Terre Haute Schools Heading To the Sagamore Conference

[Frozen Tundra]

Breaking news from Kyle Neddenriep. I wonder what happens with Bloomington South, Columbus North, and Southport now. Do they find new conference homes or does the exit of the Terre Haute schools make Conference Indiana attractive to other schools looking to make a move?

[Indiana Fan]

I’ve heard rumblings of the Circle City opening the door to them…not sure if I buy it though. 
 

What they need to do is add some more talented teams. CG is still available and is on the Southside with short drives to those schools. Franklin Central is in the process of their way out of the HCC. Make a deal and work hard to get those 2 schools back in. The other sports don’t matter because they have plenty of games anyway. Southport wouldn’t be a good fit football wise, but Columbus north and Bloomington south would very much benefit from having those 2 schools on their schedule. Maybe try for Columbus East? I doubt they’d come over though. New pal or greenfield potentially?

Who knows what will happen. My guess is that Conference Indiana will officially be obsolete come 2026-2027. Will be a sad day because of the history in that conference. 

[Frozen Tundra]

8 minutes ago, Indiana Fan said:

Who knows what will happen. My guess is that Conference Indiana will officially be obsolete come 2026-2027. Will be a sad day because of the history in that conference. 

Just curious but what history are you referring to? Conference Indiana has only been around since 1996.

[ptr]

Bloom. South AD talked about options today and he didn't elude to anything other than that statement. With South, Col. North and Southport (who has been trying to extract themselves from CI the last couple of years), I'm not sure what is going to happen. 

[Indiana Fan]

48 minutes ago, Frozen Tundra said:

Just curious but what history are you referring to? Conference Indiana has only been around since 1996.

Loved the days of 10 schools. Very competitive early 2000s. 

[Frozen Tundra]

43 minutes ago, Indiana Fan said:

Loved the days of 10 schools. Very competitive early 2000s. 

I didn’t like it for the fact all the teams didn’t play each other. It was still a seven game conference schedule.

[HoopsCoach]

1 hour ago, Indiana Fan said:

I’ve heard rumblings of the Circle City opening the door to them…not sure if I buy it though. 
 

What they need to do is add some more talented teams. CG is still available and is on the Southside with short drives to those schools. Franklin Central is in the process of their way out of the HCC. Make a deal and work hard to get those 2 schools back in. The other sports don’t matter because they have plenty of games anyway. Southport wouldn’t be a good fit football wise, but Columbus north and Bloomington south would very much benefit from having those 2 schools on their schedule. Maybe try for Columbus East? I doubt they’d come over though. New pal or greenfield potentially?

Who knows what will happen. My guess is that Conference Indiana will officially be obsolete come 2026-2027. Will be a sad day because of the history in that conference. 

Maybe a temporary grouping of Bloomington South, Southport, Columbus North, and Center Grove could help with schedules until a more permanent home could be found.  If Franklin Central leaves the HCC, I think Center Grove takes the 8th spot in that conference pretty quickly.  I could see Franklin Central and Southport then joining the MIC to bring that conference back to 8 members.  That leaves Bloomington South and Columbus North searching for somewhere to go, which could be the Hoosier Hills.  That conference would fit them both well.

I think New Castle may be leaving the Hoosier Heartland soon, and Delta would probably jump with them.  Shelbyville is already leaving that conference, so the remaining 5 members (if Yorktown stays) might be looking for some schools to join them.  Pendleton Heights, Mount Vernon, Greenfield-Central, and New Palestine are all growing, but the drive to Bloomington and Columbus is probably a deterrent to joining a conference with those schools.

The move by the Terre Haute schools to the Sagamore Conference is probably a good choice.  Competitively, it’s a pretty good fit.  They will have some long drives to Lafayette, but it’s really not much longer than going to Columbus.  Better to move to a conference by choice now than to stay where they are and eventually be left behind.

[temptation]

Where are the FC leaving the HCC rumors coming from?

