CHESTER — The Chester school board made it official Thursday night with a unanimous vote–the Yellow Jackets will be leaving the Black Diamond Conference and accepting an invitation to the Cahokia Conference.

School officials made their intentions to recommend the move to the board public late last month. Athletic director Jeremy Blechle told Section618.com the main reason for the move was travel.

Chester has been a member of the Black Diamond since 2010, when the Yellow Jackets left the SIRR Mississippi. The move to the Cahokia will reunite Chester with fellow Randolph County rival Sparta, who last week accepted an invitation to the Cahokia. Roxana, Okawville, and East Alton/Wood River had already accepted invitations as well.

By 2022-23 at the latest, the Cahokia Conference will be an 18-team conference, divided into three divisions. Roxana and EAWR will join Breese Central, Columbia, Freeburg and Salem in the large school division. Chester, Sparta, and Okawville will join Carlyle, Red Bud and Wesclin in the medium division. Dupo, Lebanon, Marissa, New Athens, Steeleville and Valmeyer will make up the small division. Dupo would switch with Okawville for football as none of the other small division teams play football.