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The Three Rivers County Conference has served St. Bede Academy well.
But at the conclusion of the 2022-23 school year, their ninth year in the Three Rivers, the Bruins plan to return to a former home.
St. Bede has been accepted into membership by the Tri-County Conference beginning with the 2023-24 school year for all sports but football. To fill that hole, St. Bede will join the new Chicago Prairie Football League, which is set to kick off next year.
The Bruins had a 16-year run in the Tri-County from 1994-95 to 2009-10 and spent three years in the declining NCIC before joining the Three Rivers in 2013-14.
St. Bede Academy officials, who have previously declined comment, released a statement to the Bureau County Republican on Friday afternoon through athletic director Michael Armatto, confirming it had notified the Three Rivers Athletic Conference (TRAC) member schools of its intention to depart the conference upon completion of the 2022-23 school year.
The statement reads in part:
“While we greatly respect and appreciate the TRAC and its member schools, St. Bede Academy must always make decisions which we believe to be in the best interests of our students and our school community. Within this spirit we feel the following changes will accomplish such goals.
“We like the ‘fit’ from a competitive perspective and it also allows us the opportunity to connect with our alumni residing in those areas. Additionally, we feel that these moves also provide us the opportunity to re-engage in ‘rivalry’ type games with several member schools of our new home.
“We sincerely thank all of the TRAC member schools for their leadership in providing for the needs of their students, their families, and their communities. We wish them all the very best in their future endeavors.”
Academy sports teams would be paired with schools closer to its size (282 students) in the Tri-County where it would be the second largest school behind Seneca (428). With St. Bede’s entry, the average size of the 10-team league would be 213 with Lowpoint-Washburn the lowest at 98.
Other conference members include Ottawa Marquette, Putnam County, Roanoke-Benson, Streator Woodland, Dwight, Henry-Senachine and Midland.
The Bruins are currently the second smallest school in the Three Rivers East division behind Newman (215), which includes three schools – Kewanee (552), Princeton (546) and Mendota (539) – nearly double their size. The average size of the other six schools is 439.
St. Bede previously was a member of the Corn Belt Conference before joining the Tri-County in 1994-95.
Armatto said he understands changing conferences can be challenging for all involved.
“Whenever someone asks to leave a conference, whether they give the requisite notice or not, it’s always challenging,” Armatto said. “There’s always some questions and concerns about it. What we committed to the Three Rivers is that we are making this decision because we feel it’s in the best interest of our students and school community and we would expect no less than the same from our other member schools.
“We all are charged with the overall development of our students. Just like all the other schools in the Three Rivers, we all take that quite seriously. The decision that we made while difficult, was something that we discussed, we reflected on, prayed on and we came to that decision it was in the best interests of our students and our school community moving forward.”
Armatto said, like it has in the Three Rivers, St. Bede has some great working relationships with the Tri-County Conference members. It is looking forward to “engaging in conference activities” with Ottawa Marquette again, one of its “bigger rivalry schools.”
Princeton principal Andy Berlinski said the Three Rivers will be meeting Nov. 14 to discuss St. Bede’s departure.
“I believe we will have a formal conference vote on St. Bede’s situation at that time or at least make a decision on what direction the conference will go in order to move forward,” Berlinski said.
By league constitution, which Berlinski believes all schools principals signed off on, the Three Rivers requires any member desiring to leave the conference to give two years notice. This was put in place, he said, when Amboy left the TRAC in 2016, a year earlier than bylaws required, to join the Northwest Upstate Illini.
Berlinski said PHS is the only school to have signed contracts with St. Bede for the 2023 and 2024 football seasons, and intends to hold the Academy to them.
Armatto is hopeful that can all be worked out between the schools.
“If there are contracts that are signed, I’m hopeful we will be able to work with the opposing school in either finding mutual ground in breaking that contract or finding a way to satisfy it,” Armatto said.
The other hope, Armatto said, is for another school come in to the Three Rivers and “kind of take over our schedule.”
Armatto noted that the previous proposal to create new football districts that was once passed only to be overturned is gaining traction again and could make leaving conferences a “moot point” for football.