The Hoosier Athletic Conference in Indiana

The Hoosier Athletic Conference is a ten-member Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA)-Sanctioned conference located within Benton, Cass, Hamilton, Howard, Jasper, Tippecanoe, Tipton and White counties. The conference first began in 1947, and has been in constant competition except for the 1997–98 school year, when membership dropped to three schools. The conference added four schools from the folding Mid-Indiana Conference in 2015. Lewis Cass exited the conference in 2023 and Logansport was added as the replacement starting in 2024. In 2024 Northwestern will exit the conference filling in for North Miami in the Three Rivers Conference.

Membership

SchoolCityTeam nameColorsEnrollment 24–25IHSAA ClassIHSAA Class FootballCountyYear joinedPrevious conference
Benton CentralOxfordBison5132A3A04 Benton1968Prairie
Central Catholic1LafayetteKnights3021A2A79 Tippecanoe1970 2011Independents Hoosier Heartland
Hamilton HeightsArcadiaHuskies6873A3A29 Hamilton2015Mid-Indiana
LogansportLogansportBerries12263A4A09 Cass2024North Central
Rensselaer Central2RensselaerBombers4472A2A37 Jasper1947 1998Midwest Northwest Hoosier
TiptonTiptonBlue Devils4542A2A80 Tipton2000Rangeline
Twin LakesMonticelloIndians6632A3A91 White1974Northwest Hoosier
West LafayetteWest LafayetteRed Devils7503A3A79 Tippecanoe1947Midwest
Western (Howard)3RussiavillePanthers7913A3A34 Howard1958 2015Tri-County Mid-Indiana
  1. Central Catholic played from 1993 to 2011 in the HHC.
  2. Rensselaer played from 1949 to 1954 and 1958 to 1968 as an independent, 1954 to 1958 in the old NSC, and 1968 to 1998 in the NWHC.
  3. Western played from 1965 to 2015 in the MIC.

Divisions

EastWest
Benton Central
Hamilton HeightsCentral Catholic
LogansportRensselaer Central
TiptonTwin Lakes
WesternWest Lafayette

Former members

SchoolCityTeam nameColorsCountyYear joinedPrevious conferenceYear leftConference joined
Attica1AtticaRed Ramblers23 Fountain1947Midwest1971Wabash River
DelphiDelphiOracles08 Carroll1947 1956 1998Carroll County Northern State Hoosier Heartland1954 1992 20162Northern State Hoosier Heartland Independents (HHC 2019)
FloraFloraBadgers08 Carroll1947Carroll County1961none (consolidated into Carroll
RossvilleRossvilleHornets12 Clinton1947Clinton County1977Midwest
Winamac3WinamacWarriors66 Pulaski1947Pulaski County1972Northwest Hoosier
Sheridan4SheridanBlackhawks29 Hamilton1948 2000Hamilton County Rangeline1965 2012Mid-Capital Hoosier Heartland
SouthwesternLafayetteWildcats79 Tippecanoe1958none (new school)1966Mid-Central Conference
Carroll5FloraCougars08 Carroll1961none (new school)1977Midwest
Clinton Prairie4FrankfortGophers12 Clinton1961none (new school)1975Rangeline
Harrison (West Lafayette)West LafayetteRaiders79 Tippecanoe1970none (new school)1997Olympic
McCutcheonLafayetteMavericks79 Tippecanoe1975none (new school)1997Olympic
CassWaltonKings09 Cass2015Mid-Indiana Conference2023Three Rivers
NorthwesternKokomoTigers34 Howard2015Mid-Indiana Conference2023Three Rivers
  1. Attica played in both the HAC and WRC from 1966 until leaving the HAC in 1971.
  2. Delphi's school board voted to leave the HAC after 2015–16 in November 2015. The school refused to honor the football contracts for 2016–17 (schedules are made on a bi-yearly basis for football in Indiana), so the HAC decided to remove the school from the league effective immediately on December 17, 2015. Since the departure happened in the middle of the school year instead of during the summer, the exit date is listed as 2016, since the school completed the fall season sports as conference members.
  3. Winamac played in both the HAC and NWHC from 1968 to 1972.
  4. Sheridan played in both the HCC and HAC throughout its tenure in the HAC.
  5. Carroll and Clinton Prairie were also members of the Mid-Central Conference from 1966 until 1975.

