The North Central Athletic Conference in Indiana

The North Central Conference is an IHSAA-sanctioned athletic conference consisting of ten large high schools in Cass, Delaware, Grant, Howard, Madison, Marion, Tippecanoe, and Wayne Counties across Central and North Central Indiana. Most of these schools are in 35,000+ population towns like Anderson, Marion, Kokomo, Lafayette, Muncie, and Richmond. Several of the nation's largest gymnasiums belong to members of this conference.[1][2]

History

The Conference was formed on March 23, 1926 by 10 schools in the Central third of Indiana. Charter members were Anderson, Arsenal Tech of Indianapolis, Frankfort, Kokomo, Lebanon, Logansport, Muncie Central, New Castle, Richmond, and Rochester. With a couple of minor changes in the first decade (Lafayette Jeff replacing Rochester in 1930, and Marion replacing Lebanon in 1933), the conference membership remained unchanged, while the conference added more sports to its umbrella.

This changed in 1960, as Arsenal Tech was forced to join the IPS Conference, and Frankfort left to co-found the Sagamore Conference in 1967. The conference would continue on with the same eight members for the next 36 years while changes were happening in the communities outside the schools. Anderson, Kokomo, and Muncie would open up second and third city high schools, while consolidations in the rural areas outside of Lafayette would give Jeff two similar-sized local rivals. However, the economic crisis and industrial decline in the late 1970s and early 1980s hit many of these cities hard, as populations dwindled without anything replacing the lost manufacturing jobs. Anderson, Kokomo, and Muncie are now down to one high school each.

In the face of these population shifts, Lafayette Jeff joined the Hoosier Crossroads Conference in 2003, joining local rivals Harrison and McCutcheon, as well as the growing suburban schools outside of Indianapolis. Huntington North was brought in from the Olympic Conference as a replacement, where it had previously had conference rivals located in Muncie and Anderson.

New Castle elected to leave the NCC at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year. They joined the Hoosier Heritage Conference in 2014.[3] Huntington North left the NCC at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season to become a member of the Northeast Hoosier Conference. Lafayette Jeff rejoined the conference in 2014, bringing along fellow county schools Harrison and McCutcheon. Indianapolis Arsenal Tech rejoined the NCC as of April 1, 2015, but due to travel concerns, it will exit the conference at the end of the 2022-23 school year.

Marking another round of realignment, in early 2023 the conference announced restructuring and voted out West Lafayette Harrison and Lafayette McCutcheon following the 2023-24 school year.[4] In addition, Logansport announced in May 2023 the Berries would leave the North Central Conference and join the Hoosier Athletic Conference and replace Lewis Cass following the 2023-2024 school year.[5]

Membership

School Location Mascot Colors County Enrollment IHSAA Class /
Football
Year joined Previous conference
Anderson Anderson Indians     48
Madison
1,837 4A/5A 1926 Independent
Indianapolis
Arsenal Tech
1
Indianapolis Titans     49
Marion
2,122 4A/6A 1926
2015
Independent
IPS
West Lafayette
Harrison
West Lafayette Raiders     79
Tippecanoe
2,079 4A/5A 2014 Hoosier Crossroads
Kokomo Kokomo Wildkats     34
Howard
1,510 4A/4A 1926 Howard County
Lafayette
Jefferson
2
Lafayette Bronchos     79
Tippecanoe
2,153 4A/6A 1931
2014
Independent
Hoosier Crossroads
Logansport Logansport Berries     09
Cass
1,252 4A/4A 1926 Cass County
Marion Marion Giants     27
Grant
1,047 4A/4A 1933 Grant County
Lafayette
McCutcheon
Lafayette Mavericks     79
Tippecanoe
1,807 4A/5A/ 2014 Hoosier Crossroads
Muncie
Central
3
Muncie Bearcats     18
Delaware
1,437 4A/4A 1926 Independent
Richmond4 Richmond Red Devils     89
Wayne
1,327 4A/4A 1926 Independent
  1. Arsenal played in the IPS Conference 1960-2015.
  2. Lafayette Jeff played in the HCC 2003-14.
  3. Known as Muncie until 1963.
  4. Known as Morton until 1948.

