Salem to Leave Apollo Conference

Salem High School is leaving the Apollo Conference.

Members of the Apollo Conference Executive Committee at an impromptu meeting in Mattoon earlier Tuesday, voted unanimously to allow Salem to leave after the 2016-17 school year, a year earlier than the conference bylaws require.

A source inside the conference who asked not to be identified publicly said Apollo officials would continue to look for an eighth member, and would consider a school that would join the Apollo for football only.

Conference athletic directors have been hard-pressed to find opponents for the middle part of the football season since most schools are involved in conference play at that point in their seasons.

The Apollo had just recently re-grown to eight schools with the addition of Lincoln following the addition of Mahomet-Seymour as a future member last year.

Salem is attempting to join the Cahokia Conference. Member schools include Columbia, Trenton Wesclin, Breese Central, Carlyle, Red Bud, Freeburg and Dupo. The addition of Salem would bring that conference to eight members.

In addition to Effingham and Salem, other current members of the Apollo Conference are Mattoon, Charleston, Mt. Zion and Taylorville.