Midwest Athletic Conference (IHSAA)

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Location of Midwest members in Indiana Indiana (MAC).png
Location of Midwest members in Indiana

The Midwest Athletic Conference is a high school athletic conference in northwestern Indiana, which has existed in two different incarnations, with a third planned to form in 2018. The original conference began in 1932, consisting of schools that were larger than most of their counterparts in their local county leagues. [1] The schools were based in Benton, Fountain, Jasper, Newton, Tippecanoe, Warren, and White counties. The forming of the Kankakee Valley Conference the next year caused a slight fluctuation over the next couple of years, as schools realigned themselves within the two leagues, with some schools claiming dual membership. [2] The league folded in 1947, as size disparities and willingness to sponsor some sports (such as football, some schools played 11-man or 8-man football, and others didn't sponsor the sport) led to schools going their separate ways.

Contents

The second incarnation of the conference began in 1955 with eight schools located in Benton, Carroll, Cass, Newton, and White counties, with largely different members than its first lineup. [3] The MAC had a tumultuous history of membership turnover for much of its history, but had stabilized at 10 members with West Central and Winamac joining in 1980 and 1981, respectively. The only changes over the next 34 years were Rossville and Carroll joining the Hoosier Heartland Conference in 1989 and 1992, respectively, leaving a stable 8 school membership for more than two decades. In 2013, Caston, Pioneer, and Winamac announced that they were leaving the Conference to join with 2 other schools from the Northern State Conference as well as Independent North Judson for the 2015–2016 school year. This touched off an exodus that ended the conference, as West Central joined Caston, Pioneer, and Winamac in the Hoosier North Athletic Conference, while Frontier and Tri-County joined the Hoosier Heartland Conference. South Newton joined the Sangamon Valley Conference of Illinois. [4] North White was the only school that had not been accepted to another conference immediately, though they were accepted as a football-only member of the Hoosier Heartland. The Conference reformed in 2017, with six former schools rejoining. [5]

Membership

SchoolLocationMascotColors# / CountyEnrollment
24-25
Class
FB Class
Year joinedPrevious conference
DeMotte Christian DeMotte Knights   37
Jasper
1191A
N/A
2023Independents
Faith
Christian
Lafayette Eagles   79
Tippecanoe
2691A
1A
2023Independents
Frontier 1 Chalmers Falcons    91
White
1801A
1A
1965
2018
none (new school)
Hoosier Heartland
North Newton 2 Morocco Spartans   56
Newton
3191A
1A
1967
2018
Greater South Shore
Independents
North
White
3
Monon Vikings    91
White
2641A
1A
1963
2018
none (new school)
Independents
South
Newton
4
Kentland Rebels    56
Newton
2411A
1A
1966
2018
none (new school)
Sangamon Valley (IL)
Tri-County 1 Wolcott Cavaliers    91
White
2201A
1A
1971
2018
none (new school)
Hoosier Heartland
West
Central
5
Francesville Trojans    66
Pulaski
2091A
1A
1967
1980
2018
none (new school)
Northwest Hoosier
Hoosier North
  1. Played in the Hoosier Heartland Conference 2015–18.
  2. Played in the NWHC 1975–98, as an Independent 1998-2007 and 2017–18, and in the GSSC 2007–17.
  3. Played as an Independent (football played in Hoosier Heartland) 2015–18.
  4. Played in the Sangamon Valley Conference (IL) 2015–18.
  5. Played 1975–80 in the NWHC, and 2015–19 in the HNAC, playing 2018–19 in both conferences.

