Suburban Conference (St. Louis)

The Suburban Conference, formally the St. Louis Suburban Public High School Athletic and Activities Association (SPHSAAA), is a Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) recognized high school extracurricular league, based near Creve Coeur, Missouri,^{[ citation needed ]} a suburb of St. Louis. The conference is one of the largest in the state, comprising 31 member schools from St. Louis County and Jefferson County.

Realignments

Because of the large number of teams in the conference, the conference has historically been divided geographically into sub-conferences and divisions. Prior to the 2014–15 school year, there were four conferences: Suburban East, Suburban North, Suburban South and Suburban West. ^[1]

In 2018, the St. Louis Suburban Public High School Athletic and Activities Association re-aligned their conferences into various pools by sport. This decision essentially made the existing sub-conferences and divisions irrelevant, as a given school competes against a different pool of schools in each sport. For purposes of athletic competition, pool assignments are based on the following factors: athletics offered, competitive balance, competitive trends, diversity, and school size. The number of pools varies from two (boys volleyball) to five (football), depending on the sport, with most sports having three or four pools. ^[2] Pools may be realigned if one or more of the previously mentioned standards are not met.

List of member schools

Member schools are listed in alphabetical order.

School	Team Name	Colors	Town	County	Enrollment (2016–17 and 2017–18)
Affton High School	Cougars		Affton	St. Louis	556
Clayton High School	Greyhounds		Clayton	St. Louis	870
Eureka High School	Wildcats		Eureka	St. Louis	1,885
Fox High School	Warriors		Arnold	Jefferson	1,893
Hazelwood Central High School	Hawks		Florissant (unincorporated)	St. Louis	1,966
Hazelwood East High School	Spartans		Spanish Lake	St. Louis	1,391
Hazelwood West High School	Wildcats		Hazelwood	St. Louis	2,268
Jennings High School	Warriors		Jennings	St. Louis	579
Kirkwood High School	Pioneers		Kirkwood	St. Louis	1,779
Ladue Horton Watkins High School	Rams		Ladue	St. Louis	1,202
Lafayette High School	Lancers		Wildwood	St. Louis	1,874
Lindbergh High School	Flyers		Sappington	St. Louis	2,060
Marquette High School	Mustangs		Clarkson Valley	St. Louis	2,223
McCluer High School	Comets		Florissant	St. Louis	1,178
McCluer North High School	Stars		Florissant	St. Louis	1,790
McCluer South-Berkeley High School	Bulldogs		Ferguson	St. Louis	285
Mehlville High School	Panthers		Mehlville	St. Louis	1,794
Normandy High School	Vikings		Normandy	St. Louis	479
Northwest High School	Lions		Cedar Hill	Jefferson	1,901
Oakville High School	Tigers		Oakville	St. Louis	1,550
Parkway Central High School	Colts		Chesterfield	St. Louis	1,263
Parkway North High School	Vikings		Creve Coeur (unincorporated)	St. Louis	1,236
Parkway South High School	Patriots		Manchester	St. Louis	1,740
Parkway West High School	Longhorns		Chesterfield	St. Louis	1,301
Pattonville High School	Pirates		Maryland Heights	St. Louis	1,727
Ritenour High School	Huskies		Breckenridge Hills	St. Louis	1,832
Riverview Gardens High School	Rams		Bellefontaine Neighbors	St. Louis	1,141
Rockwood Summit High School	Falcons		Fenton (unincorporated)	St. Louis	1,316
Seckman High School	Jaguars		Seckman	Jefferson	1,814
University City High School	Lions		University City	St. Louis	841
Webster Groves High School	Statesmen		Webster Groves	St. Louis	1,351

Rivalries

The Suburban Conference has some historic rivalries between its schools, but also those that are generally unknown outside the community.

(Note: most of the following information mainly applies to football. The intensity of these rivalries, and their rivalries in general, can vary by sport.)

Kirkwood–Webster Groves

Main article: Missouri Turkey Day Game

The most notable and historic rivalry between any Suburban Conference member school is, by far, the rivalry between the Kirkwood Pioneers and the Webster Groves Statesmen football teams. Their "Turkey Day Game" on Thanksgiving has been a St. Louis tradition for well over a century, with the winner of the game being awarded the "Frisco Bell" trophy. It is the only remaining traditional Thanksgiving Day football game between two Missouri high schools, and is the only one in the state to be held after the MSHSAA State Championship game. This game's traditional date also means that they are the only two schools in the state to have an extra bye week during the regular season.

Eureka–Lafayette

The Eureka Wildcats and the Lafayette Lancers are strong rivals in the Rockwood School District. Both schools are located off of Missouri Route 109, hence its nickname, the “Battle of 109” rivalry.

Mehlville–Oakville

A generally unknown rivalry is the battle between the Mehlville Panthers and the Oakville Tigers. There is a noticeable "big brother, little brother" hatred between the two Mehlville School District high schools, Mehlville High being the older, more established institution compared to its counterpart. Students usually know someone attending the other school, influenced both by the schools’ close proximity to one another and the district's feeder system. ^[3]

Other notable rivalries

Pattonville Pirates vs. Ritenour Huskies

Affton Cougars vs. Bayless Bronchos (Bayless High School is not a member of the Suburban Conference)

Fox Warriors vs. Seckman Jaguars

Clayton Greyhounds vs. Ladue Rams

References

1. "Suburban Conferences realignment adds new look for 2014-15 | Latest Headlines | stltoday.com". 16 August 2014.(subscription required)
2. "Pool Assignments". St. Louis Suburban Public High School Athletic and Activities Association. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022.
3. "District Feeder System flow chart" (PDF). Mehlville School District. Retrieved 2023-04-23.

External links

• Official website