Three Rivers Conference (Indiana)

The Three Rivers Conference is a high school athletic conference in northeast Indiana, consisting of schools in Cass, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Wabash, and Whitley counties.

History

The conference was formed in 1971 by independents Caston, Culver, Northfield, and Triton, and former Mid-Indiana Conference (MIC) member North Miami. The conference grew in 1976, as Manchester joined from the Northern Lakes Conference (NLC), Southwood joined from the Mid-Indiana Conference, and two recent consolidations, Whitko (1971) and Tippecanoe Valley (1974) joined. Culver left for the Northern State Conference (NSC) at the same time. This incarnation would last for two years, until Caston left for the Midwest Athletic Conference.

Triton left for the NSC in 1980, and was replaced by two MIC schools: Eastern (Greentown) and Oak Hill. Eastern rejoined the MIC in 1987, and was replaced by NLC school Rochester. The lineup changed once more in 2006, when Oak Hill traded places with Central Indiana Athletic Conference member Wabash. The latest change was in 2015, as Maconaquah and Peru joined from the folding MIC.

Rochester and Tippecanoe Valley share a traveling trophy that is called the bell.

In 2023, Tippecanoe Valley announced they would be exiting the conference to form their own 6 team conference featuring John Glenn,
LaVille, Jimtown, Knox, and Bremen. Tippecanoe Valley was independent for the 2023-24 school year before joining the new conference.

Also in 2023, the Hoosier Conference announced that Lewis Cass would be leaving the conference at the end of the 2022-23 school year to join the TRC.

On June 1, 2023, North Miami announced they would be exiting the TRC to join the Hoosier North starting at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. On the next day of June 2, Northwestern announced they would take North Miami's place in the TRC, exiting the Hoosier Conference.

Membership

Former members

Football Divisions 2015–2018

Timeline

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bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1971 till:1976 text: Culver (1971–1976)

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bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1971 till:1980 text: Triton (1971–1980)

bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1971 till:end text:North Miami (1971–2024)

bar:5 color:FullxF from:1971 till:end text: Northfield (1971–present)

bar:6 color:FullxF from:1976 till:end text:Manchester (1976–present)

bar:7 color:FullxF from:1976 till:end text: Southwood (1976–present)

bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:2023 text: Tippecanoe Valley (1976–2023)

bar:9 color:FullxF from:1976 till:end text: Whitko (1976–present)

bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1980 till:1987 text: Eastern (1980–1987)

bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1980 till:2006 text: Oak Hill (1980–2006)

bar:12 color:FullxF from:1987 till:end text: Rochester (1987–present)

bar:13 color:FullxF from:2006 till:end text: Wabash (2006–present)

bar:14 color:FullxF from:2015 till:end text: Maconaquah (2015–present)

bar:15 color:FullxF from:2015 till:end text:Peru (2015–present)

bar:16 color:FullxF from:2023 till:end text: Lewis Cass (2023–present)

bar:17 color:FullxF from:2024 till:end text: Northwestern (2024–present)

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Sports

* Baseball (boys)
* Basketball
* Cross Country
* Football (boys)
* Golf
* Softball (girls)
* Swimming
* Tennis
* Track & Field
* Wrestling (boys)
* Volleyball (girls)

State champions

Baseball
*Wabash (1986)~
*Northfield (2001-2A)
*Manchester (2002-2A)
*Northfield (2012-2A)

~ Wabash: Current Member of Three Rivers Conference, won title as member of Central Indiana Conference

Boy's Basketball
*Lewis Cass (2003-2A)~
*Northwestern (2007-2A)~
*Manchester (2025-2A)

~ Lewis Cass & Northwestern: won titles as members of Mid Indiana Conference

Football
*Wabash (1920)^
*Tippecanoe Valley (1979-1A)
*Oak Hill (1982-1A)~~
*Whitko (1986-2A)
*Rochester (1987-2A)
*North Miami (1993-1A)
*Southwood (2002-1A)

^ Wabash were winners of the "mythical" state football championship that was recorded pre-1928

~~ Oak Hill: Won title as Member of Three Rivers Conference, current member of Central Indiana Conference

Volleyball
*Southwood (2023-1A)

Golf
*Rochester (1980)

Tennis
*Peru (1971)^

^ Peru: won title as member of Central Indiana Conference

Track and Field
*Rochester (1918)

Wrestling
*Wabash (1927)
*Wabash (1928)

Softball
*Lewis Cass (2006-2A)^
*Lewis Cass (2008-2A)^
*North Miami (2014)
*Northfield (2021)

^ Lewis Cass: won titles as member of Mid Indiana Conference

Conference champions

Football

* Culver did not have a football team until after they left the TRC.

