Porter County Conference

Last updated
Porter County Conference
Founded1933
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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porter County, Indiana</span> County in Indiana, United States

Porter County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 173,215, making it the 10th most populous county in Indiana. The county seat is Valparaiso. The county is part of Northwest Indiana, as well as the Chicago metropolitan area. Porter County is the site of much of the Indiana Dunes, an area of ecological significance. The Hour Glass Museum in Ogden Dunes documents the region's ecological significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boone Grove, Indiana</span> Unincorporated town and Census-designated place in Indiana, United States

Boone Grove is an unincorporated town in Porter County, Indiana, southwest of the city of Valparaiso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheeler High School (Indiana)</span> Public school in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States

Wheeler High School is a public high school located in Union Township, west of Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. The school is attached to Union Township Middle School and was previously located in Wheeler, Indiana. It is a part of the Union Township School Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pocket Athletic Conference</span>

The Pocket Athletic Conference (PAC) is a high school athletic conference in Southwestern Indiana with its headquarters at Forest Park. Most of the conference's 13 members are mainly Class 2A and 3A public high schools currently located in Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, and Warrick counties. Only one, Tecumseh, is a 1A and as such operates its football program independently of the PAC and remains independent in the sport, playing schools much closer to its size than its much larger borderline 3A, 3A, or 4A fellow members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boone Grove High School</span> Public high school in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States

Boone Grove High School is a public high school in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Porter Township School Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Indiana Athletic Conference</span>

The Northern Indiana Conference (NIC) is a high school athletic conference that was founded in 1927 and spanned from as far west as Hammond and Gary to South Bend/Mishawaka and Elkhart to the east and south to Plymouth. Since its start in 1927, a total of 32 separate schools have at one time called the NIC home. From its inception until 1963, the conference had been divided into East and West divisions. The West Division left to form the Northwestern Conference in 1963. With membership dwindling to 7 members by the 1970s, the conference added former members of the Northern Indiana Valley Conference to its ranks. Currently, every former NIVC member is now a part of the NIC except for South Bend Jackson, which closed in 1973, and South Bend LaSalle, which joined the NIC in 1977, but closed in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boone Township, Porter County, Indiana</span> Township in Indiana, United States

Boone Township is one of twelve townships in Porter County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 6,160.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Lakes Conference</span>

The Northern Lakes Conference of Indiana (NLC) is an IHSAA-sanctioned athletic conference of high schools located within Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall and St. Joseph counties in northern Indiana, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summit Athletic Conference</span>

The Summit Athletic Conference, or SAC, is a high school athletic conference consisting of ten high schools located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Three of the schools are private; one being a Lutheran academy, and the other two being Catholic preparatories. The rest are public schools, being part of Fort Wayne Community Schools. Two limited members are part of Northwest Allen County Schools and Southwest Allen County Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater South Shore Athletic Conference (IHSAA)</span> High school athletic conference in Indiana

The Greater South Shore Conference is an eight-member Indiana High School Athletic Association athletic conference spanning Lake and Porter counties in Northwest Indiana. Two other members, Boone Grove and Gary West Side, participate only in football, with Boone Grove otherwise participating in the Porter County Conference and Gary West Side otherwise participating in the Great Lakes Athletic Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sagamore Conference</span>

Sagamore Conference is an eight-member IHSAA sanctioned athletic conference comprising 2A and 3A and sized schools in Clinton, Boone, Hendricks, and Montgomery Counties in Central Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwestern Indiana Conference</span> High school athletic conference in Indiana

The Southwestern Indiana Athletic Conference (SWIAC), is an eight-member IHSAA-sanctioned athletic conference located within Clay, Daviess, Greene and Sullivan Counties in Southwest and West Central Indiana. North Central (Farmersburg) joined in 2010 with the folding of the Tri-River Conference. Prior to that time, Clay City, Linton Stockton, Shakamak, and Union (Dugger) also participated in the Tri-River Conference concurrently while playing in the SWIAC. The conference was originally formed in 1939, but information on early membership between then and 1958 is incomplete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebron High School (Indiana)</span> Public high school in Hebron, Porter County, Indiana, United States

Hebron High School is a four-star public high school located in Hebron, Indiana, U.S.A. The school is operated by the MSD of Boone Township, also known as Hebron Schools. As of the 2018–2019 school year, there were 375 students enrolled. The student:faculty ratio is approximately 10:1.

Brussels High School is a public six-year combined junior and senior high school in Brussels, Illinois that is part of the Brussels School District. Brussels High School serves the communities of Brussels, Batchtown, Golden Eagle, and Meppen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana High School Athletic Association</span>

The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public and private high schools in the U.S. state of Indiana.

There were numerous conferences within the IHSAA that were made up of schools based entirely in one county. Many of these "County Conferences" also contained schools from neighboring counties that were either geographically closer or smaller than the other schools in their home county. These conferences would fold when schools would consolidate and seek out other, more expansive conferences that included similar-sized schools. The starting date of many of these conferences is hard to confirm, so the listing for many of these leagues uses the earliest date that can be confirmed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoosier North Athletic Conference</span>

The Hoosier North Athletic Conference is an IHSAA-sanctioned conference in northwestern Indiana, that began in 2015. The conference contains eight schools in six counties, but may expand to include more schools in the future.

The Lake-Porter County Conference was an IHSAA-sanctioned conference in Northwest Indiana. The conference formed by 1929 at latest, consisting of smaller schools in Lake and Porter counties. The much smaller rural Porter County schools split off in 1933, though Portage and Wheeler would compete in both the LPCC and Porter County Conference. The conference ended in 1949, as almost every school would form the Calumet Athletic Conference.

The Kankakee Valley Conference, occasionally known as the Kankakee Valley Athletic Association, was an IHSAA-sanctioned conference in northwestern Indiana that lasted from 1933 until 1967. The conference formed as a merger of the Jasper and Newton county conferences, along with schools from the newly formed Porter County Conference wanting another league to compete in. The league would also add schools from Starke and White counties soon after forming. Other than adding LaCrosse from LaPorte County for a short time, the league did not stray from this footprint. The league was always closely tied with the Midwest Athletic Conference, with some schools playing in both conferences in the MAC's first incarnation, and many KVC schools either helped form the MAC's lineup in its reformation, or ended up moving to the league after the collapse of the KVC.