Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference
Encyclopedia
The Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference (also known as the SMAC or the Big 16) is a high school athletic conference in Southwestern Michigan
. It is composed of Class A and B schools from the MHSAA
in Berrien
, Branch
, Calhoun
, Kalamazoo
, St. Joseph
, and Van Buren
counties.
The league was formed in 1977 (then known as the Big 8) as the schools of the now-defunct Big Seven Conference (Battle Creek Lakeview, Holland, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Niles, Portage Central, Portage Northern, and St. Joseph) and Independent Kalamazoo Central as the original members of the conference. Portage Central won the first football title (7-0) and advanced to the Class A State Final, losing to Birmingham Brother Rice 17-7. Not everyone played all seven games in the league for football (Niles only played five and Battle Creek Lakeview and Portage Northern played six). Everyone played a full league schedule for football in 1978. Portage Central also won the first Boys Basketball league title (11-3, lost to conference foe Loy Norrix in districts). This original alignment stayed until 1984-85.
There were some changes in store for the 1985-86 season. Battle Creek Lakeview and Holland left the conference to join other leagues. Lakeview rejoined the Twin Valley (which they would stay until the league folded) and Holland left to join the Ottawa-Kent Conference
(currently playing in). With those schools gone, Independent Battle Creek Central and former Lake Michigan Conference member Benton Harbor. This lasted for several years (until 2000-01).
Big Changes
There was some talk in 2000 that the conference was going to expand into a super-conference. The longtime Twin Valley Athletic Association (at the time was the oldest conference in the State of Michigan) was going into peril as Albion, Hillsdale, and Parma Western
wanted out of the conference due to several factors, mainly declining enrollment (Battle Creek Lakeview was a Class A and Albion was a Class C school) and performance athletically (the three above mentioned were in the bottom of the league as the bigger schools dominated the league). Independents Dowagiac and Stevensville-Lakeshore were struggling to find opponents (both schools were scheduling out-of-state opponents; Lakeshore played Rock Island, Illinois for one of their football games). And Mattawan's enrollment had outgrown the Kalamazoo Valley Athletic Association.
The expansion was approved and would start for the 2001 football season. But, there were several problems about this new "super-conference". Travel, strength of programs, and tradition were some of the problems that arose. Despite the problems, the new league added on five schools from the dissolved Twin Valley (Battle Creek Harper Creek, Battle Creek Lakeview, Coldwater, Marshall, and Sturgis; which made up the East Division), Mattawan from the Kalamazoo Valley, and Independents Dowagiac and Stevensville-Lakeshore. The league was split into three divisions listed below.
Problems and Change
Already problems arose. East-West crossovers were at least 90 minutes to two hours away (teams would get home till close to midnight on school nights), the Central Division schools were bullying on some of the smaller East/West Division schools (especially true for Dowagiac, which was the smallest school in the conference).
In 2006-07, Dowagiac left the league to join the Wolverine Conference (along with Paw Paw, who also outgrew the Kalamazoo Valley). Also that year, Jackson Lumen Christi join the league for football only to make the league an even 16 teams (without Lumen Christi, one team in the league would have to go outside the conference every week). Lumen Christi played in the West Division for that season to replace Dowagiac's schedule (realigned to the East Division in 2007-08). With Dowagiac moving out of the SMAC, Mattawan moved to the West Division for the 2006-07 season to make three divisions of five teams each (didn't move to West in football until 2007-08 season). For the 2009 Football season (mainly due to cut down on travel), the league will go to two divisions as Battle Creek Central and Kalamazoo Central will move to the East Division and the remaining teams in the Central will go to the West Division.
Other Sports
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is composed of Class A and B schools from the MHSAA
Michigan High School Athletic Association
-About:The Michigan High School Athletic Association is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing...
in Berrien
Berrien County, Michigan
Berrien County is a county located in the extreme southwest of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 156,813. The county seat is St. Joseph....
, Branch
Branch County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 45,787 people, 16,349 households, and 11,575 families residing in the county. The population density was 90 people per square mile . There were 19,822 housing units at an average density of 39 per square mile...
, Calhoun
Calhoun County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-69* I-94* I-194* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Albion.* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Battle Creek.* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Marshall.-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-37* M-60* M-66* M-78* M-89* M-96* M-99...
, Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo County, Michigan
-Air Service:*The Kalamazoo & Battle Creek Metro Area is served by Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.-Interstates:* I-94* I-94 Business Loop-US highways:* US-131* BUS US 131-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-43* M-89* M-96...
, St. Joseph
St. Joseph County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,422 people, 23,381 households, and 16,600 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 people per square mile . There were 26,503 housing units at an average density of 53 per square mile...
, and Van Buren
Van Buren County, Michigan
-Parks, preserves, natural areas:* Dunes Parkway, an 84 acre preserve of dunes in Covert Township* Jeptha Lake Fen Preserve, a 49 acre preserve in Columbia Township...
counties.