Boys basketball

Baseball

Girls volleyball

Girls basketball

* The champions for 1986-87, 1988–89, 1989–90, and 1992-93 are not verified. Culver left the TRC before girls' competition began.

Boys Swimming & Diving

* There was no conference championship between the years 2007-2015 as there were not enough schools with a swim team to have a conference championship.
* Peru, North Miami, Southwood, and Whitko do not have a swim team.

Girls Swimming & Diving

* There was no conference championship between the years 2007-2015 as there were not enough schools with a swim team to have a conference championship.
* Peru, North Miami, Southwood, and Whitko do not have a swim team.

Rivalries

Non Conference

*Lewis Cass vs Caston, Logansport and Pioneer

These schools share a Cass County rivalry in multiple sports.

*Maconaquah, Peru vs North Miami

The three schools battle for Miami County bragging rights. From 2015-2024, all three schools played in the TRC.

*Northfield vs North Miami

Two of the founding members of the TRC, Northfield and North Miami had the longest conference rivalry until North Miami left the TRC in 2024.

*Southwood vs Oak Hill

Around 14 miles apart and sharing Wabash/Miami/Grant County borders, Southwood and Oak Hill started out as Mid Indiana Conference rivals until Southwood left in 1976. The rivalry moved to the TRC when Oak Hill joined the conference in 1980. Though Oak Hill left the TRC in 2006, there is still bad blood to this day.

*Rochester vs Tippecanoe Valley

From 1987 to 2023, these two schools often fought for conference supremacy in multiple sports.

In football, the two schools battle for The Bell traveling trophy.

* Peru vs Logansport

Though rivals in all sports, the Peru vs Logansport football game is the oldest rivalry in Indiana high school sports.

They battle for the Baldini Trophy. The trophy is named for Don Baldini, a Peru native who became Logansport's winningest football coach.

*Whitko vs Columbia City and Churubusco

These schools are Whitley County rivals in multiple sports.

*Whitko vs Tippecanoe Valley

Both schools share territory in Kosciusko County and were TRC rivals from 1976-2023.

*Northwestern vs Western

Western Howard County schools that are only 8 miles from each other and a rivalry that used to be played when both schools were in the Mid Indiana Conference and Hoosier Athletic Conference.

Conference

*Lewis Cass vs Northwestern

An old rivalry that is the newest to the TRC, these two schools' hatred followed them from their two previous conferences, the Mid Indiana and Hoosier Athletic Conferences.

*Maconaquah vs Peru

Miami County rivals and previously Mid Indiana Conference foes until they moved to the TRC in 2015.

*Maconaquah vs Southwood

Maconaquah and Southwood were old MIC rivals in the 1960s until Southwood moved to the TRC in 1976. The rivalry was renewed when Maconaquah joined the TRC in 2015.

*Manchester vs Wabash

Starting in 1957, this is the oldest existing rivalry between Wabash County schools.

*Manchester vs Whitko

Only 12 miles apart, the two share Whitley/Wabash county borders.

*Northfield vs Southwood

When Wabash County schools consolidated in 1962, the smaller schools merged into two identical 'sibling' schools. This connection has made Northfield vs Southwood a natural and long-standing county rivalry.

*Rochester vs Manchester

Both schools were charter members of the Northern Lake Conference in 1963. Manchester left the NLC in 1976. When Rochester moved to the TRC in 1987, the old NLC rivalry was renewed.

*Wabash vs Northfield

The closest schools in distance in the whole TRC (only 5 miles apart) creates a very familiar rivalry.

References

Resources

Three Rivers Conference



IHSAA Directory

{{Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA)

Indiana high school athletic conferences
High school sports conferences and leagues in the United States