[ptr]

The constant moving of schools to the various conferences is enough to make one's head spin. From a football standpoint, the TH schools are not a good fit for any conference since they have been noncompetitive for the most part in CI in that sport with TH South occasionally coming up with a big win. TH North was strong in basketball the past couple of seasons and promise to be strong next season. TH South hasn't been all that competitive in basketball for the past few seasons. So, I wonder if those schools wanted to get away from Bloom South and Columbus North in what you would call the "money" sports at the high school level. That's just me trying the get a handle on the move with some speculation. 

[Muda69]

Lafayette Harrison to Terre Haute South  - 105 miles

Lafayette Harrison to Terre Haute North - 102 miles

McCutcheon to Terre Haute North - 78 miles

McCutcheon to Terre Haute South - 86 miles

Lebanon High School to Terre Haute South - 95 miles

Lebanon High School to Terre Haute North - 96 miles

Danville High School to Terre Haute North - 56 miles

Danville High School to Terre Haute South - 63 miles

 

No thanks. 

 

[Frozen Tundra]

1 hour ago, ptr said:

The constant moving of schools to the various conferences is enough to make one's head spin. From a football standpoint, the TH schools are not a good fit for any conference since they have been noncompetitive for the most part in CI in that sport with TH South occasionally coming up with a big win. TH North was strong in basketball the past couple of seasons and promise to be strong next season. TH South hasn't been all that competitive in basketball for the past few seasons. So, I wonder if those schools wanted to get away from Bloom South and Columbus North in what you would call the "money" sports at the high school level. That's just me trying the get a handle on the move with some speculation. 

I personally think the Terre Haute schools were trying to get ahead by not allowing themselves to be at the mercy of the other Conference Indiana schools. The writing was on the wall when the Mid-State Conference accepted Bloomington North as its newest member. With five CI schools left, you have to decide whether you’re going to get out before it all crashes down on you or if you’re going to sit on your hands and let others beat you to the punch by getting out. The Terre Haute schools decided to be proactive so they found a conference willing to take them in instead of putting themselves in a desperate situation down the road where they may not have had any conferences looking for new members.

[THPD262]

47 minutes ago, Frozen Tundra said:

I personally think the Terre Haute schools were trying to get ahead by not allowing themselves to be at the mercy of the other Conference Indiana schools. The writing was on the wall when the Mid-State Conference accepted Bloomington North as its newest member. With five CI schools left, you have to decide whether you’re going to get out before it all crashes down on you or if you’re going to sit on your hands and let others beat you to the punch by getting out. The Terre Haute schools decided to be proactive so they found a conference willing to take them in instead of putting themselves in a desperate situation down the road where they may not have had any conferences looking for new members.

This is why they left.  Nothing to do with competition, they were just being proactive.  

[ptr]

46 minutes ago, THPD262 said:

This is why they left.  Nothing to do with competition, they were just being proactive.  

Yeah, both you and Frozen Tundra make sense on why they are leaving CI after this upcoming season. Travel-wise, the move doesn't change much for the schools involved. Bloom. South and Col. North decided to remain pat over the past couple of years unless there was some negotiation going on that I'm unaware of. It was no secret that Bloom. North and Southport were looking for new conference alliances over that period, so we all knew there were going to be some changes coming up at some point. 

[Frozen Tundra]

8 hours ago, ptr said:

Yeah, both you and Frozen Tundra make sense on why they are leaving CI after this upcoming season. Travel-wise, the move doesn't change much for the schools involved. Bloom. South and Col. North decided to remain pat over the past couple of years unless there was some negotiation going on that I'm unaware of. It was no secret that Bloom. North and Southport were looking for new conference alliances over that period, so we all knew there were going to be some changes coming up at some point. 

I’m curious what you would like to see with Bloomington South going forward.

[ptr]

13 hours ago, Frozen Tundra said:

I’m curious what you would like to see with Bloomington South going forward.

If I had a preference, I would prefer the Mid-State Conference and then the HHC in that order, but not because of competitive reasons. The Mid-State Conference would mean much less travel time, while the HHC would mean a lot of travel time with several schools down on the Ohio River. It would be a quick shot up I-69 to get close to the Mid-State Conference schools for all sports and not just the "money" sports. If it were strictly for competitive reasons, I would prefer the HHC since we developed quite a bit of rivalry with New Albany and Floyd Central down on the Ohio River, not to mention Silver Creek from outside the HHC in basketball. We continue to have both football and basketball relationships with nearby HHC schools in Col. East, Seymour, and BNL, not to mention Jennings County. I don't know where the contract stands on our basketball series with New Albany and Floyd Central, but they are among the schools that have been a mainstay on our basketball schedule.

