Pocket Athletic Conference

Last updated
Pocket Athletic Conference
Founded1938
No. of teams8 Class 3A, 4 Class 2A, and 1 Class A
Region8 Counties: Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, and Warrick, Indiana
Locations
Indiana (PAC) (2021).png PAC's now current configuration as of 2020-21 season. The Yellow Squares are Large School Division Members, The White Squares are the Small School Division members.

The Pocket Athletic Conference (PAC) is a high school athletic conference in Southwestern Indiana with its headquarters at Forest Park. It is the largest athletic conference in the state of Indiana with 13 member schools. [1] The conference is composed primarily of Class 3A schools, with a few 2A and one 1A. Schools are currently located in Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, and Warrick counties.

Contents

History

The Pocket Athletic Conference was established in 1938 with nine founding schools: Cannelton, Chrisney, Lynnville, Mount Vernon, Owensville, Petersburg, Poseyville, Rockport, and Tell City. Seven of the nine original schools remain members in some form today. Cannelton left in 1971 and is now an independent. Mount Vernon left in 1959 to join the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference then a member of the Big Eight Conference before returning to the conference in 2020. With the exception of Washington and Pike Central, all members are located within counties along the western end of the Interstate 64 corridor within Indiana.

The first current member appeared in 1958 when Poseyville consolidated with Cynthiana, Griffin, and Wadesville to form North Posey. Rockport merged with Richland in 1965 to form South Spencer. Elberfeld merged with former member Lynnville in 1965 to form Tecumseh. Also in 1965, Oakland City and Francisco, both of which joined the PAC in 1939, joined to become Wood Memorial. Dale, which had joined in 1939, joined with another former member, Chrisney, to form Heritage Hills in 1972. Huntingburg joined the PAC in 1970 from the SIAC and in 1972 consolidated with Holland to become Southridge. In 1974, Owensville consolidated with Fort Branch and Haubstadt into Gibson Southern. Both Fort Branch and Owensville were members of the PAC at the time. Haubstadt was also briefly a member of the PAC. That same year Petersburg joined with Winslow, Otwell, and Stendal to form Pike Central.

Approximate location of the PAC schools and former schools prior to 2020. Abbreviations are as follows: CHS: Cannelton FPHS: Forest Park GSHS: Gibson Southern HHHS:Heritage Hills MVHS Mount Vernon NPHS:North Posey PCHS: Pike Central SHS:Southridge SSHS: South Spencer THS: Tecumseh TCHS: Tell City WMHS: Wood Memorial PAC Closeup.png
Approximate location of the PAC schools and former schools prior to 2020. Abbreviations are as follows:
CHS: Cannelton FPHS: Forest Park GSHS: Gibson Southern
HHHS:Heritage Hills MVHS Mount Vernon
NPHS:North Posey PCHS: Pike Central SHS:Southridge
SSHS: South Spencer THS: Tecumseh TCHS: Tell City
WMHS: Wood Memorial

Gibson Southern left the PAC in 1979 when the Big Eight Conference was formed, only to return in 1994. In 2000, Wood Memorial left the PAC and is now a member of the Blue Chip Conference. Tell City, which had left in 1953, rejoined in 2001, also came back from the Big Eight Conference but also from the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference. In 2007, Forest Park, located in Ferdinand, officially joined the PAC from the Blue Chip Conference increasing the number of members back to the original nine.

The conference expanded to thirteen members in 2020, as they accepted former members Boonville and Mount Vernon, as well as Princeton, whose component school, Mount Olympus, was a member from 1939 to 1965, and complete newcomer Washington, all from the now extinct Big Eight Conference. In all, the PAC will inherit six of the original Big Eight members with the other two joining the SIAC. [2]

Football Divisions

With 13 teams in the conference, it is not possible for all football teams to play one another (9 game season). Thus, the PAC is split into two divisions for football only. [3]

Large SchoolSmall School
BoonvilleForest Park
Gibson SouthernNorth Posey
Heritage HillsPike Central
Mount VernonSouthridge
PrincetonSouth Spencer
WashingtonTecumseh
Tell City

PAC Titles, since 2020 expansion [4]

School YearBaseballBasketballFootball-LgFootball-SmSoftballBasketball-GVolleyball
2020/21North PoseyHeritage HillsGibson SouthernSouthridgeGS / NPWashingtonTecumseh
2021/22Forest ParkSouth SpencerGibson SouthernNorth PoseyNorth PoseyWashingtonTecumseh
2022/23SouthridgeSouth SpencerGibson SouthernSouthridgeNorth PoseyForest ParkTecumseh
2023/24North PoseyHH/ PrincetonGibson SouthernNorth PoseyGibson SouthernGibson SouthernTecumseh

