IHSA Board of Directors August Meeting Recap

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met for its regularly scheduled meeting at the IHSA office in Bloomington on Monday, August 26, 2024, where the Board approved a state final hosting contract extension with FMC Natatorium in Westmont for the IHSA Boys Swimming & Diving State Finals and the IHSA Girls Swimming & Diving State Finals.

The three-year extension will encompass the state final meets during the 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27 school terms.

“FMC Natatorium is a first-class facility that has elevated the experience of the student-athletes, coaches, and fans participating in the IHSA Boys and Girls Swimming & Diving State Finals,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “We are thrilled to extend this relationship and look forward to continuing to work together to create lifelong memories for the participants.”

Featuring an Olympic-size competition pool, FMC Natatorium opened in 2020 and is one of the premier facilities of its kind in the Midwest. The venue first hosted the IHSA State Finals during the 2021-22 school term, with Hinsdale Central High School and Hinsdale South High School continuing to serve as co-hosts.

FMC Natatorium is a state-of-the-art venue that features spectator seating for 1,400, a deck capacity of 800, warm-up and cool down pools, and a video scoreboard with an integrated timing system.

ACTION

1. The Board approved an amendment to the contract of the IHSA’s digital ticketing partner, GoFan, to extend the partnership for five years.

2. The Board approved a recommendation to approve the adoption of a new pricing structure for IHSA schools using TrackWrestling.

3. The Board approved a recommendation to change the IHSA Fall Sports entry deadline to the Monday of Week 8 in the standard IHSA calendar (August 26 in 2024).

4. The Board approved a dissolution of coops for the following schools/sports:

       -Joliet Central High School and Joliet West High School| Girls Wrestling

       -Eldorado High School and Galatia High School | Boys Track & Field   

       -Monmouth-Roseville High School and West Central High School | Girls Swimming & Diving

7. The Board approved language updates to IHSA Policy 33 – IHSA Member School Publicity Policy.

8. The Board approved a recommendation to provide an eligibility accommodation for a student transferring from Aquin High School to another high school that was a part of a coop with Aquin, as a tuition paying student, following the closing of Aquin at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

9. The Board approved a recommendation to raise the pay of individuals serving in Coordinator of Officials roles at IHSA State Finals to $175 per day.

APPEALS & ELIGIBILITY RULINGS

1. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a former student from Highland Park High School. The student was seeking an exemption to participate in practice while completing a transition program at True North Educational Cooperative 804. 

2. The Board modified the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from St. Charles North High School. The student was granted limited (non-varsity) eligibility.

3. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Loyola Academy in Wilmette. The student was granted limited eligibility in accordance with the provisions of IHSA By-law 3.043.3 and was seeking full eligibility.

4. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Benet Academy in Lisle. The student was granted limited eligibility in accordance with the provisions of IHSA By-law 3.043.3 and was seeking full eligibility.

5. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Chicago International Charter School-Northtown Academy in Chicago. The student was granted limited eligibility in accordance with the provisions of IHSA By-law 3.043.3 and was seeking full eligibility.

6. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from St. Francis High School in Wheaton. The student was granted limited eligibility in accordance with the provisions of IHSA By-law 3.043.3 and was seeking full eligibility.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

At each meeting of the Board of Directors, there are certain items the Board discusses, but upon which no action was taken or action may not be required. The following is a report of those items from the August 26, 2024, agenda:

1. The Board discussed the openings on the IHSA Board of Directors entering the election cycle this fall. The IHSA will have five total Board seats up for election, including two At-Large seats, as well as the seats in Division 1, Division 5, and Division 7.

2. IHSA Assistant Executive Director Stacey Lambert provided an update on concussion reporting numbers for the 2023-24 school year.

3. IHSA Coordinator of Officials Kurt Gibson provided a report on the 25th Annual Officials Conference that was held in Normal in July.

4. The Board heard a report on the IHSA extending its partnership with Officially Human.

5. The Board reviewed and discussed a letter from the Superintendents in the South Suburban Conference related to by-law violation penalties during the 2023-24 school year.

