Northern State Conference Explained

The Northern State Conference is a newly reformed conference that has existed since 1954. The conference went through many changes in membership and ultimately dissolved in 2015 when all of its members left for other conferences. Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, the conference will be reformed with six new schools: Bremen, Jimtown, John Glenn, Knox, LaVille, and Tippecanoe Valley.

The earlier NSC lasted from 1954 to 1963, including schools from Carroll, Elkhart, Jasper, Marshall, Newton, St. Joseph, and Starke counties. Jimtown was the only holdover from the earlier conference into the modern one, though Bremen and Knox did join the current version in the 1980s.

In 2013, Culver and Knox announced that they would be leaving the conference after the 2014–2015 school year in order to join the Hoosier North Athletic Conference with three schools from the Midwest Conference and Independent North Judson. LaVille and Triton decided to join the HNAC at the same time. The remaining four schools joined the Northern Indiana Athletic Conference, ensuring the end of the conference.[1]

In 2023, six schools decided to leave their current conferences and join a reformed Northern State Conference. Knox and LaVille from the Hoosier North Athletic Conference announced that they would be leaving. Bremen, John Glenn and Jimtown from the Northern Indiana Athletic Conference, and Tippecanoe Valley from the Three Rivers Conference (Indiana) would all be joining. The new conference would be in effect starting in the 2024-2025 school year.[2]

Membership from 2024-Current

School
(IHSAA ID#)
LocationMascotColors
  1. / County
Year joinedPrevious conference
BremenBremenLions50
Marshall
2024Northern Indiana
GlennWalkertonFalcons71
St. Joseph
2024Northern Indiana
JimtownElkhartJimmies20
Elkhart
2024Northern Indiana
KnoxKnoxRedskins75
Starke
2024Hoosier North
LaVilleLakevilleLancers71
St. Joseph
2024Hoosier North
Tippecanoe ValleyAkronVikings43
Kosciusko
2024Three Rivers Conference (Indiana)

Membership up to 2015

School
(IHSAA ID#)
LocationMascotColors
  1. / County
Year joinedPrevious conferenceYear leftFuture Conference
GlennWalkertonFalcons71
St. Joseph
1966none (new school)2015Northern Indiana
JimtownElkhartJimmies20
Elkhart
1966Elkhart County2015Northern Indiana
LaVilleLakevilleLancers71
St. Joseph
1966Marshall County2015Hoosier North
New CarlisleNew CarlisleTigers71
St. Joseph
1966St. Joseph County1968none (consolidated
into New Prairie)
North LibertyNorth LibertyShamrocks71
St. Joseph
1966St. Joseph County1981none (consolidated
into Glenn)
New PrairieNew CarlisleCougars46 LaPorte
71 St. Joseph
1968none (new school)2015Northern Indiana
FairfieldGoshenFalcons20
Elkhart
1969Elkhart County1980Northeast Corner
CulverCulverCavaliers50
Marshall
1977Independents
(TRC 1976)
2015Hoosier North
TritonBourbonTrojans50
Marshall
1980Three Rivers2015Hoosier North
KnoxKnoxRedskins75
Starke
1982Northwest Hoosier2015Hoosier North
BremenBremenLions50
Marshall
1989Northern Lakes2015Northern Indiana

Old Northern State Conference Membership

School
(IHSAA ID#)
LocationMascotColors
  1. / County
Year joinedPrevious conferenceYear leftConference joined
DelphiDelphiOracles08
Carroll
1954Hoosier1956Hoosier
KnoxKnoxRedskins75
Starke
1954Independents
(SCC 1948)
1963Independents
(NWHC 1968)
MoroccoMoroccoBeavers56
Newton
1954Kankakee Valley1958Kankakee Valley
North JudsonNorth JudsonBlue Jays75
Starke
1954Independents
(SCC 1948)
1963Independents
(NWHC 1968)
Rensselaer
Central
RensselaerBombers37
Jasper
1954Independents (HAC 1949)1958Independents
(NWHC 1968)
BremenBremenLions50
Marshall
1958Marshall County1962Marshall County
Jimtown1ElkhartJimmies20
Elkhart
1958Elkhart County1963Elkhart County
Washington-
Clay
South BendColonials71
St. Joseph
1958St. Joseph County1963St. Joseph County
  1. Jimtown was known as Baugo Township until 1961.

State championships

Bremen (2)

Jimtown (6)

Triton (4)

Resources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UPDATE: NIC expands, adding Bremen, Jimtown, New Prairie and Glenn . Pete Byrne . WSBT TV, South Bend, IN . 2014-04-23 . 2014-04-24.
  2. https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/sports/high-school/2023/04/05/south-bend-area-high-schools-announce-formation-of-new-conference-bremen-laville-glenn-jimtown/70084667007/