Basketball

Forest Park, Southridge and Tecumseh have four state titles in both boys and girls basketball. Forest Park and Gibson Southern add three more state runner-up titles and a girls state title to the pool to make seven appearances at the state finals, not counting Tecumseh's appearance in the Tournament of Champions. Forest Park, Gibson Southern, North Posey, Southridge, and Tecumseh have all been ranked within the last eight years in either girls or boys basketball, sometimes both. In 1999, Tecumseh lost by six points in the experimental "Tournament of Champions" to the 4A State Champion, Indianapolis' North Central. Tecumseh was the 1A State Champion. Boonville and Washington bring additional strength on the conference's basketball schedule as well as two more of the state's largest gymnasiums.

Baseball and Softball

The Pocket Athletic Conference has been exceptionally strong in baseball and softball in the last 20 years. Both South Spencer and Gibson Southern won the softball state title in their respective classes in 2015. Forest Park also won the title in 2001. North Posey ('05, '06) and South Spencer ('07, '13, '15) have won state titles in baseball. As a result, South Spencer, a AA school, plays in the AAA tournament, and Gibson Southern, a AAA school, plays in the AAAA tournament, where the Titans have made consecutive appearances at the AAAA Semi-State match, preventing their return to AAA. In 2022, Gibson Southern returned to class AAA, following two seasons losing at the regional level. Likewise Tecumseh, having moved up to class AA after a state title and semi state appearance, has advanced to the AA Semi-State joining Gibson Southern in playing in a Semi State in a higher class only after beating conference rival Southridge in the regional. Southridge will also move up into AAA from AA in baseball after back-to-back State Runner-up titles.

Football

The Pocket Athletic Conference has a long history of being a periodic powerhouse in football with several members having state titles or runner-ups. Since 2000, the PAC has been represented in the football state finals ten times. The three schools that have represented the PAC recently are Heritage Hills (2000 3A State Champs, and 2004 and 2023 3A Runner-up), Southridge (2002 and 2006 2A Runner-up and again in 2018 and 2019) and North Posey (2005 and 2023 2A Runner-up) and Gibson Southern (2021 State Champs). Heritage Hills was the dominant force in the conference, winning the conference from 1996 to 2008 and winning the AAA state title in 2000 but have three runner up titles as well. Southridge added a title in AA in 2017 while Gibson Southern added another AAA title in 2021, but Southridge adds a total of 3 more runner up titles in AA while North Posey adds another pair, all within the last 25 years. The oldest state appearance as a member belongs to South Spencer, occurring in 1986. Tell City, while having an appearance just two years earlier, was a member of the Big Eight Conference at the time, before its return. Both were runner-ups and both were in AA. Pocket members Gibson Southern, Heritage Hills, Forest Park, North Posey, and Southridge have either periodically or regularly ranked in the top ten in the last 10 years and the conference title has been considerably less predictable in the last ten years, even with the divisions.

In the last ten years, 32 Pocket Athletic Conference teams have represented their school and the conference in state championship games.

Member schools

Current members (13)