[superjay]

If Northview were looking for an upgrade this would be a good move.  Not really sure who else fits.  Maybe Tri-West if we grow a bunch in next 10 years.  I don't see this conference lasting long.  Either the Terre Haute schools or Lafayette schools will get tired of the travel.  Danville, Lebanon, and Tri-West should have joined the Circle City conference.

[Frozen Tundra]

On 4/13/2025 at 12:08 PM, superjay said:

If Northview were looking for an upgrade this would be a good move.  Not really sure who else fits.  Maybe Tri-West if we grow a bunch in next 10 years.  I don't see this conference lasting long.  Either the Terre Haute schools or Lafayette schools will get tired of the travel.  Danville, Lebanon, and Tri-West should have joined the Circle City conference.

Even if Northview wanted to join Conference Indiana, I’m not sure those schools would want them. Maybe Southport would be fine with it but, from a competitive standpoint, I’m not sure Bloomington South and Columbus North would oblige.

[1st_and_10]

13 hours ago, Frozen Tundra said:

Even if Northview wanted to join Conference Indiana, I’m not sure those schools would want them. Maybe Southport would be fine with it but, from a competitive standpoint, I’m not sure Bloomington South and Columbus North would oblige.

I think he was saying Northview to join the Sagamore.  There are only 6 schools.  I am sure they are looking for a couple of more schools.

[Bear54]

Terre Haute North looking for a new head coach now...

https://www.wthitv.com/sports/terre-haute-north-coach-steps-down/video_3fc4317f-7a32-5688-a2f1-e2abecb0ac84.html

[temptation]

5 hours ago, Bear54 said:

Terre Haute North looking for a new head coach now...

https://www.wthitv.com/sports/terre-haute-north-coach-steps-down/video_3fc4317f-7a32-5688-a2f1-e2abecb0ac84.html

Starting to feel like the college game, where the power conferences/programs are hoarding talent, both coaching and players, and everyone else is getting left farther behind.

To be fair, TH North is in 5A purgatory.

[crimsonace1]

On 4/10/2025 at 6:57 PM, Indiana Fan said:

I’ve heard rumblings of the Circle City opening the door to them…not sure if I buy it though. 
 

What they need to do is add some more talented teams. CG is still available and is on the Southside with short drives to those schools. Franklin Central is in the process of their way out of the HCC. Make a deal and work hard to get those 2 schools back in. The other sports don’t matter because they have plenty of games anyway. Southport wouldn’t be a good fit football wise, but Columbus north and Bloomington south would very much benefit from having those 2 schools on their schedule. Maybe try for Columbus East? I doubt they’d come over though. New pal or greenfield potentially?

Who knows what will happen. My guess is that Conference Indiana will officially be obsolete come 2026-2027. Will be a sad day because of the history in that conference. 

New Pal & Greenfield-Central aren't going anywhere without Pendleton Heights and Mt. Vernon joining them. 

[crimsonace1]

On 4/10/2025 at 7:07 PM, Frozen Tundra said:

Just curious but what history are you referring to? Conference Indiana has only been around since 1996.

It has its roots in the old Central Suburban Athletic Conference (which was, at one time, a mix of Marion County township schools Pike, FC, LN, LC & DC, as well as some suburban schools like Greenfield-Central, Brownsburg and Center Grove ... and then Southport/Perry replaced the suburban schools that left) and the South Central Conference. When the MIC formed, LN left the CSAC and Center Grove left the South Central. Meanwhile, Shelbyville left the SCC for the Hoosier Heritage & Seymour for the Hoosier Hills, and they were left with four teams. So, the two leagues merged. 

CI, in the early days, was the best basketball conference in Indiana. It was an incredible league. Pike won three state titles, Bloomington North won one with Sean May, Bloomington South then followed with a good run, LC made a run to the final four in 1998, FC had some good years with JaJuan Johnson. Then, they basically traded Pike & LC to the MIC for THN/THS, Decatur & Martinsville left for the Mid-State, Perry Meridian followed a few years later, and it became a bit of a league of survivors. 

