Cape Ann League

Cape Ann League

Conference	Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association
Founded	1972
Sports fielded	24 men's: 12 women's: 11 coeducational: 1
Division	Division III & IV
No. of teams	12
Region	Massachusetts North Shore
Official website	https://www.mascores.com?l=cal

The Cape Ann League (CAL) is a high school athletic conference in District 5 of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. The league is based mainly on or around Cape Ann, a small cape on the North Shore of Massachusetts.

Member schools

The CAL has twelve member schools in northeastern Massachusetts. ^[1] The schools in the Cape Ann League are split into two divisions: Cape Ann Kinney and Cape Ann Baker.

The Kinney division incorporates the schools with six largest enrollment within the league and compete in Division 3 for football. The Baker division incorporates the schools with six smallest enrollment within the league and compete in Division 4 for football.

Current members

Institution	Location	Founded	Nickname	Enrollment (2024-25)
Kinney Division (Large)
Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School	Hathorne, Massachusetts	2014	Hawks	1,830
Lynnfield High School	Lynnfield, Massachusetts	1960	Pioneers	588
Newburyport High School	Newburyport, Massachusetts	1831	Clippers	743
North Reading High School	North Reading, Massachusetts	1955	Hornets	652
Pentucket Regional High School	West Newbury, Massachusetts	1954	Panthers	578
Triton Regional High School	Byfield, Massachusetts	1971	Vikings	538
Baker Division (Small)
Amesbury High School	Amesbury, Massachusetts	1882	Red Hawks	481
Georgetown Middle/High School	Georgetown, Massachusetts	—	Royals	268
Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School	South Hamilton, Massachusetts	1936	Generals	448
Ipswich High School	Ipswich, Massachusetts	1642	Tigers	447
Manchester Essex Regional High School	Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts	2000	Hornets	392
Rockport High School	Rockport, Massachusetts	1865	Vikings	221

Cape Ann League

7km
4.3miles

North Reading

Essex Tech

Rockport

Georgetown

Manchester Essex

Ipswich

Hamilton-Wenham

Amesbury

Lynnfield

Trition

Pentucket

Newburyport

   

Locations of Cape Ann League members, 2021-2022 Kinney (large) Division member Baker (small) Division member

Former members

Institution	Location	Founded	Nickname	Joined	Left	Current Conference
Wilmington High School	Wilmington, Massachusetts	—	Wildcats	1994	2011	Middlesex League
North Andover High School	North Andover, Massachusetts	—	Scarlet Knights	1971	2012	Merrimack Valley Conference
Saugus Middle/High School	Saugus, Massachusetts	1906	Sachems	2013	2014	Northeastern Conference
Masconomet Regional High School	Boxford, Massachusetts	1960	Chieftains		2020	Northeastern Conference

History

Longtime Secretary and Treasurer of the Cape Ann League, Dick Baker, steps down after 41 years with the Cape Ann League. Baker also spent 18 years with the Northeastern Conference. ^[2]

Beginning in the 2011-12 season, Wilmington High School moved to the Middlesex League along with Arlington High School moving from the Dual County League. ^[3]

Prior to the 2012-13 school year, North Andover High School left the Cape Ann League after forty years to join the Merrimack Valley Conference (MVC). ^[4]

On December 14, 2012, Saugus High School announced on their Twitter account that they would join the Cape Ann League, leaving the Northeastern Conference for more success in their school athletics. ^[5] On January 18, 2013, the move was approved by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. ^[6]

At the conclusion of Saugus High School's first season in the Cape Ann League, they requested to rejoin the Northeastern Conference due to geographic and traveling issues. ^[7] The rejoin was approved by both high school conferences allowing Saugus High School to return to the Northeastern Conference. All sports would play in the Northeastern Conference, with the exception of football which would become independent for the 2014 fall season. The Saugus Sachems football team would play opponents from both the Cape Ann League and Northeastern Conference. ^[8]

Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, Essex Tech became a member of the Cape Ann League after many years playing in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference. ^[9]

With the addition of Essex Tech becoming a member of the Kinney Division, Lynnfield High School moved to the Baker Division in the 2024-2025 school year. ^[10]

