Porter County Conference

Last updated
Porter County Conference
Founded1932
No. of teams1 Class 3A, 2 Class 2A, and 5 Class A
Region2 Counties; LaPorte, and Porter, Indiana
Locations
Indiana (PCC).png

The Porter County Conference (PCC) is an athletic conference made up of eight Indiana high schools. Five of the eight schools are within Porter County, Indiana. The three remaining are in LaPorte County.

Contents

The PCC was originally formed in 1933, as the Porter County schools split off from the Lake-Porter County Conference. The conference included all of the schools inside the county except for Valparaiso. A major shakeup occurred in 1958, as Portage and Chesterton grew too large for the other remaining schools and left. Membership dropped to six schools when Jackson Township and Liberty Township consolidated into Chesterton High School in 1969. Hanover Central joined the PCC for the school year of 1972–1973. For the 1975–1976 school year, La Crosse (renamed Tri-Township in 2022) and Westville joined the PCC. Westville left the PCC after the 1997–1998 school year for the Northland Athletic Conference (now defunct). Wheeler left after the 2002–2003 school year for the Lake Athletic Conference (now defunct); South Central joined the PCC for the 2003–2004 school year in Wheeler's place. Hanover Central announced in 2012 that it would leave the PCC in to join the Greater South Shore Conference. The PCC allowed Hanover Central to leave a year early in 2013, and voted to readmit Westville, who had been an independent since the demise of the Northland Conference.

Five PCC members are in Class A, the smallest enrollment class, two are in Class 2A and one is in Class 3A. Only two PCC members (Boone Grove and South Central) offer football. Boone Grove and South Central participate in the Greater South Shore Conference in football only.

Members

Current members

SchoolLocationCountyMascotColorsEnrollment IHSAA
Class
JoinedPrevious Conference(s)
Boone
Grove High School
Valparaiso 64
Porter
Wolves  5203A1933 Lake-Porter County
Hebron High School (Indiana) 1 Hebron 64
Porter
Hawks  3752A1933 Lake-Porter County
Kouts Middle/High School 2 Kouts 64
Porter
Mustangs/
Fillies
  252A1933 Lake-Porter County
Morgan
Township Middle/High School
Valparaiso 64
Porter
Cherokees  418A1933 Lake-Porter County
South Central Jr/Senior High School
(Union Mills)
Union Mills 46
La Porte
Satellites  3222A2003 Northland
Tri-Township High School (formerly LaCrosse High School) Wanatah 46
LaPorte
Tigers  119A1975 South Lake Michigan
Washington
Township Middle/High School
Valparaiso 64
Porter
Senators  473A1933 Lake-Porter County
Westville High School (Indiana) 3 Westville 46
La Porte
Blackhawks  451A1975
2013
South Lake
Michigan

Independents
  1. Hebron played concurrently in the PCC and the Kankakee Valley Conference 1933–67.
  2. Kouts played concurrently in the PCC and KVC 1933–59.
  3. Westville played in the Northland Conference from 1998 to 2008, then as an Independent from 2008 until rejoining in 2013.

Former members

SchoolLocationMascotColorsCountyJoinedPrevious
Conference
LeftConference
Joined
Chesterton Chesterton Trojans   64
Porter
1933 Lake-Porter County 1958Independents
(Calumet 1963)
Jackson Township Valparaiso Panthers   64
Porter
1933 Lake-Porter County 1969none (consolidated
into Chesterton)
Liberty Township Chesterton Lions    64
Porter
1933 Lake-Porter County 1969none (consolidated
into Chesterton)
Portage 1, 2 Portage Indians    64
Porter
1933 Lake-Porter County 1958 Calumet
Wheeler 1 Union Township Bearcats   64
Porter
1933 Lake-Porter County 2003 Lake
Hanover
Central
Cedar Lake Wildcats   45
Lake
1972Independents2013 Greater South Shore
  1. Concurrent with Lake-Porter County Conference 1933–49.
  2. Concurrent with Calumet Conference 1949–58.

