Allen County Athletic Conference

The Allen County Athletic Conference (ACAC) is a seven-member Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) conference. While all of its charter schools are and were located in Allen County, it also has member schools from Adams, Jay, and Wells counties. The ACAC, along with the Porter County Conference, are the only two county conferences left in existence.

Allen County Athletic Conference
Founded1956
RegionIndiana
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

History

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The Allen County Athletic Conference began with nine schools in Allen County in 1956.[1] The schools were smaller, rural schools, with the exception of Elmhurst, the sole Fort Wayne school that wasn't included in the Fort Wayne City Series. The conference was hit hard by consolidation, and the nine original schools were down to four by the 1968 season (and two of those were new consolidations). The conference responded by going outside county borders by admitting Norwell (itself a newly consolidated school) in 1967, followed by Adams Central, Churubusco, and Eastside in 1968. The rebooted conference now expanded well outside of the Allen County footprint, including schools from Adams, DeKalb, Wells, and Whitley counties. All of the schools now sponsored football, and competition in that sport began in 1969.

The conference went to a two division format in 1971 with the addition of new school Homestead and Southern Wells. That format ended in 1975, as Homestead left for the Northeastern Indiana Athletic Conference, followed by Eastside leaving for the Northeast Corner Conference in 1980. The breakup of the NEIAC in 1989 led to a wide-scale realignment of conferences in Northeast Indiana, as schools looked to realign themselves with rivals of similar enrolments. The ACAC became the home for mid-sized schools, while the Northeast Corner housed small schools, and the newly formed Northeast Hoosier Conference became the stable for the largest non-Fort Wayne schools. Carroll and Norwell left that year for the NEHC, while Churubusco left for the NECC. They were replaced by NEIAC schools Bluffton and South Adams. Garrett, becoming too large for the Northeast Corner, moved to the Allen County league in 2005.

Jay County joined the conference beginning with the 2014-15 school year.[2] However, the conference shrank down to seven schools in 2015, as Garrett moved to the Northeast Corner Conference in 2014, and Leo joined six of the eight Northeast Hoosier Conference high schools in a new conference (Northeast 8) in 2015.[3][4]

Membership

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Current members

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School Location Mascot Colors Enrollment [1]
24-25
IHSAA Class/
Football Class
County Year joined Previous conference
Adams
Central
1
Monroe Flying Jets     408 2A/2A 01
Adams
1965 Eastern Wabash Valley
Bluffton Bluffton Tigers     507 2A/2A 90
Wells
1989 Northeastern Indiana
Heritage Monroeville Patriots       616 3A/3A 02
Allen
1968 none (new school)
Jay County Portland Patriots       800 3A/3A 38
Jay
2014 Independents (Olympic 2010)
South
Adams
Berne Starfires       357 2A/1A 01
Adams
1989 Northeastern Indiana
Southern
Wells
Poneto Raiders       252 1A/1A 90
Wells
1971 Independents
Woodlan2 Woodburn Warriors     518 2A/3A 02
Allen
1956 independents
  1. Adams Central played in the ACAC and the EWVC concurrently for 1965-66, the final year for the EWVC.
  2. Woodlan was known as Woodburn before 1959.

Former members

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School Location Mascot Colors County Year joined Previous conference Year left Conference joined
Arcola Arcola Aces     02
Allen
1956 1968 none (consolidated into Carroll (FW))
Elmhurst Fort Wayne Trojans     02
Allen
1956 1960 Northeastern Indiana
Harlan Harlan Hawks     02
Allen
1956 1965 none (consolidated into Woodlan)
Hoagland Hoagland Wildcats     02
Allen
1956 1968 none (consolidated into Heritage)
Huntertown Huntertown Wildcats     02
Allen
1956 1968 none (consolidated into Carroll (FW))
Lafayette Central1 Nine Mile Pirates     02
Allen
1956 1963 none (consolidated into Roanoke)
Leo Leo Lions     02Allen 1956 2015 Northeast Eight
Monroeville Monroeville Cubs     02
Allen
1956 1968 none (consolidated into Heritage)
Ossian Ossian Bears       90
Wells
1966 Eastern Wabash Valley 1967 none (consolidated
into Norwell)
Norwell Ossian Knights       90
Wells
1967 none (new school) 1989 Northeast Hoosier
Carroll
(Fort Wayne)
Fort Wayne Chargers     02
Allen
1968 none (new school) 1989 Northeast Hoosier
Churubusco Churubusco Eagles       92
Whitley
1968 Independents
(WCC 1958)
1989 Northeast Corner
Eastside Butler Blazers     17
DeKalb
1968 Independents
(SCC 1967)
1980 Northeast Corner
Homestead Fort Wayne Spartans       02
Allen
1971 none (new school) 1975 Northeastern Indiana
Garrett Garrett Railroaders       17
DeKalb
2005 Northeast Corner 2014 Northeast Corner
  1. Lafayette Central became part of Roanoke High School in 1963. Roanoke itself consolidated into Huntington North in 1966, taking Lafayette Township with it. The township then split off from HNHS to become part of Southwest Allen County Schools in 1971.