6. The Board reviewed and discussed a request from Englewood STEM High School to review its IHSA classification.

7. The Board heard a report on the InSideOut Coaching initiative sessions that will be held in Bloomington and Chicago on September 10-11, thanks in part to support from the NFL and Chicago Bears. 

8. The Board heard a report on the 2024 IHSA All-School Mailing. If any member school has not received their mailing, they should contact the IHSA office.

9. The Board heard a report on the IHSA Girls Tennis State Finals. Due to construction at Buffalo Grove High School, Hersey High School will serve as the host site of the 2024 Girls Tennis State Finals.

Moore Shoots 2-Under As Lady Aces Notch 3 More Wins At Hamilton County

Mount Carmel Lady Aces Golf

McLeansboro Golf Course

Par 36

August 26, 2024

Mount Carmel - 151

Medalist Zeme Moore 34 (-2); Miley Kennard 36; Miranda Kennard 40; Elyse Swanson 41; Emily Gottman 43 Makaya Bolden 45

Hamilton County -194

Allee Ragan 44; Mackenzie Burker 47; Delany Jones 50; Raunie Johnson 53

Johnston City - 196

Josie Welch 41; Aubree Willford 45; Taylor Woolard 46; Bella Restivo 64

Benton - 446

Rachel Morris 49; Aurora Spencer 53; Victoria Drew 54; Mia Rechsteiner 63

Lady Aces Fall To Tough Carmi Squad In Season Opener

From Assistant Coach Bonnie Keepes:

The Lady Aces Volleyball team had their home opener Monday night against a very experienced Carmi team. 

The Varsity match the Aces fell in two sets 10-25, 15-25. Carmi came out strong with almost a full roster of returning starters, boasting a 4th in state finish last year, only losing one. 

The Aces will build on the loss, and see ways they can get better. We are a very young team with 4 starters new to varsity play.  There was some nerves, along with good intensity, and bright spots during the match. 

Highlights from the match were Sarah McCorkle had 2 aces, 2 digs, 1 kill, 11 assists.  Madi Stevens 4 digs, 5 kills 1 block, Jayla Johnson 7 digs, 2 kills, Lyla Keepes, 2 kills, 1 dig, 1 assist, Maycee Randall, 4 kills, 1 block, Kyleigh Smith 1 dig, Tenley Davis 5 digs, and Mattie Armstrong 1 dig. 

The JV team lost in 3 sets 17-25,  25-17, 11-15.  The girls came out nervous and made more errors the first set. They tightened up play,  and started attacking more the second set taking it the win. 

The last set was back and forth until Carmi pulled away with some good attacks at the end. 

Some highlights Mattie Armstrong 4 aces, 10 digs, 4 kills, 7 assists, Kinley Harris 4 digs, 4 kills, 4 assist, Leah Lewis 10 digs, Gracee Haggard 3 digs, 5 kills, Avery Coston 1 dig, 1 kill, Zoie Randall 3 kills, Alivia Peach 2 aces, 6 digs, Mylee Farmer 1 ace, 7 digs.  Mercedes Dillard 1 ace, 3 digs. 

The frosh/soph team lost in 2 sets almost taking the second 17-25, 22-25.

Next up the Lady Aces will face off against another tough opponent Edwards County on Thursday the 29th at home.

Gottman's -4 Leads Lady Aces To Patriot Invite Title

Mount Carmel Lady Aces Golf

Patriot Invite - Metropolis Golf Course

Par 71

August 24, 2024

Champions - Mount Carmel - 287

2nd Place - Massac Co. - 351

Medalist - Emily Gottman, MC

Mount Carmel - 287

Emily Gottman 67 (-4)

Zeme Moore 72; Miley Kennard 73; Miranda Kennard 75; Ava Brumagin 78; Elyse Swanson 82 ; Ella Turner 86; Makaya Bolden 95

