The Summit Athletic Conference confirmed upcoming changes to the football scheduling process with a press release sent out by Fort Wayne Community Schools.
As was reported by Outside the Huddle last week, the SAC will transition to a two-division format, with Weeks 1 and 2 open for non-conference competition before teams play four division games and three inter-division contests.
Week 7’s rivalry week will remain intact with the current matchups.
The proposal was approved unanimously by both the head coaches and athletic directors of all 10 schools.
“These changes give teams two games at the beginning of the season to iron out deficiences in preparation for conference play and allows more meaningful games, experiencing quality out-of-conference opponents in preparation for the IHSAA Tournament,” said SAC Commissioner Adam Swinford. “We believe this new format will provide a better experience for our student athletes to learn and excel at their sport while enjoying the experience and competitiveness of playing in the Summit Athletic Conference.”
Per Wednesday’s release, “the team with the best conference record at the end of the season will be crowned the SAC champion.” In the event of a tie, head-to-head will be used to break it, as is used currently in the league. If the two tied teams did not play in the regular season, the squads will be co-champions and share the Victory Bell.”
The divisions do not have names, but are merely named “Division A” and “Division B” at this time. Division A is Carroll, Bishop Dwenger, Homestead, Northrop and Snider, while Division B is made up of Bishop Luers, North Side, South Side, Wayne and Concordia Lutheran.
Great move by the SAC! It gives our teams an opportunity to challenge themselves with outside competitions while also giving the fans the enjoyment of “natural rivalries” in conference! Nice!