Former members

School Location Mascot Colors County Enrollment IHSAA Class /Football/Soccer Year joined Previous conference Year left Conference joined
Frankfort Frankfort Hot Dogs       12
Clinton
837 3A/3A/2A 1926 Independent 1967 Sagamore
Huntington
North
Huntington Vikings     35
Huntington
1,750 4A/5A/2A 2003 Olympic 2015 Northeast Eight
Lebanon Lebanon Tigers     06
Boone
1,049 3A/4A/2A 1926 Independent 1933 Independent
New Castle
Chrysler
New Castle Trojans     33
Henry
1,108 4A/4A/2A 1926 Independent 2013 Hoosier Heritage
Rochester Rochester Zebras       25
Fulton
564 3A/3A/A 1926 Independent 1931 Central Indiana
Arsenal Tech Indianapolis Titans     49
Marion
2,122 4A/6A/3A 1926
2015
Independent
IPS
2023 Independent

Future former members

School Location Mascot Colors County Enrollment IHSAA Class

FB

Year joined Previous conference Year to leave New conference
Harrison (West Lafayette) West Lafayette Raiders     79 Tippecanoe 2,079 4A

5A

2014 Hoosier Crossroads 2024 TBD
McCutcheon Lafayette Mavericks     79
Tippecanoe
1,807 4A/5A 2014 Hoosier Crossroads 2024 TBD
Logansport Logansport Berries     09
Cass
1,252 4A/4A 1926 Cass County 2024 Hoosier

Membership timeline

McCutcheon High SchoolWilliam Henry Harrison High School (West Lafayette, Indiana)Northeast Eight ConferenceHuntington North High SchoolMarion High School (Indiana)HCCJefferson High School (Indiana)Richmond High School (Richmond, Indiana)Hoosier Athletic ConferenceLogansport High SchoolKokomo High SchoolAnderson High School (Indiana)New Castle High School (Indiana)Sagamore Conference (IHSAA)

Indianapolis Public School ConferenceArsenal Technical High SchoolSagamore Conference (IHSAA)Western Indiana Conference Three Rivers Conference (Indiana)Northern Lakes Conference (Indiana)

Full members Other conference


Divisions

Starting with the 2014 season, the NCC began divisional competition. This only applies in boys and girls soccer, boys and girls tennis, boys baseball, and girls softball.

EastWest
AndersonHarrison
Arsenal TechKokomo
MarionLafayette Jeff
Muncie CentralLogansport
RichmondMcCutcheon

Conference championships

Football

#TeamSeasons
25Richmond1951, 1952, 1956, 1958*, 1962, 1963, 1967, 1970*, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977*, 1978,
1985, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994*, 1999, 2000*, 2001, 2012, 2013
20Kokomo1932*, 1939*, 1955, 1957*, 1960*, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1987*, 1993, 1994*, 1996, 2007, 2008, 2009,
2010, 2011,2015, 2016, state runner up 2017
17Lafayette Jeff1934*, 1936, 1937, 1943*, 1946, 1947, 1948*, 1950, 1966, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1994*, 1998,
2000*, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
14Muncie Central1932*, 1933, 1934*, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943*, 1944, 1945, 1953, 1954*, 2002, 2003, 2004
10Marion1960*, 1968, 1969, 1970*, 1986, 1987*, 1988, 1990, 1997, 2006*
7Logansport1958*, 1959, 1960*, 1977*, 1995, 2005, 2006*
5Arsenal Tech1939*, 1949, 1954*, 1957*, 1960*
5New Castle1935, 1938, 1948*, 1976, 1984
2McCutcheon2014, 2016
1Anderson1983
3Harrison (WL)2016, 2021, 2022
1Huntington North2006*
0Frankfort
0Lebanon
0Rochester