Massac Co. - 351

Wilke Armstrong 80; Jordan Forthman 87; Natalie Barnett 88; Madi Frazine 96

Nashville - 361

Brynn Stiegman 79; Arabella Alfeldt 85; Karlie Stein 86; Siena Popejoy 111

Anna Jonesboro - 378

Elly Mays 87; Preslely Bierstedt 90; Finley Diemer 98; Raelyn Sadler 103

Hamilton County - 389

Allee Ragan 91; Mackenzie Burker 94; Raynie Johnson 103; Delany Jones 104

Harrisburg - 411

Hannah Jones 85; Sadi Schwartz 103; Kate DeVisser 107; Laura Behnke 116

Benton - 446

Rachel Morris 104; Aurora Spencer 111; Victoria Drew 112; Emma Zinzeletta 117 

Eldorado - 474

Presley Morris 97; Isabelle Freebourn 123; Maci Pfflaum 124; Brylie Unthank 130

Tilghman - NTS

McCall Moore 83

Vienna - NTS

Hannah Rojas 83; Mia Deharpart 138

Z-R-C - NTS

Brylee Martin 91; Ashlyn Stayton 95; Kyni Kirk 114


Photo Credit: Lady Aces Golf Facebook Page

Participation in High School Sports Tops Eight Million for First Time in 2023-24

More than eight million participants competed in high school sports in the 2023-24 school year – an all-time record and the first time ever that total participation has exceeded the eight-million mark. 

The NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey indicated that 8,062,302 participants were involved in high school sports in 2023-24, which is up 210,469 from the previous year and tops the previous record of 7,980,886 set in 2017-18. The total includes 4,638,785 boys and 3,423,517 girls – both record highs – according to figures obtained from the 51 NFHS member state associations, which includes the District of Columbia.

The 2023-24 total marked the second consecutive increase after numbers tumbled during the pandemic. Since the initial survey after the pandemic, participation in high school sports has increased 444,248 in two years and represents a turnaround from the decline that started the year before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 “We are thrilled to learn that participation in high school sports has exceeded eight million for the first time,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the NFHS. “The comeback from the pause of school sports during the pandemic has been so gratifying and certainly indicates the staying power of education-based sports in our nation’s schools. We salute coaches, athletic directors and other school administrators for making these experiences happen for student-athletes.”

Two of the biggest storylines are the increases in all forms of high school football – boys and girls – and the continued rise in both girls and boys wrestling. Eleven-player football remained the most popular boys sport and registered an increase for the second consecutive year from 1,028,761 to 1,031,508. There also was an increase in 8-player football participation from 23,812 to 26,420.

The biggest gains in football, however, came on the girls side, particularly with the emerging sport of flag football. The number of participants in girls flag football more than doubled from 2022-23 to 2023-24. A total of 42,955 girls participated in flag football in 2023-24 compared to 20,875 the previous year – a 105 percent increase. And from the 15,716 participants in 2021-22, there has been an increase of 173 percent. There also was an increase in the number of girls competing on 11-player football teams from 3,654 to 4,094.

Including boys and girls competitors in 6-, 8-, 9- and 11-player football, and girls and boys participants in flag football, the overall football total for 2023-24 was 1,118,705 – an increase of 28,825 from 2022-23.

Another highlight is the sizeable jump in wrestling – boys and girls – for the second consecutive year. An additional 32,443 boys were involved in wrestling last year, jumping from 259,431 to 291,874. Since the 2021-22 season, there has been a gain of 60,000 in boys wrestling – an amazing 25 percent increase. And participation on girls teams has continued its historic rise as well with 64,257 participants last year – an increase of 102 percent from the 31,654 in 2021-22.

Outdoor track and field, volleyball and soccer all registered increases and remained the top three participatory sports for girls. Track and field increased four percent to 506,015, followed by volleyball at 479,125 and soccer at 383,895. Although the number of participants was down about 6,000, basketball (367,284) remained in the No. 4 spot followed by fast-pitch softball (345,451), tennis (195,766), cross country (192,989), competitive spirit (181,023 – up 20 percent), swimming and diving (138,174) and lacrosse (101,204).   

Outdoor track and field, and soccer had significant gains on the boys side as well. After 11-player football and outdoor track and field (625,333), the rest of the boys top 10 includes basketball (536,668), baseball (471,701), soccer (467,483), wrestling (291,874), cross country (239,381), tennis (157,835), golf (155,174) and swimming and diving (116,799).

