Chicago Christian won the IHSA Class 2A football championship in 2024.
It had a 3-6 record in 2025 and missed the playoffs.
After the IHSA approved a proposal on Dec. 16, the teams the landscape of postseason football has been changed dramatically and now 4-5 and 3-6 teams will be invited. Also, the football season will start a week earlier – Aug. 20 this season.
Ergo, under the new rules, the Knights, who lost 20 of 22 players off the state championship team, would have been a playoff team in 2025.
Knights coach CJ Cesario is not a big fan of the expansion, believing that teams should earn their way in with winning records.
However …
“I would have loved another week of being with the young men who I really love to help mold, shape and transform their lives,” Cesario said. “I would have loved another week of preparation to get better reps in practice. I don’t ever want it to end.
“I would not have turned that opportunity away.”
Sandburg coach Sheamus Murphy is not a fan of the expansion. But he admitted that there were some past Sandburg teams, as well as Catholic League teams, with 4-5 records that could have made some noise in the playoffs.
With pressure of not having to win five games — also known as the Drive for Five — it might be easier to schedule nonconference opponents, who might otherwise have been skittish about harming their record with a nonconference loss.
“Some people will be willing to take more risks,” Murphy said. “I do see that aspect of it.”
The SouthWest Suburban Conference — which includes Sandburg, Andrew and Stagg — will be back to its old format with Blue and Red divisions in 2026, as the two-year experiment with the DuPage Conference is over.
Sandburg is looking for a Week 2 opponent and Andrew is seeking a Week 8 foe. Both coaches are hoping that quality teams will be willing to play them.
Andrew coach Adam Lewandowski says the old format was “the best thing going.”
“There is a level of quality that the other sports don’t experience,” he said. “I didn’t think it really needed to be changed.
“Nothing is going to change for us. We’re going to approach the season the same way.”
Super showdown in 2027
Chicago Christian and Illiana Christian have been fierce rivals over the years in all sports when Illiana was based in Lansing.
But football was never in the equation because Illiana did not have a football team.
The Vikings moved across the Indiana border to Dyer in 2018 and the two schools still play each other in various sports.
But in 2027, Illiana will field its first varsity football team and will play the Knights in Palos Heights in the second game of the season.
“I expect that to be something really awesome,” Cesario said.
Morton’s trifecta
Morton College’s men’s basketball team knocked off its third ranked NJCAA Division II team when it beat No. 24 Bryant and Stratton 73-66 on Dec. 16 in Cicero. Zion Young had 19 points in the win.
The Panthers (8-4) also beat No. 8 Milwaukee Area Tech and No. 10 South Suburban this season.