a positive challenge. We look forward to playing new teams, developing relationships and new rivalries. Our philosophy is always to play our best to win every match.”
Southwest Prairie
In 2015, the Southwest Prairie Conference added Joliet Central and West in order to become a 10-program league. Now with the addition of West Aurora and Yorkville --a former Northern Illinois Big XII school like DeKalb --the SPC now grows into a 12-school conference with two divisions.
The East consists of Joliet Central and West, Romeoville, and three of four Plainfields: Central, East and South. Plainfield North is in the West Division with holdover Minooka, plus Oswego and Oswego East while adding West Aurora and Yorkville.
“This will be a transition year for our players and also for me. I’m trying to gauge how much more emphasis to put on conditioning and obvously additional season-long work on PKs,” Susterstc said in noting the SPC is an example of how so many conferences show independence.
There are no ties in the SPC as regulation draws are followed by two, non-golden goal overtime periods, and if the tie still remains, the IHSA shootout format is used.
“When a weeknight match involves an extra 20 minutes, perhaps the added time for a shootout, later arrival from a bus trip home may necessitate revising a practice plan for the next day,” Susteric noted. “It’ll be interesting to learn how others approach those scenarios or even second-half play. As always, we intend to be competitive but my experiences with these schools are too old or varied for me to label a favorite.”
The SPC’s other newcomer also has a new head man as Chris Palmisano takes over directing a Fox program that was becoming more competitive under Andrew Johnson.
“It’s a big change because we are going into a conference with bigger schools,” Palmisano said based on the homework he’s done. “We were one of the largest in the conference before and now we are one of the smallest. Knowing it’s a conference that is extremely competitive, has great talent and features well-coached teams, it will be a challenge. But we look forward to and embracing that opportunity and the new foes we’ll battle.”