The number of participants in Esports and Unified Sports also registered increases in 2023-24. A total of 27,051 students participated in Esports last year, which included 23,041 boys and 4,010 girls – an increase of 3,129 participants from the previous year. The survey indicated a total of 51,502 participants in the 15 Unified Sports, up from 42,010 in 2022-23.

Texas (859,301) and California (834,103) remained atop the list of state participation. New York (341,454) remained in third, followed by Pennsylvania (336,946), Ohio (323,117), Illinois (320,603), Florida (299,398), Michigan (289,740), New Jersey (280,798) and Minnesota (224,179).

The NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey was started in 1971 and was compiled in its current form through the 2018-19 school year, resuming annually with the 2021-22 survey. The complete 2023-24 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey will be available soon on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org.

Pre-Scrimmage Interview With Aces Football Coach Michael Brewer

Mt. Carmel vs Edwards County

August 23, 2024

Preseason Scrimmage Agenda


6:00 pm Gates Open

6:00 pm Mt. Carmel warm up-north end

Edwards Co. warm up-south end

6:30 pm (:25) Clock countdown to kick-off begins

6:55 pm (:05) National Anthem

7:00 pm (:00) Scrimmage Begins


Scrimmage Script - Ball starts on own 35 yard line

Varsity

12 Plays - Edwards County on Offense

12 Plays - Mt. Carmel on Offense

12 Plays - Edwards County on Offense

12 Plays - Mt. Carmel on Offense

JV

6 Plays - Edwards County on Offense

6 Plays - Mt. Carmel on Offense


Mt. Carmel Fresh/Soph Scrimmage

Totals # of plays - TBD


Cousin joins WVC Coaching staff

After two seasons on the University of Georgia staff, Justin Cousin joins Coach McGee as his assistant coach. Cousin also served as an assistant on the Radford staff during the 2021-22 season, which is his alma mater. During his second year at Georgia, he helped the Bulldogs reach 20 wins for the first time since the 2015-16 season. The twenty win season was enough for Georgia to get into the National Invitational Tournament and to reach the NIT Final Four.

Cousin played collegiately at Radford from 2013-2018, where he was a four-year letterwinner. During his career at Radford, Cousin played in 127 games, which landed him seventh in program history for games played. He was a valuabale piece in the 2018 season, where the Radford Highlanders won the Big South Championship and helped the team clinch their first ever NCAA Tournament victory. His best season was his junior season, where he started all 32 games, while averaging 11 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2 assists a game.

Justin graduated from Radford in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in Business Management, but took his talents overseas to play for the Taranaki Airs in New Plymouth, New Zealand during the 2018-19 season. Cousin averaged 11.3 points and was named Team Man of the Year. While in New Zealand, he also served as a volunteer youth coach at Stratford Primary School.

Cousin returned to his hometown of Burlington, N.C., to work as a counselor for at-risk youths in the area. He also served as a 5th grade teacher and middle school basketball coach at Positive Day School. Cousin earned a master's degree in Nonprofit Management and Leadership at the University of Georgia.

Coach McGee had this to say about Cousin. 

"Coach Cousin will be a tremendous addition to our program. His passion for the game, attention to detail, personality and leadership is going to help develop our young men to be ready for the next level. The positive impact that he's had on his past programs, he's on track to becoming a rising star in this business".

Kelsey & Kanipe Lead Aces

From Coach Abbey Carpenter:

Better day for the Aces last night!

Co-Medalist Honors go to
Kollin Kelsey and Hatcher Kanipe with an even par round of 36

We were 4 shots shy of the 1st place team honors behind Massac County with a 157 and us with 161.

We will see them again this weekend at their turf when we go to their home tournament Saturday.

Also, congratulations to the Lady Aces with a great win over the Castle Knights last night. Go Aces.

Aces Win Their Own Invite To Open Season

From Coach Abbey Carpenter:

What a great day to be an Ace. The boys and girl golf teams came away with a win tonight in their home invitational.

The boy had 3 in the top 10 with

Hatcher Kanipe in 8th

Zane Wilcox in 3rd

Kollin Kelsey in 1st. (with a 1 under par)

Individual Results

Kollin Kelsey 70 (1 under Par)

Hatcher Kanipe 79

Zane Wilcox 72

Landon Johnson 83

Jake Pettyjohn 82

Brayden Rayborn 87

Drake Stevenson 95

Joel Schneider 102

Alex Baker 85

Brock Schilb 95

The lowest 4 scores make up our winning team score of 303!

