Schools exploring joining a difference conference. Conferences exploring adding new schools. Schools joining together to create new super conferences.

Thought we were referring to college football? Nope. Welcome to the world of high school athletics in 2016.

In certain states around the country, schools are doing the same conference shuffling that has been prevalent in the landscape of collegiate athletics over the last decade.

The motivations are the same. High schools, like colleges, are motivated by positioning themselves in the best possible situation for their athletes, coaches and fans.

As documented by the Daily Herald, one Illinois conference recently announced its intentions to expand by adding schools that presumably belong to other conferences right now.

"We think it is time to bring in some like-minded schools who have high academic standards as well as healthy sports and activity programs," said Metea Valley principal Darrell Echols, the president of the Dupage Valley Conference, in a written announcement, according to the Daily Herald.

The state’s governing body, the Illinois High School Association, organizes playoffs based on school classification size but does not have a hand in creating or governing conferences. In fact, Mount Carmel, an Illinois high school that sits on the state’s eastern border, belongs to a conference with Indiana teams, despite participating in the Illinois playoffs.

Mount Carmel moved to 9-0 on the season with a 49-18 victory over Mount Vernon on Friday night. It was only the third game Mount Carmel has played against a fellow Illinois school this season.

Some state governing bodies dictate school conferences (sometimes known as districts or regions) for all of their member institutions, meaning they divide up all schools into groupings, based on size and geography.

The process of creating leagues typically occurs on a two- or four-year cycle, to allow for changes to be made as schools grow and shrink.

Other states, like Illinois, are hands off with conference-building, allowing schools to form their own alignments. This provides schools a level of freedom and autonomy but forces them to find their own games, which has become an increasingly challenging task in recent years.

In New Jersey, 115 teams in the northern part of the state banded together this fall to form a new, super conference, in an attempt to allow schools the opportunity to play games against similar-sized opponents.

The entire process—from idea to implementation—was done by the schools, and specifically, the athletic directors involved.

“We see this as a huge solution to a decades-long issue,” said River Dell (Oradell, N.J.) athletic director Denis Nelson told NJ.com at the time. “Now, this could be a decades-long solution.”

Conference shuffling is just another example of high schools resembling colleges when it comes to athletics.

Ingram invades Oklahoma

U.S. National Teams manager Aaron Ingram visited Locust Grove (Okla.) on Friday night to recognize a head coach for one of 2017 U.S. National Teams.

Ingram was present for Locust Grove’s game against Inola to present head coach Matt Hennesy with a U.S. National Team helmet.

Hennesy will coach the U.S Under-18 National Team against Canada this January in the North American Championship in Orlando.

After leading Locust Grove to a 12-1 season in 2015, Hennesy served as the defensive coordinator of the U.S. National Team in the IFAF Under-19 World Championship in Harbin, China this past summer.

 

We are excited to announce @matthennesy of Locust Grove HS in Oklahoma will be the Head Coach of our U-18 National Team! #EarnYourStars pic.twitter.com/LhKnzizCM9

— U.S. National Team (@USNFT) October 22, 2016

 

Mater Dei holds off St. John Bosco

The Game of the Year in California took place last night as undefeated Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 4 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Rankings, took on St. John Bosco at Cerritos College.

Mater Dei came from behind to remain unbeaten and snap a six-game losing streak to St. John Bosco, coming away with a 26-21 win.

Entering the game, it was sophomore quarterback J.T. Daniels who garnered most of the attention for Mater Dei. It was warranted, as Daniels came into last night with more touchdowns (40) than incomplete passes (38) on the season.

However, it was Mater Dei’s play in the trenches—as well as some key special teams plays—that boosted the team to victory.

“Our defensive and offensive lines won the game for us,” Mater Dei head coach Bruce Rollinson told the Los Angeles Times.

The win cemented Mater Dei’s place atop the California high school football scene, a spot it hasn’t held since the days when former Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart suited up for the Monarchs.

Though he had an off night, Daniels is a big reason why Mater Dei is back on top. He’s pacing ahead of Leinart and fellow Mater Dei alum Matt Barkley and, if he stays healthy, will likely shatter school passing records.

