The Central State Eight Conference is a high school athletic conference in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), based in Central Illinois . While the name implies that the conference has eight schools, there are actually 11 schools currently active, due to other schools changing conference affiliations. The conference was established in time for the 1993–1994 school calendar year.
14-492: The impetus of the conference formation can be traced as far back as 1981–1982, originating from the remnants of the defunct Capitol Conference . At that time, the existing Big Twelve Conference membership of Bloomington, Champaign Central, Danville, Stephen Decatur, Lincoln, Mattoon, Springfield & Urbana voted to drop Springfield and add existing Capitol Conference members Champaign Centennial, Decatur Eisenhower, Decatur MacArthur & Normal Community, as well as Rantoul. As
28-684: A result, the Capitol Conference dissolved, leaving its remaining members (Jacksonville, Springfield Lanphier, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin & Springfield Southeast), as well as Big Twelve Conference castoff Springfield, to find new homes. Jacksonville joined the short-lived Greater Midwestern Conference (along with Chatham Glenwood, Hannibal (Missouri), Macomb & Quincy Notre Dame) for five years, then become an independent. Springfield, Springfield Lanphier & Springfield Southeast joined Pekin, Peoria Bergan, Peoria Central, Peoria Manual, Peoria Richwoods, Peoria Spalding & Peoria Woodruff in
42-720: The Apollo Conference ). Since its inception, Taylorville (following 2013-2014, returning to the Apollo Conference) has departed and Rochester (from the Sangamo Conference , starting 2010-2011), Decatur Eisenhower (from the Big Twelve Conference, starting 2014-2015) & Decatur MacArthur (from the Big Twelve Conference, starting 2014-2015) have entered. Lincoln has departed for the Apollo Conference following
56-545: The Illinois High School Association (IHSA), based in Central Illinois . The conference operated from 1964 to 1983. The original membership roster included Decatur Eisenhower, Decatur MacArthur, Jacksonville, Springfield Griffin, and Springfield Lanphier. Springfield Southeast was admitted in 1967, Champaign Centennial in 1968, and Normal Community in 1971. The conference remained at eight members for
70-714: The Mid-State # Conference (where # indicated the number of active members at that given time). Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin competed as an independent. With these five schools desiring to re-establish local rivalries and reduce travel expenses, the Central State Eight Conference came to fruition. Original membership included Chatham Glenwood, Jacksonville, Lincoln (from the Big Twelve Conference), Springfield, Springfield Lanphier, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, Springfield Southeast & Taylorville (from
84-536: The Springfield / Sangamon County ( Illinois ) area. (2022-2023) (Multiplied) (Multiplied) (2022-2023) Beginning in 1993, the Central State Eight Conference competes in 11 boys, 13 girls and 13 coed sports and activities within the IHSA. Central State Eight Conference full members Assoc. members (football only) Capitol Conference The Capitol Conference was a high school athletic conference in
98-484: The 2016-2017 school year, with Normal University joining at that beginning of the 2017-2018 school year from the Corn Belt Conference . Lincoln High School is scheduled to rejoin the conference in the 2023-2024 school year. Quincy Notre Dame is expected to join the conference in 2024 for football only. The conference will then be split up into East and West divisions. The conference is centered on high schools in
112-524: The Capitol Conference non-Springfield "overlap" institutions (Champaign Centennial, Decatur Eisenhower, Decatur MacArthur, and Normal Community) plus Rantoul, while jettisoning Springfield. Those schools accepted, leaving the Capitol Conference with only Jacksonville, Springfield Griffin, Springfield Lanphier, and Springfield Southeast. As a result, the conference folded. Jacksonville and Springfield Griffin remained independent, while Springfield Lanphier and Springfield Southeast (as well as Springfield) joined
126-558: The Mid-State 6, a merger with the Western Big 6 Conference was set to begin in 2013 with football. However, when Manual's prior obligation to play Eureka made it unable to schedule a game with Moline High School , the merger failed, with the Mid-State 6 schools instead playing officially as independents against Western Big 6 Conference schools in football during the 2013–2014 school year. This Illinois school-related article
140-649: The Peoria-based Mid-State # Conference (where "#" fluctuated with the number of current members at any given time). In 1993, the four former Capitol Conference outliers (Jacksonville, Springfield Griffin (now known as Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin), Springfield Lanphier, and Springfield Southeast) came back together in the newly formed Central State Eight Conference . Its original roster also included original Big Twelve Conference castoff Springfield as well as (at that time) current Big Twelve Conference member Lincoln. Chatham Glenwood and Taylorville rounded out
154-532: The course of its existence. It existed for several decades. Previous names included MidState 8 and MidState 9 in the 1960s, and Mid-State 10 in the 1980s and 1990s. As of December 2013 , the only schools remaining were in the city of Peoria: Peoria Notre Dame and the three general public high schools Manual , Peoria (Central) , and Richwoods . Those schools were joined the Big 12 Conference in 2014. After IVC High School and Quincy Notre Dame left
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#1732920578964168-459: The initial eight. Former Capitol Conference (and then current Big Twelve Conference) schools Decatur Eisenhower and Decatur MacArthur subsequently joined the Central State Eight Conference in 2014. Mid-State 6 Conference The Mid-State 6 Conference was a high school athletics conference in central Illinois , made up of the high schools in Peoria, Illinois plus various other schools over
182-529: The potential feasibility of swapping schools within the two conferences where there was some common city "overlap" (this was present in Bloomington-Normal, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur, and Springfield). This would allow each conference to align even more tightly geographically, thus increasing rivalries and reducing costs. Rather than proceed in that direction, the remaining members of the Big Twelve Conference alternatively decided to offer membership to all of
196-416: The remainder of its history. The impetus for its demise came inadvertently and unknowingly from a member of the neighboring Big Twelve Conference . At the time, the Big Twelve Conference membership roster included Bloomington, Champaign Central, Danville, Stephen Decatur, Lincoln, Mattoon, Springfield, and Urbana. Initial discussions were instigated by representatives of Springfield High School to look into
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