Way to go boys! Let’s keep it rolling for Mondays tournament in Robinson.

50 For 50: IHSA To Recognize Top Girls Volleyball & Football Programs To Celebrate 50th Anniversary of State Finals

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is proud to celebrate the 50th editions of both its Girls Volleyball State Finals and Football State Championship games in November of 2024.

Both milestone events will occur on the campus of Illinois State University (ISU) in Normal, as ISU’s CEFCU Arena will host the 2024 IHSA Girls Volleyball State Finals on November 15-16, and the eight state championship football games will unfold at Hancock Stadium on Thanksgiving weekend (November 29-30).

To help commemorate the past 50 years, the IHSA will release the Top 50 Volleyball Programs and Top 50 Football Programs from the State Series era (1974-2024) for both sports throughout the fall. A group of current and former high school coaches, administrators, and media members from around the state served on the committees to select the Top 50 programs in each sport.

“Releasing the Top 50 Programs is a celebration of the rich history and tradition of high school girls volleyball and football in the state of Illinois,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “It will be a fun way to remember many of the great teams, players, and coaches who have helped make high school sports in Illinois so special.”

Prior to the passage of Title IX in 1972, high school sports for girls in Illinois were conducted by the Illinois League of High School Girls Athletic Associations (commonly referred to as the GAA). Most GAA competitions were non-traditional in comparison to current IHSA formats, as they generally consisted of “festivals” where multiple area schools would gather to play contests in several sports.

“So much has changed since 1974,” said NFHS Hall of Fame Coach Peg Kopec, who won more matches (1,248) and state titles (12) than any other coach in state history during her 42-year tenure as head coach at St. Francis High School in Wheaton. “But what hasn’t changed is the amazing high school volleyball being played in Illinois. Just look at the all the players from Illinois on the USA Women’s Volleyball National team.”

High school football games in the state date all the way back to 1885, but despite the IHSA conducting postseason tournaments in sports like boys basketball since 1908, the IHSA football playoffs did not debut until 1974.

“I remember there being a lot of excitement about the playoffs among the coaches throughout the 1974 season,” said Ken Leonard, who was a college student helping coach at Chenoa High School in 1974 and later went on to win an IHSA-record 419 combined games at Gridley High School and Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, including six state titles at the latter. “Football was already big at the time, but the playoffs and state championship games boosted it to another level. It helped the growth of the game.”

Committee members were provided historical data on approximately 200 programs in each sport, which they voted on to whittle it down to the Top 50 list.

“The raw numbers don’t always tell the true story in Illinois high school sports,” said IHSA Assistant Executive Director Matt Troha. “We could have used a formula to name the Top 50 programs, where state championships are worth a certain number of points and postseason wins are worth a certain number of points, but I really don’t think that would have truly reflected the history of IHSA girls volleyball and football. Given the geographical format of IHSA tournaments, there are many programs who never won a state title, likely because they continually ran into another program on our Top 50 list in their geographic area. On the flip side, other programs certainly benefitted from class expansion, winning multiple state titles in short periods of time. There are always going to be programs that have garnered the utmost respect of opposing coaches, regardless of what the numbers say. We asked our committee members to use their lived experiences to tell us what programs belonged on the lists.”

Bragging rights aren’t the only spoils available for those that helped contribute to a Top 50 program, as IHSA partner Minerva Promotions has announced exclusive merchandise opportunities for the 50 respective girls volleyball and football programs who will be recognized. Learn more about Minerva’s Top 50 Football Program merchandise here and Minerva’s Top 50 Girls Volleyball merchandise here.

“It is amazing to see how the game has grown over 50 years and I am so happy for the opportunities that the young women who play and coach the sport have today,” said Nancy (Wichgers) Pedersen, who won nine state titles while coaching at Mother McAuley High School in Chicago from 1983 to 2004. “I am thankful I got to participate in that growth and contribute to what it has become today. I encourage all of the players today to give back to the sport however they can and never take these opportunities for granted.”