Membership timeline

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Jay County High SchoolGarrett High SchoolSouth Adams Jr./Sr. High SchoolBluffton High School (Bluffton, Indiana)Southern Wells Jr/Sr High SchoolHomestead High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana)Heritage Junior-Senior High SchoolEastside Junior-Senior High SchoolChurubusco High SchoolCarroll High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana)Norwell High School (Indiana)Norwell High School (Indiana)Adams Central High SchoolWoodlan Junior/Senior High SchoolHeritage Junior-Senior High SchoolLeo Junior/Senior High SchoolHomestead High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana)Carroll High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana)Heritage Junior-Senior High SchoolWoodlan Junior/Senior High SchoolElmhurst High SchoolCarroll High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

Division Format 1971-75

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North South
Churubusco Adams Central
Fort Wayne Carroll Heritage
Eastside Homestead
Leo Norwell
Woodlan Southern Wells
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Boys Girls
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross Country
Cross Country Golf
Football Soccer
Golf Softball
Soccer Swimming
Swimming Tennis
Tennis Track & Field
Track & Field Volleyball
Wrestling

Conference championships

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Football

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# Team Seasons
14 Woodlan 1970*, 1971 (N)*, 1972 (N, C), 1973 (N), 1974 (N, C)*, 1975, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989*, 1996, 2015, 2016
12 Adams Central 1969, 1972 (S)*, 1981, 1994, 1995, 1997*, 1999, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023
11 Leo 1971 (N)*, 1974 (N)*, 1977, 1997*, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012*, 2013, 2014
10 Heritage 1970*, 1972 (S)*, 1998, 2001, 2002*, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012*
6 South Adams 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2019, 2020
5 Norwell 1971 (S, C), 1980, 1983, 1987, 1988
3 Carroll (FW) 1976, 1978, 1979
2 Garrett 2007, 2012*
2 Homestead 1973 (S), 1974 (S)
2 Southern Wells 2000, 2008
1 Bluffton 1989*
1 Churubusco 1971 (N)*
1 Eastside 1974 (N)*
0 Jay County
  • 1971-74: N = North Division champions, S = South Division champions, C = title game champions (not held in 1973).

Boys basketball

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# Team Seasons
24 Leo 1957, 1960, 1961, 1963*, 1964, 1966*, 1971, 1972, 1979*, 1980, 1993, 1994, 1995,
1998*, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005*, 2006, 2011*, 2013*, 2015
11 Norwell 1973, 1978*, 1979*, 1981*, 1982, 1983*, 1984*, 1986, 1987*, 1988
10 Bluffton 1998*, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009*, 2010, 2011*, 2013, 2016*, 2020
9 Carroll (FW) 1969, 1974, 1977, 1978*, 1981*, 1983*, 1984*, 1985, 1987*
5 Jay County 2016*, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023*
4 Woodlan 1996, 2007, 2014, 2017*
4 Heritage 2005*, 2009*, 2017*, 2021
3 Southern Wells 1975, 1976, 1992
2 Adams Central 2012, 2023*
1 Huntertown 1966*
1 South Adams 1997
0 Arcola
0 Churubusco
0 Eastside
0 Elmhurst
0 Garrett
0 Harlan
0 Hoagland
0 Homestead
0 Lafayette Central
0 Monroeville
0 Ossian
0 Woodburn
  • Champions from 1958-59 to 1990-91 not listed are unverified.

Girls basketball

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# Team Seasons
8 Leo 1978, 2001, 2002, 2004*, 2008*, 2010, 2012, 2013*
8 Jay County 2015, 2016, 2017*, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
5 Garrett 2006*, 2007, 2008*, 2011, 2014
5 Southern Wells 2004*, 2005*, 2006*, 2009, 2013
2 Woodlan 2005*, 2020
2 Heritage 2003, 2006*
1 Norwell 1976
1 South Adams 2017*
0 Adams Central
0 Bluffton
0 Carroll (FW)
0 Churubusco
0 Eastside
0 Homestead
  • Champions from beginning of competition (ca. 1974-75) until 2000 not listed are unverified.

Wrestling

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# Team Seasons
27 Adams Central 1975, 1978*, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987*, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019
5 Carroll (FW) 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978*, 1987*
3 Leo 2003, 2007, 2014
3 Woodlan 1972, 1973, 2001
2 Bluffton 1999, 2002
2 Garrett 2009, 2010
2 South Adams 2008, 2011
0 Churubusco
0 Eastside
0 Heritage
0 Homestead
1 Jay County 2023
0 Norwell
0 Southern Wells

[5]

Only tournament champions listed.

State titles

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Adams Central Flying Jets (1)

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  • 2000 Football (A)

Bluffton Tigers (0)

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Garrett Railroaders (1)

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  • 1974 Football (A)

Heritage Patriots (1)

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  • 1982 girls basketball

Leo Lions (1)

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  • 2014 Girls Softball (3A)
  • 2008 Justin Woods, Leo 33-0 215lb State Wrestling Champion

South Adams Starfires (1)

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• Davona Runkel - Girls shot put (1986)

Southern Wells Raiders (1)

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  • 2001 Football (A)

Woodlan Warriors (0)

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References

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  1. ^ Elmhurst High School (1957). "Varsity Season". Anlibrun Yearbook. Fort Wayne, IN: 63. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  2. ^ "Jay County Planning to Join ACAC in 2014". The Star Press. 2013-04-23. Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
  3. ^ "Leo, Huntington North Join NHC Schools for New Conference". FortWayne.com. 2013-06-06. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
  4. ^ "Garrett Move to NECC Approved by School Board". Indiana News Center. 2013-05-21. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
  5. ^ "ACAC Wrestling History - IndianaMat". Archived from the original on 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2016-04-10.