There’s buzz that Daniels could be the best quarterback in the country, bar none. Given that he’s merely a tenth grader, that’s a mindboggling notion.

Homecoming for USC quarterback

What did USC signal-caller Sam Darnold do during the Trojans’ bye week?

He headed home, to San Clemente where he served as the team’s honorary team captain in its game against San Juan Hills.

Darnold, a redshirt freshman at USC, emerged as the starting quarterback earlier this season, ahead of former five-star recruit Max Browne.

After playing in just 12 total games during his sophomore and junior season at San Clemente, he exploded as a senior, throwing for 2,985 yards and 39 touchdowns while rushing for another 13 scores, earning a scholarship to USC in the process.

Though he now holds the reins to one of the country’s most talented offenses, Darnold took time out Friday to pay homage to his high school roots.

 

Sam Darnold will be our honorary captain at our homecoming game! Being a Triton is a not a 4 year decision, it is a lifetime decision! #USC pic.twitter.com/e7QFO7WKXt

— Triton Football (@Tritonfootball) October 16, 2016

 

With Darnold on the sidelines, San Clemente won 35-20.

Winning, sans passing

It seems as if teams pass more than ever before across all levels of football, high school included.

But it was not all that long ago running dominated the prep landscape.

Matt Wixon of the Dallas Morning News recalled the 1996 Lewisville team that captured the Texas Class 5A-I state title without throwing a single pass in the state finals.

That’s because the team averaged over 10 yards per carry.

Teams that operate with such precision in the ground game often require incredible cohesiveness, a trait that Lewisville seemed to possess in spades.

"We weren't the most talented group around," quarterback Michael Odle told the Dallas Morning News, "but we played for each other. It was like a family."

It was a recipe that Bellevue (Wash.) would follow eight years later when it ended the 151-game winning streak of De La Salle (Concord, Calif.). Bellevue rushed for 325 yards in a 39-20 victory in front of a crowd of nearly 25,000 fans.

So while many teams are switching to pass-happy offenses, the Lewisvilles and the Bellevues of the high school football world are reminders that there’s still a place for running the ball in high school football.

Giant shoes to fill

It’s not easy for any second-string quarterback to step up and take the place of an injured starter.

But West Shuler is in an especially daunting position.

Shuler is stepping into the starting role for Christian Academy of Knoxville (Tenn.) after starter Cole Smith injured his shoulder a week ago.

Smith happens to be the all-time leading passer in Tennessee, having thrown for over 11,000 yards.

However, Christian Academy of Knoxville (CAK) head coach Travis Mozingo has full confidence in Shuler.

“West is a kid who has been a quarterback coming through all this," Mozingo told the Knoxville News Sentinel. "He’s got a little bit of a pedigree there. He’s been trained. He’s about as level headed of a kid as I’ve been around. We’re going to get him started. We’re confident in him.”

Early returns seem promising, as CAK beat McMinn Central 42-27 on Friday night.

Remember Gus Malzahn’s high school days

Long before he became Auburn’s head coach, Gus Malzahn was an innovative head coach at Shiloh Christian (Springdale, Ark.).

His quarterback there was Josh Floyd, current head coach for Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.). Last night, Floyd led Hewitt-Trussville to a 22-21 victory over James Clemens, moving the team’s record to 10-0 this season.

WIAT-42 in Alabama looked back on the Malzahn-Floyd duo during their time at Shiloh Christian.

 

.@HewittAthletics Josh Floyd & @CoachGusMalzahn were once one of the most feared Coach/QB duo's in high school football #HuskyFast #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/CKk3mFLg1E

— Chris Renkel (@Chris_Renkel) October 22, 2016

 

Quotable

“He's a little faster than I thought he was. But with his frame, they know they can put some weight on him. He's always been very aggressive. He likes contact and loves playing football.” —Davenport (Okla.) head coach John Greenfield on senior Cade Harelson. Harelson, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound tight end/defensive end, is looking to make the extremely rare transition from eight-man football to Division I football. Harelson, who runs a 4.63 40-yard dash, has offers from Wyoming and Air Force. Davenport beat Depew 58-20 on Friday night.