Last year of the LOVC
by: Craig Choate
WCIA — This is the last year of the Little Okaw Valley Conference as we know it. The LOVC is one of the most historic leagues in Central Illinois dating back to the 1970's but it will come to an end after this school year. Nine of the 12 football teams withdrew from the league in December, including the entire Northwest Division. Tri-County, Cumberland, and VGH from the Southeast also left, leaving just Martinsville, Oblong, and Palestine as the only three remaining teams.
"I think travel had mostly a lot to do with it," Argenta-Oreana head coach Steve Kirk said. "I don't think it was anything other than that. I think it was mostly travel. We're close to one another, we all have the same numbers, the same talent level, so that's really what I'm looking forward to the most."
"Just being able to play everybody in our area," Arcola head coach Nick Lindsey said about his reason for wanting a new conference. "Old schools, new schools, and the competitiveness of week in week out of having difficult games each week."
Lindsey is a Heritage grad so he's been familiar with the LOVC for years.
"It's neat to be back with not everybody from back when I was in school but a majority of the teams and then you're throwing in Cumberland, and LSA, and Argenta and schools like that that are going to add a whole new element to the conference," Lindsey said. "It's kind of a nice consignment of the history of the past and then some newer schools that are coming together."
With Blue Ridge already a partial member of the LOVC, and independent in football this season, the addition of the Knights to the nine former LOVC schools will give them a 10-team closed conference starting in 2019.
"This year week one we have to go to Robinson which is a three hour trek," Kirk added. "So starting next year or the year after we don't have to make quite as long of haul in those early weeks."
More High School Sports Stories
by Marlee Wierda / Jan 18, 2021
(WCIA) -- Low risk winter sports in Region 6 will be able to start practicing immediately. As the region moves from Tier 3 to Tier 1, the new IDPH and IHSA guidelines will allow them to begin practice, with competition starting on a later date set by the IHSA.
Low-risk winter sports include Badminton, Boys Swimming & Diving, Cheerleading, Dance, Boys & Girls Bowling, and Girls Gymnastics.
WCIA 3-in-1 Pod: What does it all mean?
by Bret Beherns, Marlee Wierda, Andy Olson / Jan 15, 2021
CHAMPAIGN (WCIA) -- In episode 48 of the WCIA 3-in-1 Pod: Bret Beherns, Marlee Wierda and Andy Olson breakdown and try to explain Gov. Pritzker and the IDPH's new COVID-19 mitigation and guidance, pertaining to youth and high school sports.
Listen on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3-in-1-podcast/id1495074631?uo=4
IDPH updates All Sports Policy, guidance for return of sports
by Bret Beherns / Jan 15, 2021
WCIA -- The Illinois Department of Public Health updated its All Sports Policy on Friday, as several regions across the state move into Tier 2 COVID-19 mitigations or are close to moving into fewer restrictions. Regions 1, 2 and 5 are now into Phase 4, Tier 2 mitigations, meaning low-risk sports may restart. Other regions, including Region 6 that includes Champaign and Macon County, could move into Tier 2 mitigations as early as Saturday, if the metrics continue to improve.
Several metrics have to be met for regions to advance out of mitigations. To go from Tier 3 to Tier 2, the test positivity rate has to be below 12 percent for three consecutive days and on a 7-day average. In addition, staffed hospital and ICU beds have to be at least 20 percent available for three consecutive days and a sustained decline in COVID patients in the hospital on a 7-day average and 7 out of 10 days. For Region 6, which includes Champaign County and the surrounding areas, all metrics were met on Friday, except the last one.
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