Feels like THN/THS are leaving one "marriage of convenience" league for another, as the Sagamore was left with four teams and needed to get to six just to stay alive as a conference. But this one might last, at least for a little bit, until Danville & Lebanon can find another home (or a league that will take them). Northview is kind of in a weird spot. They'd be the smallest school in the Sagamore, but they're the largest in the WIC, a league with quite a few 2A schools. 

[Frozen Tundra]

2 hours ago, crimsonace1 said:

It has its roots in the old Central Suburban Athletic Conference (which was, at one time, a mix of Marion County township schools Pike, FC, LN, LC & DC, as well as some suburban schools like Greenfield-Central, Brownsburg and Center Grove ... and then Southport/Perry replaced the suburban schools that left) and the South Central Conference. When the MIC formed, LN left the CSAC and Center Grove left the South Central. Meanwhile, Shelbyville left the SCC for the Hoosier Heritage & Seymour for the Hoosier Hills, and they were left with four teams. So, the two leagues merged. 

CI, in the early days, was the best basketball conference in Indiana. It was an incredible league. Pike won three state titles, Bloomington North won one with Sean May, Bloomington South then followed with a good run, LC made a run to the final four in 1998, FC had some good years with JaJuan Johnson. Then, they basically traded Pike & LC to the MIC for THN/THS, Decatur & Martinsville left for the Mid-State, Perry Meridian followed a few years later, and it became a bit of a league of survivors. 

Feels like THN/THS are leaving one "marriage of convenience" league for another, as the Sagamore was left with four teams and needed to get to six just to stay alive as a conference. But this one might last, at least for a little bit, until Danville & Lebanon can find another home (or a league that will take them). Northview is kind of in a weird spot. They'd be the smallest school in the Sagamore, but they're the largest in the WIC, a league with quite a few 2A schools. 

Yeah I’m aware of the histories of the schools before Conference Indiana but Conference Indiana itself doesn’t have much history. It was a pretty solid conference at one time but that’s an about it. Reminds me of Conference USA (due to all the parallels) which I assume was the inspiration for its name.

[Gatorguy]

2 hours ago, crimsonace1 said:

It has its roots in the old Central Suburban Athletic Conference (which was, at one time, a mix of Marion County township schools Pike, FC, LN, LC & DC, as well as some suburban schools like Greenfield-Central, Brownsburg and Center Grove ... and then Southport/Perry replaced the suburban schools that left) and the South Central Conference. When the MIC formed, LN left the CSAC and Center Grove left the South Central. Meanwhile, Shelbyville left the SCC for the Hoosier Heritage & Seymour for the Hoosier Hills, and they were left with four teams. So, the two leagues merged. 

CI, in the early days, was the best basketball conference in Indiana. It was an incredible league. Pike won three state titles, Bloomington North won one with Sean May, Bloomington South then followed with a good run, LC made a run to the final four in 1998, FC had some good years with JaJuan Johnson. Then, they basically traded Pike & LC to the MIC for THN/THS, Decatur & Martinsville left for the Mid-State, Perry Meridian followed a few years later, and it became a bit of a league of survivors. 

Feels like THN/THS are leaving one "marriage of convenience" league for another, as the Sagamore was left with four teams and needed to get to six just to stay alive as a conference. But this one might last, at least for a little bit, until Danville & Lebanon can find another home (or a league that will take them). Northview is kind of in a weird spot. They'd be the smallest school in the Sagamore, but they're the largest in the WIC, a league with quite a few 2A schools. 

Wasn't Noblesville in the CSAC for a short time in the 80's? Wikipedia doesn't seem to think so, but I could swear they were.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Suburban_Conference

[crimsonace1]

15 hours ago, Gatorguy said:

Wasn't Noblesville in the CSAC for a short time in the 80's? Wikipedia doesn't seem to think so, but I could swear they were.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Suburban_Conference

I believe they were for a few years in the early 1980s (in-between stints in the Sagamore & Olympic Conferences). When they left, Brownsburg replaced them.