School
School Corp.		MascotColorsLocationCountyGym
Size		EnrollmentDivisionOther
Sports		FootballSoccerSoftball4Baseball4Girl's Basketball4Year
Joined		Previous
Conference
Boonville
Warrick County 		Pioneers   Boonville 87
Warrick 		5,650919LargeAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA1939 3
2020		 Big Eight
SIAC
PAC
Forest
Park
Southeast Dubois 		Rangers  
 		 Ferdinand 19
Dubois 		3,500446SmallAAAAAAAAAAA2007 Blue
Chip
Gibson
Southern
South Gibson 		Titans  
  		 Fort
Branch 		26
Gibson 		3,870708LargeAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA71974 1
1994		new school
Big Eight
Heritage
Hills
N. Spencer 		Patriots  
 		 Lincoln
City 		74
Spencer 		2,800619LargeAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA1972none
(new school)
Mount
Vernon
MSD Mount Vernon 		Wildcats   Mount
Vernon 		65
Posey 		3,200728LargeAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA1938 3
2020		 Big Eight
SIAC
PAC
North
Posey
MSD North Posey 		Vikings  
 		 Poseyville 65
Posey 		2,000504SmallAAAAAAAAAAA1958none
(new school)
Pike
Central
Pike County 		Chargers  
 		 Petersburg 63
Pike 		3,200630SmallAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA1974none
(new school)
Princeton
Community
North Gibson 		Tigers    Princeton 26
Gibson 		3,210628LargeAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA2020 Big Eight
SIAC
Southridge
Southwest
Dubois 		Raiders  
 		 Huntingburg 19
Dubois 		6,092538SmallAAAAAAAAAAAAA1972none
(new school)
South
Spencer
S. Spencer 		Rebels  
 		 Rockport 74
Spencer 		3,500422SmallAAAAAAAAAAAA51965none
(new school)
Tecumseh
Warrick
County 		Braves  
 		 Lynnville 87
Warrick 		2,600259SmallAA2AAA6AA1965none
(new school)
Tell City 3
Tell City /
Troy Twp. 		Marksmen 
 		 Tell
City 		62
Perry 		3,487424SmallAAAAAAAAAAA1938
2001		Independents
SIAC
Big Eight
Washington
Washington Community 		Hatchets   Washington 14
Daviess 		7,090710LargeAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA2020 Big Eight
SIAC
  1. Gibson Southern competed in the Big Eight Conference from 1980 to 1994 before rejoining the PAC.
  2. Tecumseh is a 1A independent school in football.
  3. Tell City played in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference from 1953 to 1980, then played in the Big Eight Conference 1980–2001 before rejoining.
    Boonville and Mount Vernon were also earlier members who left to join the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference. They were joined with Gibson Southern and Tell City to form the Big Eight Conference but returned in 2020 after the breakup of the conference.
  4. Sports in which a member is currently competing in a class above their enrollment due to the IHSAA's Tournament Success Factor.
  5. South Spencer advances to AAA for 2 years in Baseball also because of the IHSAA's Tournament Success Factor. [5]
  6. Tecumseh advanced to AA also due to the IHSAA's Tournament Success Factor
  7. In 2025, Gibson Southern will compete in AAAA for the next two years after two consecutive seasons at semi-state and a state championship in AAA.

Former members

School
School Corp.		MascotColorsLocationCountyYear
Joined		Previous
Conference		Year
Left		Conference
Joined
Cannelton 1
Cannelton Comm. Schools		Bulldogs    Cannelton 62
Perry 		1938 Perry County 1971 Southern Roads
(BRC 1974)
Chrisney 2
North Spencer		Wildcats   Chrisney 74
Spencer 		1938 Spencer County 1959 Patoka Valley
Lynnville 3
Warrick County 		Lyndis   Lynnville 87
Warrick 		1938 Warrick County 1959 Patoka Valley
Owensville 5
South Gibson 		Kickapoos   Owensville 26
Gibson 		1938 Gibson County 1974none (consolidated into
Gibson Southern)
Petersburg 6
Pike County		Indians   Petersburg 63
Pike 		1938 Pike County 1974none (consolidated into
Pike Central)
Poseyville 4
M.S.D. North Posey		Posies   Poseyville 65
Posey 		1938 Posey County 1958none (consolidated into
North Posey)
Rockport 2
South Spencer		Zebras   Rockport 74
Spencer 		1938 Spencer County 1965none (consolidated into
South Spencer)
Dale 2
North Spencer		Golden Aces   Dale 74
Spencer 		1939 Spencer County 1972none (consolidated into
Heritage Hills)
Fort Branch 5
South Gibson 		Twigs   Fort Branch 26
Gibson 		1939 Gibson County 1974none (consolidated into
Gibson Southern)
Francisco 5
East Gibson 		Owls   Francisco 26
Gibson 		1939 Gibson County 1965none (consolidated into
Wood Memorial)
Mount Olympus 5
North Gibson 		Mountaineers   Mount Olympus 26
Gibson 		1939 Gibson County 1965none (consolidated into
Princeton)
Oakland City 5
East Gibson		Acorns   Oakland City 26
Gibson 		1939 Gibson County 1965none (consolidated into
Wood Memorial)
Winslow 6
Pike County		Eskimos   Winslow 63
Pike 		1939 Pike County 1940 Pike County
Wood Memorial
East Gibson 		Trojans    Oakland
City 		26
Gibson 		1965none (new school)2000 Blue Chip
Huntingburg
Southwest Dubois		Happy Hunters   Huntingburg 19
Dubois 		1970 Southern Indiana 1972none (consolidated into
Southridge)
Haubstadt
South Gibson 		Elites   Haubstadt 26
Gibson 		1972Independents
(GCC 1965)		1974none (consolidated into
Gibson Southern)
  1. Concurrent with Perry CC 1938-62.
  2. Concurrent with Spencer CC: Chrisney 1938-59; Rockport 1938-65; Dale 1939-65.
  3. Concurrent with Warrick CC: Tecumseh 1938-59; Boonville 1939-41.
  4. Concurrent with Posey CC: Mount Vernon 1938-49; Poseyville 1938-58.
  5. Concurrent with Gibson CC: Owensville 1938-49; Fort Branch, Francisco, Mount Olympus, Oakland City 1939-49.
  6. Concurrent with Pike CC Petersburg 1938-49; Winslow 1939-40
  1. As of 2012-13, Princeton plays in a new 5,200 seat gym which replaced the aging 3,000 seat old gym which is still occasionally used for tourneys as of 2016.

