Sullivan, Okaw Valley football coop dissolves

SULLIVAN/BETHANY — The defending Lincoln Prairie Conference champions are no more, at least as a cooperative entity for Sullivan and Okaw Valley.

The Sullivan and Okaw Valley school districts each announced the end of their cooperative football program in separate statements nearly three weeks ago. The split marks an end to a relationship and partnership that spanned two decades.

Brooks Inman, athletic director for Okaw Valley, noted that Sullivan decided to terminate the agreement.

“Immediately following the 2024 football season we informed Sullivan administration that we were committed to continuing the co-op and wanted to seek clarification so we could begin off-season football activities,” Inman said. “We were hopeful that the desire to continue our relationship would be reciprocated. We are disappointed in their decision to sever ties to a 20+ year relationship.”

Inman said Okaw Valley will be moving forward to find equal opportunities for its student-athletes and they will keep the community and students updated throughout the process.

Sullivan superintendent: Okaw Valley unable to meet threshold

Dr. Ted Walk, Sullivan Superintendent of Schools, cites the district’s reasoning in terminating the coop as Okaw Valley no longer being able to meet the participating threshold.

The participation threshold, which has been in place since 2015, states that Okaw Valley had to recruit 15% of its male student population to play football.

Since 2018, Okaw Valley has fallen below that threshold. In that first season, Okaw Valley only had six boys on the squad. Dr. Walk noted that both schools began efforts to increase participation, hoping the shortage would not last. Unfortunately, Okaw Valley remained unable to meet that threshold.

“During the next three agreements over the last six years, we chose to extend grace and continue working together even though the participation threshold was not met by Okaw Valley,” Dr. Walk said. “Concerns were consistently expressed by the Sullivan administration about participation rates. Though participation in the most recent two-year cycle was higher than the previous ones, it still did not meet requirements.”

“Over the past six years, there has been an average of 2.2 O(kaw) V(alley) athletes per grade participating,” cited a quote by Dr. Walk in the Moultrie County News-Progress. “Over the past eight years, there has been an average of 2.25 OV athletes per grade participating.”

Dr. Walk added that a review of the Junior Football League for Sullivan-Okaw Valley last year revealed zero players coming from Okaw Valley, compared to 30 from Sullivan.

That was ultimately the deciding factor, as Okaw Valley remained unable to meet the participation threshold once again. Dr. Walk said that there would not be an administrative recommendation to renew the agreement.

It is important to not forget that JFL players do not accurately translate to players continuing to high school football, as there are no indicators as to whether a youth football player will be able to participate in a sport that has a higher impact level.

It should also be noted that a few years ago, there nearly wasn’t a football program. In 2018, Okaw Valley sent six players. Had they not been there, there would have been no 2018 season.

As the team attained more success, Okaw Valley sent more players, which was a contributing factor to their conference title last season.

The real drive for the split?

The situation could come down to the participation threshold. However, there is a more likely reason for the split of the Sullivan-Okaw Valley coop split: classification size.

Ever since the coop started, both districts would have to submit their enrollments to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Per the combined size of Sullivan and Okaw Valley, they are classified as a Class 3A team per the IHSA’s guidelines. That makes them one of the smallest schools in the class. They’re also the only Class 3A school in the Lincoln Prairie Conference.

Eliminating Okaw Valley’s enrollment would reduce their classification to Class 2A, more in line with several teams in the Lincoln Prairie Conference.

Another motivator is their return to 2A could result in Sullivan becoming more competitive in the playoffs and advancing further.

Coop split applies to football only

Dr. Walk clarified that the termination of the coop agreement between Sullivan and Okaw Valley applies exclusively to football.

There are no known instances of Okaw Valley failing to meet participation thresholds in the cross-country and swimming programs. Dr. Walk indicated that there will be administrative recommendations to renew the coop agreements for those sports.

Dr. Walk, as well as Sullivan athletic director Rachel Rose and Inman, were unavailable for comment prior to publication.

Full transcript of releases

The full statements from each school can be read below:

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Jake Leonard

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.

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