Current Membership
| School | Mascot | Colors | County | Enrollment | Class | District Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battle Creek Central | Bearcats | Navy/Gold | Calhoun | 1,396 | A | Battle Creek Public Schools |
| Battle Creek Harper Creek Harper Creek High School Harper Creek High School is a high school in the Harper Creek School District located just outside the city of Battle Creek, Michigan. In 2005, Harper Creek opened a new state-of-the-art high school... |
Beavers | Blue/White | Calhoun | 883 | B | Harper Creek Community Schools |
| Battle Creek Lakeview | Spartans | Purple/White | Calhoun | 1,373 | A | Lakeview School District |
| Benton Harbor Benton Harbor High School Benton Harbor High School is a high school in Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States, owned and operated by Benton Harbor Area Schools.The school is made up of a number of "learning communities":*Communication, Arts & Business Academy... |
Tigers | Orange/Black | Berrien | 909 | B | Benton Harbor Area Schools |
| Coldwater Coldwater High School (Coldwater, Michigan) Coldwater High School is a public high school in Coldwater, Michigan with approximately 1000 students. It is part of the Coldwater Community School district and is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.-Mission:... |
Cardinals | Red/White | Branch | 915 | B | Coldwater Community Schools |
| Richland Gull Lake Gull Lake High School Gull Lake High School is part of the Gull Lake Community Schools in Richland, Michigan. The district was consolidated in the early 1960s from the existing Richland, Kellogg, and Bedford secondary schools and serves nearly 1000 students from a three-county area: NE Kalamazoo, NW Calhoun, and... |
Blue Devils | Blue/White | Kalamazoo | 961 | A | Gull Lake Community Schools |
| Kalamazoo Central Kalamazoo Central High School Kalamazoo Central High School is a public high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan serving students from ninth through twelfth grades. It was the first public high school in Michigan. It began operating in 1858 and graduated its first class of five men and three women in 1859. It moved to its current... |
Maroon Giants | Maroon/White | Kalamazoo | 1,646 | A | Kalamazoo Public Schools |
| Kalamazoo Loy Norrix Loy Norrix High School Loy Norrix High School is a high school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serving students from grades nine through twelve. It is one of two high schools in the Kalamazoo Public Schools district. The student body totals at approximately 1,400. The school is named for a former superintendent of... |
Knights | Navy/White | Kalamazoo | 1,392 | A | Kalamazoo Public Schools |
| Marshall Marshall High School (Michigan) Marshall High School is a high school in the Marshall Public Schools District in Marshall, Michigan.-Sports teams:Marshall uses the fictitious Redhawk as its mascot. The former mascot was the Redskin, but it was changed due to respect for Native Americans and their spiritual beliefs... |
Redhawks | Red/Black | Calhoun | 735 | B | Marshall Public Schools |
| Mattawan Mattawan High School Mattawan High School is the name of the high school that serves the village of Mattawan, Michigan. The approximate total enrollment for Mattawan High School is 1,200 students.... |
Wildcats | Navy/Gold | Van Buren | 1,147 | A | Mattawan Consolidated Schools |
| Niles | Vikings | Navy/Gold | Berrien | 968 | A | Niles Public Schools |
| Portage Central Portage Central High School -History:The building of the original high school building was completed in 1922. This building soon became obsolete, and is now the Portage Public Schools administration building. A new school was constructed during the 1940s and began use in 1949 that is still in use today as of 2010... |
Mustangs | Navy/Gold | Kalamazoo | 1,361 | A | Portage Public Schools |
| Portage Northern Portage Northern High School Portage Northern High School is a high school in Portage, Michigan.Northern High School serves 1,350 students from ninth through twelfth grades. In addition to meeting the regular education needs of students living in the NHS attendance area, the school also houses several special education... |
Huskies | Brown/White | Kalamazoo | 1,276 | A | Portage Public Schools |
| St. Joseph St. Joseph High School (St. Joseph, Michigan) St. Joseph High School is a public high school located in Saint Joseph, Michigan. It is the only public high school in the . The school's mascot is the Bear and its primary athletic rival is Lakeshore High School.School Motto:... |
Bears | Navy/Maize | Berrien | 948 | B | St. Joseph Public Schools |
| Stevensville Lakeshore Lakeshore High School Lakeshore High School is a public high school located in Stevensville, Michigan. It is part of Lakeshore Public Schools.- Education :The high school was given a grade of A on a A-D scale by the Michigan Department of Education... |
Lancers | Red/White | Berrien | 941 | B | Lakeshore Public Schools |
| Sturgis Sturgis High School Sturgis High School is located in Sturgis, Michigan and is part of the Sturgis Public Schools school district. Located at 216 Vinewood Avenue, the school draws students from all over the city.... |
Trojans | Orange/Black | St. Joseph | 924 | B | Sturgis Public Schools |
History
FormationThe league was formed in 1977 (then known as the Big 8) as the schools of the now-defunct Big Seven Conference (Battle Creek Lakeview, Holland, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Niles, Portage Central, Portage Northern, and St. Joseph) and Independent Kalamazoo Central as the original members of the conference. Portage Central won the first football title (7-0) and advanced to the Class A State Final, losing to Birmingham Brother Rice 17-7. Not everyone played all seven games in the league for football (Niles only played five and Battle Creek Lakeview and Portage Northern played six). Everyone played a full league schedule for football in 1978. Portage Central also won the first Boys Basketball league title (11-3, lost to conference foe Loy Norrix in districts). This original alignment stayed until 1984-85.
