PREP SPORTS: Six schools forming new conference starting in 2024-25
Apr. 5—Six schools from three different area conferences are leaving to form a new, still-unnamed conference starting with the 2024-25 school year.
Jimtown, Bremen and John Glenn from the Northern Indiana Conference, Knox and LaVille from the Hoosier North Athletic Conference and Tippecanoe Valley from the Three Rivers Conference will come together to form a new conference starting 18 months from now. More details, such as the name of the conference, will be announced at a later date.
Bremen, John Glenn and LaVille all made official announcements regarding the news Wednesday morning. WHME-TV 46's Chuck Freeby was the first one to report late last week that the six schools had submitted letters to its respective conferences asking to leave starting in the fall of 2024.
"We are excited to begin the partnership of this new conference," said Jimtown Athletic Director Nathan Dean in an email to The Goshen News. "We feel that it will provide new and greater opportunities for not only our student athletes, but also those of the partner schools. The new conference will provide opportunities for all of the schools involved as we will all be much closer in school size."
As far as enrollment numbers, Jimtown (591) and Bremen (503) were the only NIC schools with fewer than 600 students, while Glenn is just above that at 638 students. Fellow conference members Penn and Elkhart have 3,345 and 3,300 students respectively, good for eighth and ninth biggest in the state.
Other schools in the conference include South Bend Adams (1,917 students) and South Bend Riley (1,030 students), along with private schools like Mishawaka Marian and South Bend St. Joseph that have been traditionally strong in athletics.
"JGHS has been a member of the Northern Indiana Conference since 2015 after the dissolution of the Northern State Conference," the John Glenn School Corporation said in a statement. "We are appreciative of the teamwork and competition shared with our NIC associates. Unfortunately, the consolidation of high schools in Elkhart, coupled with plans to do the same in South Bend, have significantly impacted the future format of the NIC. The John Glenn Team believes that new opportunities in athletics and activities is in the best interest of our students, staff, families, and community members."
There have been ongoing discussions in recent months about consolidation within the South Bend School Corporation, which could include the closing of Clay High School. If approved, that would take the NIC from its current 12-school setup to eight. The other NIC schools not mentioned previously are New Prairie and South Bend Washington.
The Bremen Athletic Department's statement, which was almost verbatim with LaVille's statement, echoed similar sentiments that the John Glenn one did.
"The Bremen Administration firmly believes this new affiliation will provide an excellent competitive environment for our student-athletes," the statement read. "We are very appreciative of our partnering schools for their dedication in creating this opportunity."
Tippecanoe Valley had the opposite problem of the three NIC schools, as it had become one of the biggest schools in the Three Rivers with an enrollment of 561. This will leave the TRC with Maconaquah, Manchester, Northfield, North Miami, Peru, Rochester, Southwood, Wabash and Whitko.
LaVille has an enrollment of 391 students and Knox 553. With these moves, the HNAC will now be comprised of Caston, Culver Community, North Judson-San Pierre, Pioneer, Triton and Winamac.
Austin Hough can be reached at austin.hough@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2360. Follow him on Twitter at @AustinHoughTGN.