Boys basketball

#TeamSeasons
21Marion1940, 1966, 1968,1969, 1975, 1977*, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990*, 1991, 1998*,
1999, 2000*, 2007*, 2008*, 2009
20Muncie Central1927, 1928, 1929, 1938*, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1970*, 1978, 1994*, 2000*,
2004, 2005, 2007*, 2008*, 2012
19Kokomo1939, 1944, 1945, 1951, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1971*, 1976*, 1990*, 1994*, 1996, 2003*, 2010*,
2011, 2013, 2018, 2023
17Anderson1941, 1943*, 1949, 1965, 1973, 1974, 1976*, 1982, 1984, 1992, 1993, 1997*, 1998*, 2001*, 2002*,
2006, 2022
12Lafayette Jeff1935, 1942, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1964, 1967, 1968, 2001*, 2003*, 2019, 2020
10New Castle1943*, 1972, 1979, 1990*, 1995, 1997*, 2001*, 2003*, 2007*, 2010*
9Richmond1943, 1970*, 1971*, 1976*, 1977*, 1988, 2002*, 2014, 2015
5Frankfort1930, 1931, 1936, 1937, 1938*
4Logansport1933, 1934, 1977*, 2017
2Arsenal Tech1932, 1957
2McCutcheon2016, 2018
0Harrison (WL)
0Huntington North
0Lebanon
0Rochester

Girls basketball

#TeamSeasons
14Kokomo1991, 1992, 1993, 1994*, 1998, 1999, 2000*, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008*, 2010
9Anderson1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1994*, 2005, 2008*, 2021
7Lafayette Jeff1988, 1989, 1995*, 1996, 2017, 2018, 2019
5Logansport1997, 2008*, 2012, 2013, 2014
5New Castle1979, 1995*, 2007, 2009, 2011
4Harrison (WL)2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
4Marion1980, 1981, 2016, 2019
4Richmond1985, 1990, 2000*, 2015
0Arsenal Tech
0Huntington North
0McCutcheon
0Muncie Central

Boys cross country

# Team Seasons
19 Anderson 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988
16 Richmond 1960, 1961, 1970, 1971, 2973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999
7 Huntington North 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013
7 Muncie Central 1956, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1989, 2011
6 Marion 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2004
6 Lafayette Jeff 1964, 1984, 1990, 2001, 2014, 2015, 2020
5 Kokomo 1952, 1955, 1985, 2000, 2005
3 Harrison (WL) 2018, 2019, 2022
3 Logansport 1967, 1969, 1972
2 McCutcheon 2016, 2017
0 Arsenal Tech
0 Franfort
0 Huntington North
0 Lebanon
0 New Castle
0 Rochester

State championships

Anderson (26)

  • 1935 Boys Basketball
  • 1937 Boys Basketball
  • 1945 Boys Track & Field
  • 1946 Boys Basketball
  • 1946 Boys Track & Field
  • 1946 Boys Cross Country
  • 1947 Boys Track & Field
  • 1947 Boys Cross Country
  • 1948 Boys Track & Field
  • 1948 Boys Cross Country
  • 1949 Boys Cross Country
  • 1950 Boys Cross Country
  • 1951 Boys Cross Country
  • 1952 Boys Golf
  • 1952 Boys Cross Country
  • 1953 Boys Golf
  • 1955 Boys Golf
  • 1955 Boys Cross Country
  • 1959 Boys Cross Country
  • 1972 Boys Golf
  • 1974 Boys Golf
  • 1984 Girls Swimming & Diving
  • 1985 Girls Swimming & Diving
  • 1988 Boys Swimming & Diving
  • 1989 Boys Swimming & Diving
  • 1995 Boys Golf

Arsenal Tech (10)