Membership timeline

Conference champions

Football

#TeamSeasons
10Harrison (WL)1972*, 1975, 1986*, 1987, 1988*, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1996*
13West Lafayette1972*, 1981, 1985, 1988*, 1991, 1993, 1996*, 1999*, 2008, 2009, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022
7Delphi1973, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1988*, 1999*, 2000*
6Rensselaer Central2001*, 2002*, 2004, 2005*, 2010, 2014
6Lafayette Central Catholic1972*, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 (W), 2016
4Twin Lakes1986*, 1998, 2000*, 2003
3Benton Central2000*, 2001*, 2002*
3Sheridan2005*, 2006, 2007
1Hamilton Heights2015 (E)
1McCutcheon1994
1Tipton2001*
1Lewis Cass2019
0Carroll
0Cass
0Northwestern
0Western
  • Football was first sponsored in 1972. Unlisted seasons between 1974 and 1984 are unverified. There was no champion in 1997.

Boys' Basketball

#TeamSeasons
10West Lafayette1950*, 1955*, 1960, 1962*, 1964, 2000*, 2006, 2007, 2014, 2018
7Benton Central1996*, 1999, 2000*, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
7Tipton2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015*
6Rossville1948, 1953, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974*
4Attica1950*, 1961, 1962*, 1968
4Sheridan1951, 1952, 1955*, 1957
3McCutcheon1994, 1995*, 1996*
3Western1963, 2021, 2022
2Central Catholic2015*, 2020
2Harrison (WL)1995*, 1997
2Northwestern2017 (E), 2019
2Twin Lakes2005, 2017 (W)
2Winamac1956, 1962*
1Flora1954
1Hamilton Heights2016
1Rensselaer Central2023
0Carroll
0Cass
0Clinton Prairie
0Delphi
0Southwestern (Tipp)
  • The 1948–49, 1957–59, 1964–67, and 1971-93 champions are unverified. There was no champion in 1997–98.

Girls' Basketball

#TeamSeasons
11Benton Central2003, 2005*, 2006, 2007*, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014*, 2015. 2022
5West Lafayette2004, 2005*, 2007*, 2016, 2017 (W)
5Twin Lakes2001, 2002*, 2005*, 2008, 2023
4Northwestern2017 (E), 2018, 2019, 2020
2Central Catholic2014*, 2021
2Tipton2002*, 2012
0Cass
0Delphi
0Hamilton Heights
0Harrison
0McCutcheon
0Rensselaer Central
0Sheridan
0Western
  • Seasons before 2000-01 are unverified.

State champions

Cass Kings (3)

  • Basketball- 2A (2003)
  • Softball- 2A (2006)
  • Softball- 2A (2008)

Central Catholic Knights (17)

  • 1976 Football (A)
  • 1998 Boys' Basketball (A)
  • 1999 Football (A)
  • 2000 Boys' Basketball (A)
  • 2003 Boys' Basketball (A)
  • 2004 Baseball (A)
  • 2006 Girls' Basketball (A)
  • 2007 Baseball (A)
  • 2009 Baseball (A)
  • 2009 Football (A)
  • 2010 Baseball (A)
  • 2010 Football (A)
  • 2010 Volleyball (A)
  • 2011 Baseball (A)
  • 2019 Football (A)
  • 2021 Girls' Volleyball (A)
  • 2023 Baseball (A)

All championships before 2011-2012 school year as members of Hoosier Heartland Conference.

Northwestern Tigers (3)

  • 2007 Boys' Basketball (2A)
  • 2018 Girls' Basketball (3A)
  • 2019 Girls' Basketball (3A)

Sheridan Blackhawks(9)

  • 1980 Football (A)
  • 1984 Football (A)
  • 1987 Football (A)
  • 1988 Football (A)
  • 1992 Football (A)
  • 1998 Football (A)
  • 2005 Football (A)
  • 2006 Football (A)
  • 2007 Football (A)

Tipton Blue Devils (2)

  • 1990 Softball
  • 1994 Boys' Golf

Twin Lakes Indians(1)

  • 1989 Softball

West Lafayette Red Devils(5)

  • 1964 Boys' Cross Country
  • 1993 Football (2A)
  • 1998 Girls' Basketball (3A)
  • 2009 Football (3A)
  • 2013 Girls' Soccer (A)
  • 2014 Boys' Cross Country
  • 2018 Football (3A)

Western Panthers (5)

  • 2018 Tyler Gilbert, Discus
  • 2017 Tyler Gilbert, Discus
  • 1988 Michelle Faulkner, 800 Meters
  • 2001 Girls' Golf
  • 2006 Brandon Youngdale, High Jump
  • 2012 Baseball, (3A)
  • 2014 Girls' Basketball, (3A)
  • 1977 Joe Schwartz, Wrestling

Rensselaer Bombers (1)

  • 2014 Football (2A)

Resources