Sports

The Cape Ann League sponsors championship competition in twelve men's, eleven women's, and one coed MIAA sanctioned sports. ^[11]

Teams in CAL Conference competition

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	12	-
Basketball	12	11
Cross Country	11	11
Field hockey	-	12
Football	10	-
Golf	12	-
Gymnastics	-	2
Ice Hockey	7	-
Lacrosse	10	8
Soccer	12	12
Softball	-	12
Swimming & Diving	7
Tennis	10	11
Indoor Track & Field	11	11
Outdoor Track & Field	9	9
Volleyball	-	6
Wrestling	5	-

Coed sponsored sports by school

School	Swimming & Diving	Total CAL Sports
Amesbury	N	0
Essex Tech	N	0
Georgetown	N	0
Hamilton-Wenham	Y	1
Ipswich	Y	1
Lynnfield	Y	1
Manchester-Essex	Y	1
Newburyport	N	0
North Reading	Y	1
Pentucket	N	0
Rockport	N	0
Triton	Y	1
Totals	7	7

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Football	Golf	Ice Hockey	Lacrosse	Soccer	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Wrestling	Total CAL Sports
Amesbury	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	10
Essex Tech	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	11
Georgetown	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	9
Hamilton-Wenham	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	12
Ipswich	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	10
Lynnfield	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	12
Manchester Essex	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	9
Newburyport	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	11
North Reading	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	11
Pentucket	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	12
Rockport	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	5
Triton	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	12
Totals	12	12	11	11	12	7	10	12	10	11	9	5	122

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Field Hockey	Gymnastics	Lacrosse	Soccer	Softball	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Total CAL Sports
Amesbury	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	8
Essex Tech	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	10
Georgetown	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	9
Hamilton-Wenham	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Ipswich	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	10
Lynnfield	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Manchester-Essex	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	9
Newburyport	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	9
North Reading	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Pentucket	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Rockport	N	N	Y	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	3
Triton	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Totals	11	11	12	7	10	12	12	10	11	9	6	111

State Championships

This is a list of MIAA State championships won by schools while a part of the Mid-Wach league

Football

Source: ^[12]

Note: From 1972 to 2012, football state championships were separated by region, so there would be multiple champions from each division. From 1972 to 1977 and from 1997 to 2008, it was split between Eastern Mass and Central/Western Mass and there would be two champions in each division. From 1978 to 1996 and from 2009 to 2012 Central and Western Mass split so there would be three champions in each division. In 2013 everything was combined and therefore only allowed one state champion per division.

• Newburyport - 1975, 1976 D3 Eastern; 1995 D4B Eastern; 1997 D4A Eastern
• Ipswich - 1977 D3 Eastern; 1991, 1992 D4B Eastern; 2006 D3A Eastern
• Manchester-Essex - 1981, 1982 D5 Eastern; 1999 D6A Eastern; 2008 D4 Eastern
• North Andover - 1994 D4A Eastern
• Pentucket - 1999 D4A Eastern
• Georgetown - 2000 D6A Eastern
• Amesbury - 2008 D3A Eastern
• North Reading - 2022 D5

Cross Country

Source: ^[13]

Boys

• Newburyport - 2018 D2

Girls

• Newburyport - 1995, 1997, 2001 D2
• Hamilton-Wenham - 1999, 2000, 2008, 2013, 2014 D2

Field Hockey

Source: ^[14]

• Rockport - 1984 D2

Fall Volleyball

Source: ^[15]

• North Reading - 2007 D3
• Ipswich - 2021-2024 D4

Soccer

Source: ^[16]

Boys

• Masconomet - 1996, 2013 D2
• Newburyport - 2022 D3
• Lynnfield - 2023 D4

Girls

• Masconomet - 1989 D2
• Lynnfield - 2003, 2004 (co-champs with Sutton High School) D3
• Newburyport - 2007, 2008, 2013 D3
• Hamilton-Wenham - 2021 D4

Fall Golf

Source: ^[17]

• Lynnfield - 1999 D3
• Wilmington - 2000 D3
• Masconomet - 2011 D2

Basketball

Source: ^[18]

