Catholic League, ESCC To Merge Next Year

CHICAGO, IL — Chicagoland's two most prominent Catholic high school football conferences will merge beginning in 2019 to form a 24-team super league. All the details of the planned merger between the Chicago Catholic League and East Suburban Catholic Conference are still being worked out, but officials have said the newly merged league will include 14 Catholic League members and 10 who are currently a part of the ESCC.

Principals from schools in both conferences voted unanimously to approve the merger, according to Marian Catholic Athletic Director Kevin Kelly. Athletic directors from the schools met earlier this year to form a committee to discuss the possibility. What's yet to be determined is the divisional alignment of the new conference. Kelly said it will be made based on factors such as a school’s male enrollment, football participation numbers and success during the 2017 and 2018 football seasons.

"School leadership felt strongly that combining the football portion of the leagues would lead to increased parity among programs, based on like enrollment, football participation, and team success," the committee wrote in a statement. "With schools playing opponents more similar to themselves, the opportunity to garner success and grow programs is great. Most importantly, the two illustrious leagues share in their Catholic mission, and put faith formation, academics, and the maturation of young men at the forefront."

Before divisional alignment, here's what the new conference will look like in 2019. (Current league in parenthesis)

• Benet Academy - Lisle (East Suburban)
• Brother Rice - Chicago (Catholic League)
• Carmel Catholic - Mundelein (East Suburban)
• De La Salle - Chicago (Catholic League)
• DePaul - Chicago (Catholic League)
• Fenwick - Oak Park (Catholic League)
• Joliet Catholic (East Suburban)
• Leo - Chicago (Catholic League)
• Loyola - Wilmette (Catholic League)
• Marian Catholic - Chicago Heights (East Suburban)
• Marian Central Catholic - Woodstock (East Suburban)
• Marist - Chicago (East Suburban)
• Marmion - Aurora (Catholic League)
• Mountt Carmel - Chicago (Catholic League)
• Montini Catholic - Lombard (Catholic League)
• Nazareth - LaGrange Park (East Suburban)
• Notre Dame - Niles (East Suburban)
• Providence Catholic - New Lenox (Catholic League)
• St. Ignatius - Chicago (Catholic League)
• St. Joseph - Westchester (Catholic League)
• St. Viator - Arlington Heights (East Suburban)
• St. Laurence - Burbank (Catholic League)
• St. Patrick - Chicago (East Suburban)
• St. Rita - Chicago (Catholic League)

Photo: Gately Stadium / via Tim Moran, Patch