Membership timeline

South Central Junior-Senior High SchoolWestville High School (Indiana)Tri-Township High School (formerly LaCrosse)Hanover Central Junior-Senior High SchoolWheeler High School (Indiana)Washington Township Middle-High SchoolPortage High SchoolMorgan Township Middle-High SchoolChesterton Senior High SchoolKouts Middle-High SchoolChesterton Senior High SchoolHebron High School (Indiana)Chesterton Senior High SchoolBoone Grove High SchoolPorter County Conference

Conference champions

Boys basketball

#TeamSeasons
26Boone Grove1959, 1960*, 1961*, 1966*, 1968, 1969*, 1973*, 1977, 1979, 1980*, 1981, 1983, 1985*, 1996, 1997,
1998, 1999, 2000*, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008*, 2009*, 2010, 2015, 2016*
18Hebron1962, 1963, 1964, 1965*, 1967, 1969*, 1974, 1978*, 1980, 1982, 1985*, 1986, 1990, 1994,
2002*, 2008*, 2017*
15Kouts1960*, 1961*, 1989*, 1995, 2000*, 2001, 2002*, 2008*, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020*, 2021
11Morgan Township1965*, 1966*, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1987, 1988, 2002*, 2004, 2007, 2022
4Wheeler1984, 1992, 2002*, 2003
4Tri-Township (formerly LaCrosse)1976, 1989, 1991, 1993
3Washington Township2016*, 2018, 2020*
1Hanover Central1973*
1Liberty Township1969*
1South Central (UM)2009
1Westville2017*
0Jackson Township

Girls basketball

#TeamSeasons
13Boone Grove1974, 1975, 1976, 1980*, 1989, 1994, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009*, 2010, 2011, 2012
12Kouts1981*, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988*, 1990, 1991, 1999*, 2007, 2008, 2009*
8Hebron1978, 1993, 1996*, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009*, 2017*
7Morgan Township1986, 1995, 1997*, 1998*, 2017*, 2020, 2021
7South Central (UM)2006, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022
5Washington Township1977, 1979*, 1980, 1981*, 2009*
4Hanover Central1984, 1996*, 1997*, 1999*
2Tri-Township (formerly LaCrosse)1979*, 1992
1Wheeler1998*
0Westville

State championships

Boone Grove (1)

Hanover Central (1)

Morgan Township (1)

Washington Township

Traditions

The Porter County Conference Victory Keg

The Porter County Conference Victory Keg, commonly referred to as “The Keg”, is the PCC's traveling trophy for boys basketball. The Keg is circulated through the wins and losses of the member schools of the PCC. Anytime a school possessing The Keg plays another PCC school, the game is played for possession of The Keg. The Keg is painted the color of the school that holds possession, usually by the faculty and students of the winning school. Twelve schools have bared their colors on the coveted Victory Keg.

In 1957, Morgan Township coach Elwyn Stuber suggested a boys basketball traveling trophy on behalf of the Morgan Township class of 1959. The traveling trophy was intended to be circulated among the eight smaller schools in Porter County. Hebron High School custodian Wayne Fry donated an old water keg to be used. Hebron wood shop teacher Kenneth Schiek and his students sanded and cleaned up the old water keg.

The names of all eight schools were put into hat to decide who would be the first to possess The Keg. Wheeler High School would win the draw, and The Keg was painted in Wheeler's green and orange color scheme for the first game. It would make its debut on November 15, 1957, at Wheeler in a matchup featuring Wheeler and Boone Grove. Boone Grove won the game 52–42 to be the first team to take control of The Keg.

The Keg has changed hands more than 200 times. The Hebron Hawks currently control the keg.

The Porter County Conference Victory Kup

The Porter County Conference Victory Kup, commonly known as “The Kup” is the PCC's traveling trophy for girls basketball. The Kup is circulated through the wins and losses of the member schools of the PCC. Anytime a school possessing The Kup plays another PCC school, the game is played for possession of The Kup. The Kup is painted the color of the school that holds possession, usually by the faculty and students of the winning school.

Wheeler High School Principal Charles Kennedy and Athletic Director Girls Basketball Coach suggested a traveling trophy originally intended for the PCC Girls Basketball tournament. Wheeler High School shop teacher Wayne Herlitz made The Kup and a plaque was donated by Hebron High School coach Paul Schroeder as The Kup wasn't allowed to be painted originally.

The Kup made its debut during the 1974-75 PCC Girls’ Basketball Tournament, Wheeler held possession for the first game against Washington Township High School. Washington Township would win the first “Kup Game” 42–25.

In 1980 the principals and athletic directors of the PCC member schools decided to make The Kup the traveling trophy of all PCC girls basketball games, like the PCC Victory Keg. In 1998 Morgan Township High School was the first team to paint The Kup in their school colors, becoming a tradition ever since.

The Kup is currently controlled by the Morgan Township Cherokees

Resources

Related Research Articles

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