Boys

• North Andover - 1974, 1975 D2
• Lynnfield - 2000 D4
• Newburyport - 2000 D3
• Ipswich - 2005 D4
• Hamilton-Wenham - 2015 D4

Girls

• Ipswich - 1980 D3; 1995 D4
• Masconomet - 1996 D2
• Pentucket - 2012 D3; 2019 D2
• Amesbury - 2022 D4

Gymnastics

Source: ^[19]

• Masconomet - 2019

Ice Hockey

Source: ^[20]

Boys

• Lynnfield - 1996 D3
• Newburyport - 2009 D2

Indoor Track & Field

Source: ^[13]

Boys

• North Andover - 1977 Class B
• Hamilton-Wenham - 2009, 2010 D4
• Newburyport - 2011-2013, 2022 D4; 2014-2016 D5
• Amesbury - 2020 D5

Girls

• Ipswich - 2001, 2002 Class C

Baseball

Source: ^[21]

• North Reading - 1974 D1; 2012 D3
• Hamilton-Wenham - 1988 D2
• Pentucket - 1994 D3
• Amesbury - 1997 D3
• Masconomet - 2000, 2014 D2
• Georgetown - 2012 D4
• Manchester-Essex - 2019, 2022 D4

Softball

Source: ^[22]

• Hamilton-Wenham - 1980 D2
• Lynnfield - 1985 D3
• Amesbury - 1988, 1989, 1997, 2000 D3; 2022 D4
• North Reading - 1999, 2007 D3

Outdoor Track & Field

Source: ^[13]

Boys

• Newburyport - 2022 D4
• Pentucket - 2023 D5
• Amesbury - 2023 D6

Girls

• Newburyport - 2023 D4

Lacrosse

Source: ^[23]

Boys

• Ipswich - 2003, 2017 D3

Girls

• Newburyport - 2014 D2; 2023 D3

Tennis

Source: ^[24]

Boys

• Manchester-Essex - 1983, 1998 D2
• Hamilton-Wenham - 2009 D3

Girls

• Lynnfield - 1992, 1997-1999, D2; 2014 D3
• Manchester-Essex - 1993, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001 D2; 2011, 2013, 2018 D3
• Newburyport - 2022, 2023 D3
• Hamilton-Wenham - 2022, 2023 D4

References

1. "MIAA League Directory" (PDF). miaa.net. MIAA. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
2. Joshua Boyd (March 31, 2011). "Dick Baker steps down after 41 years with Cape Ann League, 18 with Northeastern Conference". Wicked Local Gloucester. pp. 1–2. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
3. Joe Haggerty. "Middlesex League adds Arlington and Wilmington to the league". HomeNewsHere.com. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
4. Mike Carraggi (June 30, 2011). "North Andover joining MVC after 40 years with Cape Ann". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
5. Brendan Hall (December 17, 2012). "Saugus officially moving to Cape Ann League". ESPN Boston. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
6. "Saugus High School on Twitter". January 18, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
7. Mike Gaffney (April 11, 2014). "Saugus High School return to Northeastern Conference proposed". Wicked Local. Saugus Advertiser. p. 1. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
8. Mike Gaffney. "Saugus returning to Northeastern Conference". Wicked Local. Saugus Advertiser. pp. 1–2. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
9. Writer, Nick Giannino | Staff. "Essex Tech athletics excited to make transition to Cape Ann League next year". Salem News. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
10. Gaudette, Kyle (January 30, 2025). "CAL Track Meet 5: Amesbury boys defend CAL Baker title; Port girls earn first Kinney in five years". CNHI News. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
11. "CAL Sports". MAScores.com. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
12. "Wayback Machine" (PDF). www.miaa.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
13. https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-track-cross-country.pdf
14. https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-11/fieldhockey-2024-state-finals-program.pdf
15. https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-04/miaa-state-champions-volleyball.pdf
16. https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-soccer.pdf
17. https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-10/2024-fall-golf-program.pdf
18. https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-04/miaa-state-champions-basketball.pdf
19. https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-04/miaa-state-champions-gymnastics.pdf
20. https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-ice-hockey_0.pdf
21. https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-baseball.pdf
22. https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-softball.pdf
23. https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-04/miaa-state-champions-lacrosse.pdf
24. https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-tennis.pdf