There were some changes in store for the 1985-86 season. Battle Creek Lakeview and Holland left the conference to join other leagues. Lakeview rejoined the Twin Valley (which they would stay until the league folded) and Holland left to join the Ottawa-Kent Conference
Ottawa-Kent Conference
The Ottawa-Kent Conference is an athletic league located in West Michigan. It has member schools from Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, and Ottawa Counties. It has 51 member schools that partake in athletics. According to the MHSAA they have the main offices located at Grandville...
(currently playing in). With those schools gone, Independent Battle Creek Central and former Lake Michigan Conference member Benton Harbor. This lasted for several years (until 2000-01).
Big Changes
There was some talk in 2000 that the conference was going to expand into a super-conference. The longtime Twin Valley Athletic Association (at the time was the oldest conference in the State of Michigan) was going into peril as Albion, Hillsdale, and Parma Western
Western High School (Parma, Michigan)
Western High School high school located east of Parma, Michigan, USA. It has classes for grades 9 through 12. Western is located on Dearing Rd, just inside the border of Spring Arbor Township. Sue Van Riper is the current Principal. The Parma, Michigan Post Office serves the school...
wanted out of the conference due to several factors, mainly declining enrollment (Battle Creek Lakeview was a Class A and Albion was a Class C school) and performance athletically (the three above mentioned were in the bottom of the league as the bigger schools dominated the league). Independents Dowagiac and Stevensville-Lakeshore were struggling to find opponents (both schools were scheduling out-of-state opponents; Lakeshore played Rock Island, Illinois for one of their football games). And Mattawan's enrollment had outgrown the Kalamazoo Valley Athletic Association.
The expansion was approved and would start for the 2001 football season. But, there were several problems about this new "super-conference". Travel, strength of programs, and tradition were some of the problems that arose. Despite the problems, the new league added on five schools from the dissolved Twin Valley (Battle Creek Harper Creek, Battle Creek Lakeview, Coldwater, Marshall, and Sturgis; which made up the East Division), Mattawan from the Kalamazoo Valley, and Independents Dowagiac and Stevensville-Lakeshore. The league was split into three divisions listed below.
| West Division | Central Division | East Division |
|---|---|---|
| Benton Harbor | Battle Creek Central | Battle Creek Harper Creek |
| Dowagiac | Kalamazoo Central | Battle Creek Lakeview |
| Niles | Kalamazoo Loy Norrix | Coldwater |
| St. Joseph | Mattawan | Marshall |
| Stevensville-Lakeshore | Portage Central | Sturgis |
| Portage Northern |
Problems and Change
Already problems arose. East-West crossovers were at least 90 minutes to two hours away (teams would get home till close to midnight on school nights), the Central Division schools were bullying on some of the smaller East/West Division schools (especially true for Dowagiac, which was the smallest school in the conference).
In 2006-07, Dowagiac left the league to join the Wolverine Conference (along with Paw Paw, who also outgrew the Kalamazoo Valley). Also that year, Jackson Lumen Christi join the league for football only to make the league an even 16 teams (without Lumen Christi, one team in the league would have to go outside the conference every week). Lumen Christi played in the West Division for that season to replace Dowagiac's schedule (realigned to the East Division in 2007-08). With Dowagiac moving out of the SMAC, Mattawan moved to the West Division for the 2006-07 season to make three divisions of five teams each (didn't move to West in football until 2007-08 season). For the 2009 Football season (mainly due to cut down on travel), the league will go to two divisions as Battle Creek Central and Kalamazoo Central will move to the East Division and the remaining teams in the Central will go to the West Division.
Current Alignment
Football (beginning in 2012)| West Division | East Division |
|---|---|
| Benton Harbor | Battle Creek Central |
| Kalamazoo Central | Battle Creek Harper Creek |
| Mattawan | Battle Creek Lakeview |
| Niles | Coldwater |
| Portage Central | Richland Gull Lake |
| Portage Northern | Kalamazoo Loy Norrix |
| St. Joseph | Marshall |
| Stevensville-Lakeshore | Sturgis |
Other Sports
| West Division | Central Division | East Division |
|---|---|---|
| Benton Harbor | Battle Creek Central | Battle Creek Harper Creek |
| Mattawan | Kalamazoo Central | Battle Creek Lakeview |
| Niles | Kalamazoo Loy Norrix | Coldwater |
| St. Joseph | Portage Central | Marshall |
| Stevensville-Lakeshore | Portage Northern | Sturgis |