Interstate 8 Athletic Conference
 | This article needs more citations. (December 2017) |
| Founded | 2014 |
|---|---|
| No. of teams | 7 (6 in 2027–28) |
| Country |  United States |
The Interstate 8 Athletic Conference is an athletic conference for high schools in Michigan formed in 2014 with eight schools in south central Michigan. The conference currently consists of seven Class A and B schools from Barry, Branch, Calhoun, and Jackson counties. The name of the conference derives from the I-69 and I-94 corridors.
History
[edit]The conference was founded in 2014 with the following charter members: Charlotte, Coldwater, Harper Creek, Jackson Lumen Christi, Jackson Northwest, Marshall, Parma Western, and Pennfield.
After the 2015-16 school year, Charlotte left the conference and eventually rejoin the Capital Area Activities Conference. Hastings from the Ottawa-Kent Conference was selected to replace Charlotte starting in the 2016-17 school year.[1]
In August 2022, it was announced that Lumen Christi, the smallest member and the only private school in the conference would depart the Interstate 8 to join the Catholic High School League beginning in the 2023-24 school year.[2] With Lumen Christi's departure, the remaining seven schools at some point or another participated in the old Twin Valley Conference that existed from 1931 to 2001.
In February 2026, it was announced that Northwest, the largest member in the conference would depart the Interstate 8 to join the Southeastern Conference (MHSAA) in the 2027-2028 school year.[3]
Member schools
[edit]Current members
[edit]| School[4] | Nickname | Location | Class | Enrollment[a] | Joined | Previous Conference | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battle Creek Harper Creek | Beavers | Emmett Township, Calhoun County | A | 793 | 2014 | Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference | |
| Battle Creek Pennfield | Panthers | Pennfield Township, Calhoun County | B | 634 | 2014 | Kalamazoo Valley Association | |
| Coldwater | Cardinals | Coldwater, Branch County | A | 900 | 2014 | Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference | |
| Hastings | Saxons | Hastings, Barry County | B | 766 | 2016 | Ottawa-Kent Conference | |
| Jackson Northwest[b] | Mounties | Blackman Township, Jackson County | A | 935 | 2014 | Capital Area Activities Conference | |
| Marshall | Redhawks | Marshall, Calhoun County | B | 782 | 2014 | Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference | |
| Parma Western[c] | Panthers | Spring Arbor Township, Jackson County | B | 777 | 2014 | Capital Area Activities Conference | |
- Notes
- ↑ Updated for the 2024-25 school year
- ↑ Jackson Northwest is leaving the Interstate 8 for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) effective the 2027-28 school year.[3]
- ↑ Also known as Jackson County Western
Former members
[edit]| School | Nickname | Location | Joined | Previous Conference | Departed | Successive Conference | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | Orioles | Charlotte, Eaton County | 2014 | Capital Area Activities Conference | 2016 | Independent | Capital Area Activities Conference |
| Jackson Lumen Christi | Titans | Summit Township, Jackson County | 2023 | Catholic High School League | |||
Membership Timeline
[edit]
Full members Other Conference
Champions
[edit]Football
[edit]| Year | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Jackson Lumen Christi | 7–0 |
| 2015 | Coldwater | 7–0 |
| 2016 | Harper Creek Jackson Lumen Christi | 6–1 |
| 2017 | Harper Creek | 7–0 |
| 2018 | Jackson Lumen Christi | 7–0 |
| 2019 | Jackson Lumen Christi | 7–0 |
| 2020 | Hastings | 4–1 |
| 2021 | Harper Creek Hastings Jackson Lumen Christi | 6–1 |
| 2022 | Hastings | 7–0 |
| 2023 | Hastings | 6–0 |
| 2024 | Harper Creek | 6–0 |
| 2025 | Harper Creek | 6–0 |
References
[edit]- ↑ Wenzel, Matt (October 6, 2015). "Hastings picked over Jackson to replace Charlotte in Interstate-8 Athletic Conference". MLive. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ↑ Watson, Sean (August 13, 2022). "Lumen Christi announces plans to leave Interstate 8 in 2023-24". WTVB. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- 1 2 Rice, David (February 10, 2026). "Northwest to Join SEC; Two New Schools Joining Cascades Conference". JTV. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "MHSAA > About the MHSAA > Leagues & Conferences > League Membership".