Southwest Suburban Conference Football Partners With DuPage Valley Conference

LOCKPORT, IL — The Southwest Suburban Conference has announced it has approved a one-year football partnership with the DuPage Valley Conference, starting in the fall of 2024, according to a statement from presiding superintendent Robert McBride.

Beginning next fall, the partnership will divide the two conferences into a three division football league.

Southwest Suburban Conference schools currently include Andrew High School, Bolingbrook High School, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Sandburg, Homewood-Flossmoor, Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way East, Lincoln-Way West, Lockport Township High School and Stagg.

However, Bolingbrook High School will exit the Southwest Suburban Conference next year, and join the Southwest Prairie Conference.

McBride said the new partnership's purpose is "to create competitive balance and opportunity for all schools in the Southwest Suburban Conference and the DuPage Valley Conference."

"The two conferences are working together to create reliable conference and non-conference games in each school's schedule given the unique nature of the sport and football playoff system in Illinois. Divisions within the partnership were determined based on student enrollment and previous success," McBride, who serves as LTHS' superintendent, said.

In 2024, the partnership will have three divisions of blue, red and green. The blue division will include Homewood-Flossmoor, Lincoln-Way East, Lockport, Naperville North and Neuqua Valley.

The red division will include Lincoln-Way West, Andrew, Metea Valley, Naperville Central and Sandburg.

The green division will include Bradley-Bourbonnais, DeKalb, Lincoln-Way Central, Stagg and Waubonsie Valley.

McBride said the structure of the division and the partnership will be reviewed and evaluated at the end of the fall 2024 season.