Bolingbrook to join Southwest Prairie Conference in 2024

The conference merry-go-round took another turn recently, as West Aurora decided to leave the Southwest Prairie Conference and join the Upstate Eight.

Taking West Aurora’s place starting in 2024 will be Bolingbrook, which will leave the SouthWest Suburban Conference to join the Southwest Prairie.

The Southwest Prairie consists of Joliet Central, Joliet West, Minooka, Oswego, Oswego East, Plainfield Central, Plainfield East, Plainfield North, Plainfield South, Romeoville, and Yorkville.

The addition of Bolingbrook allows the Southwest Prairie to maintain 12 teams and have two six-team divisions. In football, it means that at least two teams from the conference will make the playoffs, as the winner of a six-team or more division receives an automatic bid, according to IHSA rules.

“We are excited to have Bolingbrook join us,” Plainfield North athletic director and Southwest Prairie Conference president Ron Lear said. “They have great tradition in several sports, and it will only make our conference stronger.

“West Aurora was a good conference member, and we wish them the best of luck. Bolingbrook is a great fit for us as far as size of school as well as travel. We have always prided ourselves on being a conference that had schools fairly close to each other. Bolingbrook is also in the same school district as one of our current member schools [Romeoville], so it just seemed like a natural fit.”

Although the Raiders bring a rich athletic tradition to the Southwest Prairie, particularly in football, girls volleyball and boys and girls basketball, the decision isn’t all about sports.

“Bolingbrook has some great ideas,” Lear said. “We saw a lot of good things that they can add, not only in athletics, but also in activities and academics. We are lucky to have added schools in the past, like the Joliet schools, West Aurora and Yorkville, that have made our conference better. Now, we are doing it again.”

Bolingbrook will join the Southwest Prairie Conference West division, which also includes Plainfield North, Minooka, Yorkville, Oswego and Oswego East. The Southwest Prairie East consists of Joliet Central, Joliet West, Plainfield Central, Plainfield East, Plainfield South and Romeoville.

“As of now, Bolingbrook is going to take the place of West Aurora in the West Division in 2024,” Lear said. “After that, we may look at realignment in some fashion, or we may leave it as it is. That’s a discussion for down the road.”

Bolingbrook’s departure leaves the SouthWest Suburban with nine schools so far in 2024. Bolingbrook had been in the Blue Division, along with Lincoln-Way East, Homewood-Flossmoor, Lockport and Sandburg. The Red Division consists of Bradley-Bourbonnais, Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way West, Andrew and Stagg.