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

SchoolLocationMascotColorsEnrollment 22–23IHSAA Class# / CountyYear joinedPrevious conference
Lewis CassWaltonKings413AA09 Cass2023Hoosier
MaconaquahBunker HillBraves604AAA52 Miami2015Mid-Indiana
ManchesterNorth ManchesterSquires479AA85 Wabash1976Northern Lakes
NorthfieldSpeichervilleNorsemen275AA85 Wabash1971Independents (new school 1962)
NorthwesternKokomoTigers554AAA85 Howard2024Hoosier
PeruPeruBengal Tigers655AAA52 Miami2015Mid-Indiana
Rochester CommunityRochesterZebras495AA25 Fulton1987Northern Lakes
SouthwoodWabashKnights240A85 Wabash1976Mid-Indiana
WabashWabashApaches471AA85 Wabash2006Central Indiana
WhitkoSouth WhitleyWildcats417AA92 Whitley1976Independents (new school 1971)

Former members

SchoolLocationMascotColors# / CountyYear joinedPrevious conferenceYear leftConference joined
CastonFultonComets25 Fulton1971Independents (new school 1964)1978Midwest
Culver CommunityCulverCavaliers50 Marshall1971Independents (MCC 1966)1976Independents (NSC 1977)
TritonBourbonTrojans50 Marshall1971Independents (MCC 1966)1980Northern State
Eastern (Greentown)GreentownComets34 Howard1980Mid-Indiana1987Mid-Indiana
Oak HillConverseGolden Eagles27 Grant1980Mid-Indiana2006Central Indiana
Tippecanoe ValleyAkronVikings43 Kosciusko1976Independents (new school 1974)2023Independents
North MiamiDenverWarriors52 Miami1971Mid-Indiana2024Hoosier North

Football Divisions 2015–2018

NorthSouth
ManchesterMaconaquah
NorthfieldNorth Miami
RochesterPeru
Tippecanoe ValleySouthwood
WhitkoWabash

Timeline

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

Boys' 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

TitlesSchoolYears
16Tippecanoe Valley1977, 1978, 1979, 1980*, 1981, 1982*, 1985*, 1987, 1993, 1994, 2004, 2006, 2011*, 2012*, 2021, 2022*
15Rochester1988, 1997, 1999, 2000*, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009*, 2011*, 2012*, 2013*, 2014, 2022*, 2025
11Southwood1976, 1980*, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2002*, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022*
6Whitko1986, 1989, 1990, 2002*, 2010, 2013*
5Triton1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975*
4North Miami1982*, 1984*, 1985*, 1991, 1995
4Oak Hill1982*, 1983, 2000*, 2003
3Northfield1975*, 1980*, 2016
2Manchester1998, 2009*
2Peru2015, 2023
1Caston1975*
1Eastern (Greentown)1984*
1Maconaquah2024
0Lewis Cass
0Northwestern
0Wabash
  • Culver did not have a football team until after they left the TRC.

Boys basketball

TitlesSchoolYears
16Manchester1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1991–92, 1992–93*, 1993–94, 1994–95*, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02*, 2015–16*, 2023–24*, 2024–25*
15Tippecanoe Valley1977–78, 1990–91*, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08*, 2008–09, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16*, 2022–23
12Whitko1978–79, 1980–81, 1983–84*, 1984–85, 1985–86*, 1987–88, 1990–91*, 1992–93*, 1994–95*, 1996–97*, 2009–10*, 2011–12
5Northfield1974–75*, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91*, 1992–93*
4Oak Hill1983–84*, 1985–86*, 1996–97*, 2001–02*
4Southwood2010–11*, 2015–16*, 2016–17, 2017–18*
4Wabash2012–13, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2023–24*
3Caston1973–74*, 1975–76, 1976–77
3Maconaquah2017–18*, 2021–22*, 2024–25*
3North Miami1973–74*, 2009–10*, 2010–11*
3Rochester2007–08*, 2009–10*, 2020–21
1Northwestern2025–26
1Peru2021–22*
1Triton1972–73
0Culver
0Eastern (Greentown)
0Lewis Cass

Baseball

TitlesSchoolYears
1Northwestern2025
1Peru2024
1Rochester2023
1Wabash2022
1Southwood2021

Girls volleyball

TitlesSchoolYears
15Southwood2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
4Rochester2003, 2014, 2015, 2017
2Maconaquah2016, 2019
1Northfield2020
1Wabash2018
0Lewis Cass
0Northwestern

Girls basketball

TitlesSchoolYears
15Tippecanoe Valley1978–79, 1979–80*, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2002–03*, 2007–08*, 2009–10, 2012–13*, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20*, 2021–22, 2022–23
9Rochester1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03*, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07*, 2012–13*, 2019–20*
7Northfield1980–81, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1995–96, 2018–19, 2019–20*, 2020–21
6Manchester1984–85*, 1998–99, 2005–06, 2006–07*, 2007–08*, 2012–13*
5Southwood1979–80*, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85*, 2013–14
5Wabash2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13*, 2014–15, 2024–25*
3Whitko2008–09, 2024–25*, 2025–26
3Oak Hill1981–82, 1985–86, 2006–07*
2North Miami1996–97, 1997–98
1Lewis Cass2023–24
0Caston
0Eastern (Greentown)
0Maconaquah
0Northwestern
0Peru
0Triton
  • 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

TitlesSchoolYears
10Maconaquah2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
2Oak Hill2003, 2004
0Lewis Cass
0Manchester
0Northfield
0North Miami
0Rochester
0Tippecanoe Valley
0Wabash
  • 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

TitlesSchoolYears
9Maconaquah2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
2Oak Hill2003, 2004
1Rochester2016
0Lewis Cass
0Manchester
0Northfield
0North Miami
0Tippecanoe Valley
0Wabash
  • 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 to 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 to 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.

Resources