Former members

SchoolLocationMascotColors# / CountyYear joinedPrevious conferenceYear leftConference joined
Attica Attica Red Ramblers   23
Fountain
1932 Fountain County 1947 Hoosier
Brook 1 Brook Aces    56
Newton
1932
1955
Newton County
Kankakee Valley
1947
1966
Kankakee Valley
none (consolidated
into South Newton)
Fowler 2 Fowler Bulldogs   04
Benton
1932
1955
Benton County
Benton County
1947
1968
Benton County
none (consolidated
into Benton Central)
Kentland 1 Kentland Blue Devils    56
Newton
1932
1955
Newton County
Kankakee Valley
1947
1966
Kankakee Valley
none (consolidated
into South Newton)
Monticello Monticello Tioga Indians   91
White
1932 White County 1945 Central Indiana
Morocco 1 Morocco Beavers   56
Newton
1932 Newton County 1947 Kankakee Valley
Pine Village 3 Pine Village Pine Knots   86
Warren
1932 Warren County 1947 Warren County
Remington Remington Rifles   37
Jasper
1932
1967
Jasper County
Prairie
1933
1971
Kankakee Valley
none (consolidated
into Tri-County)
Rensselaer
Central
4
Rensselaer Bombers   37
Jasper
1932 Jasper County 1947 Hoosier
Veedersburg 5 Veedersburg Green Devils   23
Fountain
1932 Fountain County 1947 Fountain County
West Lafayette West Lafayette Red Devils   79
Tippecanoe
1932Independents1947 Hoosier
Williamsport 3 Williamsport Bingy Bombers   86
Warren
1932 Warren County 1947 Warren County
Oxford 6 Oxford Blue Devils   04
Benton
1933 Benton County 1947 Benton County
West Lebanon West Lebanon Clippers   86
Warren
1934 Warren County 1947 Warren County
Brookston Brookston Bombers    91
White
1955 White County 1965none (consolidated
into Frontier)
Camden Camden Red Devils   08
Carroll
1955 Carroll County 1965none (consolidated
into Delphi
Monon Monon Railroaders   91
White
1955 Kankakee Valley 1963none (consolidated
into North White)
Royal Center Royal Center Bulldogs    09
Cass
1955 Cass County 1963none (consolidated
into Royal Center)
Wolcott Wolcott Wildcats    91
White
1955 White County 1971none (consolidated
into Tri-County)
Francesville Francesville Zebras    66
Pulaski
1957 Tippecanoe Valley 1965none (consolidated
into West Central)
Klondike West Lafayette Nuggets    79
Tippecanoe
1961 Tippecanoe County 1970none (consolidated
into Harrison)
Pioneer Royal Center Panthers    09
Cass
1963none (new school)2015 Hoosier North
DeMotte DeMotte Indians   37
Jasper
1967 Kankakee Valley 1970none (consolidated
into Kankakee Valley)
Wheatfield Wheatfield Red Devils   37
Jasper
1967 Kankakee Valley 1970none (consolidated
into Kankakee Valley)
Kankakee
Valley
Wheatfield Kougars   37
Jasper
1970none (new school)1972 Northwest Hoosier
Carroll Flora Cougars   08
Carroll
1977 Hoosier 1992 Hoosier Heartland
Rossville Rossville Hornets   12
Clinton
1977 Hoosier 1989 Hoosier Heartland
Caston Fulton Comets    25
Fulton
1978 Three Rivers 2015 Hoosier North
Winamac
Community
Winamac Warriors   66
Pulaski
1981 Northwest Hoosier 2015 Hoosier North
  1. Concurrently played in MAC and NCC 1932–33, and in MAC and KVC 1933–47.
  2. Concurrently played in MAC and BCC 1932–47.
  3. Concurrently played in MAC and WCC 1932–34.
  4. Known as Rensselaer before 1939.
  5. Concurrently played in MAC and FCAA 1932–47.
  6. Concurrently played in MAC and BCC 1933–47.

Membership timeline

Winamac Community High SchoolCaston High SchoolRossville High School (Rossville, Indiana)Carroll High School (Flora, Indiana)Tri-County High SchoolKankakee Valley High SchoolWest Central High School (Indiana)North Newton Junior-Senior High SchoolKankakee Valley High SchoolSouth Newton High SchoolFrontier High School (Indiana)Pioneer Regional High SchoolNorth White High SchoolWilliam Henry Harrison High School (Tippecano, Indiana)West Central High School (Indiana)Tri-County High SchoolPioneer Regional High SchoolNorth White High SchoolDelphi Community High SchoolFrontier High School (Indiana)Seeger Memorial Junior-Senior High SchoolBenton Central Junior-Senior High SchoolSeeger Memorial Junior-Senior High SchoolWest Lafayette Junior-Senior High SchoolFountain Central High SchoolRensselaer Central High SchoolTri-County High SchoolSeeger Memorial Junior-Senior High SchoolNorth Newton Junior-Senior High SchoolTwin Lakes High SchoolSouth Newton High SchoolBenton Central Junior-Senior High SchoolSouth Newton High SchoolAttica Junior-Senior High SchoolMidwest Athletic Conference (IHSAA)

State Champs

North White High School

Pioneer High School

•Football (A) 2017

•Football (A) 2018

Tri-County High School

Faith Christian

References

  1. "Monticello is trailing a new conference in the northwest section of Indiana". Delphi Journal (Delphi, IN). January 5, 1933. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  2. "Free Throws". Logansport Pharos-Tribune (Logansport, IN). January 30, 1934. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  3. "High Schools in Area Organize Midwest Conference". Logansport Pharos Tribune. January 25, 1955. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  4. "South Newton Joining Illinois Conference". Newton County Times. January 28, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  5. Hettinger, Paul. ""West Central Leaving HNAC"". Pulaski County Journal, Winamac, IN. Retrieved September 30, 2016.

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