  • 1918 Baseball
  • 1922 Boys Track
  • 1933 Boys Golf
  • 1936 Boys Golf
  • 1947 Boys Golf
  • 1948 Boys Golf
  • 1952 Wrestling
  • 1976 Wrestling
  • 1979 Wrestling
  • 2014 Boys Basketball (4A)

Harrison (4)

  • 1974 Girls Track
  • 1992 Football (4A)
  • 1995 Baseball
  • 2017 Boys Soccer (3A)

Huntington North (2)

  • 1990 Girls Basketball
  • 1995 Girls Basketball

Kokomo (19)

  • 1911 Boys Track
  • 1924 Boys Track
  • 1925 Boys Track
  • 1926 Boys Track
  • 1927 Boys Track
  • 1934 Boys Track
  • 1935 Boys Track
  • 1937 Boys Track
  • 1958 Boys Golf
  • 1961 Boys Basketball
  • 1969 Boys Swimming
  • 1985 Baseball
  • 1985 Boys Golf
  • 1986 Boys Golf
  • 1988 Boys Golf
  • 1992 Girls Basketball
  • 1993 Girls Basketball
  • 1994 Boys Track
  • 2003 Girls Basketball (4A)

Lafayette Jefferson Bronchos (14)

  • 1916 boys' Basketball
  • 1932 boys' Golf
  • 1948 boys' Basketball
  • 1964 boys' Basketball
  • 1969 Baseball
  • 1973 Baseball
  • 1974 girls' Swimming
  • 1975 boys' Tennis
  • 1977 boys' Golf
  • 1978 boys' Golf
  • 1979 girls' Golf
  • 1983 girls' Golf
  • 1984 girls' Golf
  • 1987 boys' Golf

Logansport (5)

  • 1934 Boys Basketball
  • 1975 Baseball
  • 1977 Baseball
  • 1979 Baseball
  • 1991 Baseball

Marion (11)

  • 1926 Boys Basketball
  • 1966 Boys Golf
  • 1975 Boys Basketball
  • 1976 Boys Basketball
  • 1984 Baseball
  • 1985 Boys Basketball
  • 1986 Boys Basketball
  • 1987 Boys Basketball
  • 1991 Boys Tennis
  • 2000 Boys Basketball (4A)
  • 2016 Boys Basketball (3A)

McCutcheon (4)

  • 1999 Baseball (4A)
  • 2003 Baseball (4A)
  • 2008 Softball (4A)
  • 2021 Girls' Volleyball (4A)

Muncie Central (17)

  • 1928 Boys Basketball
  • 1931 Boys Basketball
  • 1951 Boys Basketball
  • 1952 Boys Basketball
  • 1963 Boys Basketball
  • 1978 Boys Basketball
  • 1979 Boys Basketball
  • 1988 Boys Basketball
  • 1956 Boys Cross Country
  • 1958 Boys Cross Country
  • 1967 Boys Cross Country
  • 1997 Volleyball (4A)
  • 1998 Volleyball (4A)
  • 1999 Volleyball (4A)
  • 2002 Volleyball (4A)
  • 2004 Volleyball (4A)
  • 2009 Volleyball (4A)

Richmond (8)

  • 1941 Boys Golf
  • 1958 Wrestling
  • 1992 Boys Basketball
  • 1993 Boys Golf
  • 1994 Boys Cross Country
  • 1996 Boys Golf
  • 1997 Boys Golf
  • 2003 Boys Golf

Largest gymnasiums in nation in NCC

Neighboring conferences

See also

Resources

  1. USA Today Article on High School Gyms
  2. Johnson, Kirk (March 19, 1998). "HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL; 'Hoosiers' No More, but Heroes All the Same". The New York Times.
  3. "Leo, Huntington North join NHC schools for new conference - News-Sentinel.com". www.news-sentinel.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02.
  4. "North Central Conference Announces Restructuring, Harrison And McCutcheon Voted Out". Stateline Sports Network. April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  5. "Conference shakeup continues with Logansport added to Hoosier Conference". Journal and Courier. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
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