Darren Kinnard/River Radio Sports Central
The recent break up of the Mississippi Valley Conference has led to changes to multiple other conferences. Up to this point, that list includes the Southwestern, Cahokia, and now the River to River.
Salem will leave the Mississippi division of the Cahokia Conference to become the sixth member of the SIRR Ohio starting in the 2026-27 school year. In football, the Wildcats will go into the schedule slot that is currently a non-conference game in weeks 4-8. Six members also means an automatic playoff bid for the conference champion.
In a statement, SIRR President Eric Kirkpatrick said, “We are excited to welcome the Salem Wildcats to the rich tradition of the Southern Illinois River to River Athletic Conference.”
The SIRR was formed in 1993 as a 12-team, two-division conference with Anna-Jonesboro, Chester, Du Quoin, Nashville, Pinckneyville, and Sparta on the Mississippi side and Benton, Harrisburg, Herrin, Massac County, Murphysboro, and West Frankfort on the Ohio side. In 2010, Chester and Carterville essentially traded places with the Yellow Jackets leaving for the Black Diamond and the Lions joining the Mississippi from the BDC.
It stayed that way until 2020 when Sparta left the for the Cahokia Conference leaving 11 teams in the SIRR. Then in 2023, Benton and West Frankfort switched to the Mississippi side with Carterville going to the Ohio side. The Ohio has been one team short since then.
This will be Salem’s fourth conference stop. The Wildcats were members of the North Egypt conference from 1929 until is broke up in 2003. Salem then joined the Apollo Conference in 2003, remaining there until leaving in 2017 to join the Cahokia.
Salem’s decision to leave the Cahokia comes on the heels of another conference expansion. Civic Memorial and Jersey have already approved leaving the Mississippi Valley Conference and move to the Cahokia with Waterloo expected to join as well. Waterloo has a board meeting set for Monday when a vote is expected.
Mascoutah and Triad left the MVC to join a new look Southwestern Conference that will now feature two divisions: Belleville East, Belleville West, East St. Louis, Edwardsville, and O’Fallon will be on one side, while Mascoutah and Triad will join with Alton, Collinsville, and Granite City on the other side.
The only remaining MVC team without a new home is Highland, who has been invited to join the South Seven, but has not made a decision yet.