Membership timeline

Washington High School (Washington, Indiana)Forest Park High School (Indiana)Pike Central High SchoolGibson Southern High SchoolSouthridge High School (Huntingburg, Indiana)Heritage Hills High SchoolHaubstadt High SchoolSouthridge High School (Huntingburg, Indiana)Waldo J. Wood Memorial Jr/Sr High SchoolTecumseh High School (Indiana)South Spencer High SchoolNorth Posey High SchoolPike Central High SchoolWaldo J. Wood Memorial Jr/Sr High SchoolPrinceton Community High SchoolPrinceton Community High SchoolWaldo J. Wood Memorial Jr/Sr High SchoolFort Branch High SchoolHeritage Hills High SchoolBoonville High SchoolTell City High SchoolSouth Spencer High SchoolNorth Posey High SchoolPike Central High SchoolOwensville High SchoolMount Vernon High School (Mount Vernon, Indiana)Tecumseh High School (Indiana)Heritage Hills High SchoolCannelton High SchoolPocket Athletic Conference
BoysState TitlesRunner-UpRegionalSectionalGirlsState TitlesRunner-UpRegionalSectional
Archery0000Archery0000
Basketball3318119Softball461339
Baseball612069Basketball121150
Football 12272636Cross Country00
Cross Country00725Golf00
Golf0004Soccer0117
Soccer0003Swimming00No Regional
Swimming00No Regional3Tennis00
Tennis00116Track & Field00
Track & Field00018Volleyball00
Wrestling00014Wrestling0000
Total101071307Total482596
Conference
Total		141796403

1From 2008 to 2022 Tecumseh played football as an independent but is now participating in PAC for all sports.

22 State Titles, however Tell City's football title was won under the Big Eight Conference.

State championships

Boonville Pioneers (2)

Forest Park Rangers (5)

Gibson Southern Titans (5)

Heritage Hills Patriots (1)

Mount Vernon Wildcats (0)

North Posey Vikings (3)

Pike Central Chargers (0)

Princeton Community Tigers (2)

Southridge Raiders (3)

South Spencer Rebels (5)

Tecumseh Braves (8)

Tell City Marksmen (0)

Washington Hatchets (9)

Former Member State Titles

Cannelton Bulldogs (0)

Wood Memorial Trojans (1)

State Runner-Up Titles

Forest Park Rangers (4)

Gibson Southern Titans (6)

Heritage Hills Patriots (3)

North Posey Vikings (4)

Pike Central Chargers (1)

Southridge Raiders (6)

South Spencer Rebels (2)

Tecumseh Braves (10)

Tell City Marksmen (1)

1Occurred when Forest Park was a member of the Blue Chip Conference.

2Occurred as a member of the Big Eight Conference.

News and facts

Alumni

Neighboring Conferences

See also

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References

  1. ↑ https://www.ihsaa.org/schools/athletic-conferences
  2. ↑ Hickey, Pat (2019-06-05). "Four Schools to Join Pocket Athletic Conference in 2020-21; Big Eight Will Fold". Washington (IN) Herald Times. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  3. ↑ https://www.maxpreps.com/in/football/
  4. ↑ https://www.maxpreps.com/league/mr2FPIVKf0uGUdO7ORjWYA/standings-pocket.htm
  5. ↑ http://www.ihsaa.org/Portals/0/ihsaa/documents/schools/201516SchoolDirectory.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
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