David L. Riley Kickoff

Kickoff tournaments use IHSSBCA rules. Please read our IHSSBCA Tournament Policies and our guidelines for coaches, players, game officials, and tournament hosts.

IHSSBCA regular season tournaments are only open to teams with an IHSSBCA member coach. Visit the membership page or our online shop to become an IHSSBCA member.

Contact host coaches to register. Download the Kickoff registration form if you need a form for billing.

Submitting a registration form does not guarantee entry into any tournament site. Some sites may have capacity limits or other restrictions on registration. Contact your prospective tournament host to confirm your registration.

Sites

The annual Kickoff tournaments were held on November 23, 2024 at the following sites:

Auburn (Rockford) site: contact Nevagay Abel
Bolingbrook site: contact Stacey Gaetano
Centennial (Champaign) site: contact Andrew Cheun
Evanston site: contact Terry Gatchell
Fairfield site: contact Tammy Austin
Galesburg site: contact Eric Spindler
Homewood-Flossmoor site: contact Michael Sacks
Mattoon site: contact Brendan Aydt
Palestine site: contact Tim Riley
Riverton site: contact Erin Slightom
Southwestern (Piasa) site: contact Matt Hasquin

Contact Kickoff Coordinator Erin Limestall if you would like to host a Kickoff tournament or if you have questions.

What are Kickoffs?

Kickoff tournaments are high school scholastic bowl tournaments that are held across the state in late November. Kickoffs are held at multiple schools across the state on the same day, giving many teams the opportunity to play. There are no entry restrictions for teams playing Kickoffs. These full-day tournaments are sponsored by the IHSSBCA, and each school must have an affiliated IHSSBCA member to register.

In 2016, the IHSSBCA Kickoff Tournaments were renamed in honor of Coach David Riley of Loyola (Wilmette), who passed away in 2015. David was a Chair of the IHSSBCA, a frequent moderator at tournament host, a mentor to uncounted Illinois players and coaches, and a longtime supporter of the community.

Contact Kickoff Coordinator Erin Limestall with questions, or if you’re interested in hosting a Kickoff tournament.

Qualification

The top 15% of teams at each site, rounded up, will qualify for the High School National Championship Tournament. Teams from schools that meet NAQT’s definition of a small school and finish sufficiently well will qualify for NAQT’s Small School National Championship.

Fees

The entry fee is $65 per team. Schools are expected to bring a working buzzer system and a staffer for the tournament. Contact your tournament host if you are unable to bring a buzzer or staffer. Every school must have a current IHSSBCA member to register for a Kickoff; if you are not a member, you must join to enter a team or teams. Please be aware that each tournament site will have its own limit on the number of teams it can accommodate, and therefore, turning in a registration form does not guarantee you a spot in a tournament.

Question Source

All Kickoff sites will use an NAQT Invitational Series set.