BCS League
The Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph (BCS) League is an athletic conference for high schools in southwest Michigan. Founded in 2014 with the inaugural season of play in 2014-15, the conference aspires to grow into a Southwest Michigan "super conference" with membership extending across all MHSAA classes but organized into divisions of schools with similar enrollments. Periodic realignment of divisions allows members to remain in competition with like-sized schools within the conference thereby avoiding the disruptive effects of conference switching due to changing enrollment. The conference has a unique scheduling philosophy that does not force members to play against conference opponents in different divisions but also respects the freedom of members to schedule rivals and other willing conference opponents regardless of size or division.[1][2]
| Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph League | |
|---|---|
| BCS League | |
| Established | 2014 |
| Association | Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) |
| Members | 5 Class B, 4 Class C, 8 Class D |
| Region | Southwest Michigan |
| Locations | |
 | |
Sponsored Sports
Boys
Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swim and Dive, Tennis, Track and Field, Wrestling
Girls
Basketball, Bowling, Competitive Cheerleading, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball, Swim and Dive, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball
Member schools
There are currently 17 member schools. The geographic footprint of the league includes Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties in Michigan.
Current Members
School data in the table below is current for the 2020-21 season according to the MHSAA website.[3]
† 8-man football team that is a member of the Southwest Michigan 8-man Football League[4]
| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | Enrollment | Class | Sports Division | Football Division | Affiliation | Joined | Previous Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berrien Springs | Berrien Springs | Shamrocks | Green & White | 513 | B | Red | BCS | Public | 2015[5] | Wolverine Conference |
| Buchanan | Buchanan | Bucks | Maroon & White | 434 | B | Red | BCS | Public | 2014[6] | Lakeland Athletic Conference |
| Comstock | Comstock Township | Colts | Carolina Blue & White | 394 | B | Red | BCS | Public | 2015[5] | Kalamazoo Valley Association |
| Niles | Niles | Vikings | Navy Blue & Vegas Gold | 821 | B | Red | Independent[7] | Public | 2020[8] | Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference |
| Niles Brandywine | Niles Township | Bobcats | Maroon & Gold | 386 | C | Red | BCS | Public | 2014[6] | Lakeland Athletic Conference |
| South Haven | South Haven | Rams | Purple & Gold | 530 | B | Red | BCS | Public | 2020[9] | Wolverine Conference |
| Bridgman | Bridgman | Bees | Orange & Navy | 254 | C | Red | n/a † | Public | 2014[6] | Lakeland Athletic Conference |
| Benton Harbor Countryside Academy | Benton Township | Cougars | Blue & White | 166 | D | White | n/a | Private | 2016 | Red Arrow Conference |
| Covert | Covert Township | Bulldogs | Navy Blue & Gold | 115 | D | White | n/a | Public | 2017[10] | Southwestern Athletic Conference |
| Eau Claire | Lawrence | Fighting Beavers | Maroon & White | 189 | C | White | n/a † | Public | 2020[11] | Southwest 10 Conference |
| Lawrence | Lawrence | Tigers | Purple & White | 174 | D | White | n/a † | Public | 2018[12] | Southwestern Athletic Conference |
| Marcellus Howardsville Christian | Flowerfield Township | Eagles | Red & White | 34 | D | White | n/a | Private | 2016 | Red Arrow Conference |
| New Buffalo | New Buffalo | Bisons | Royal Blue & Gold | 187 | C | White | n/a † | Public | 2014[6] | Red Arrow Conference |
| St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic | St. Joseph Township | Lakers | Royal Blue, Gold & White | 84 | D | White | n/a † | Private | 2014[6] | Red Arrow Conference |
| St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran | Royalton Township | Titans | Purple & White | 118 | D | White | n/a † | Private | 2015[5] | Red Arrow Conference |
| Three Oaks River Valley | Chikaming Township | Mustangs | Navy & White | 176 | D | White | Independent | Public | 2015[5] | Red Arrow Conference |
| Watervliet Grace Christian | Bainbridge Township | Patriots | Royal Blue, Gold & White | 17 | D | White | n/a | Private | 2016 | Red Arrow Conference |
Former members[10][13][14]
| School | Location | Joined | Previous Conference | Departed | Successive Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronson Vikings | Bronson | 2014 | St. Joseph Valley League | 2017 | Big 8 Conference |
| Cassopolis Rangers | Jefferson Township | 2014 | Lakeland Athletic Conference | 2017 | Southwest 10 Conference |
| Centreville Bulldogs | Centreville | 2014 | St. Joseph Valley League | 2017 | Southwest 10 Conference |
| Mendon Hornets | Mendon | 2014 | St. Joseph Valley League | 2017 | Southwest 10 Conference |
| Parchment Panthers | Parchment | 2015 | Kalamazoo Valley Association | 2020 | Southwestern Athletic Conference |
| White Pigeon Chiefs | White Pigeon | 2014 | St. Joseph Valley League | 2017 | Southwest 10 Conference |
Membership Timeline
League Championships
Boys Basketball
| Red Division | White Division | Blue Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | School | Division Record |
School | Division Record |
School | Division Record |
| 2015 | Bridgman | 7-1 | Cassopolis | 7-1 | ||
| 2016 | Bridgman & Niles Brandywine | 8-2 | Marcellus Howardsville Christian | 9-1 | Cassopolis | 9-1 |
| 2017 | Niles Brandywine | 9-1 | Marcellus Howardsville Christian | 7-1 | Cassopolis | 8-2 |
| 2018 | Parchment | 9-1 | Marcellus Howardsville Christian, New Buffalo & St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic | 10-2 | ||
| 2019 | Niles Brandywine | 9-1 | Marcellus Howardsville Christian | 13-0 | ||
| 2020 | Niles Brandywine | 8-2 | Three Oaks River Valley | 14-0 | ||
Girls Basketball
| Red Division | White Division | Blue Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | School | Division Record |
School | Division Record |
School | Division Record |
| 2015 | Niles Brandywine | 8-0 | Bronson | 7-1 | ||
| 2016 | Niles Brandywine | 10-0 | St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran | 8-0 | Mendon | 9-1 |
| 2017 | Comstock & Buchanan | 9-1 | St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran | 8-0 | Centreville | 10-0 |
| 2018 | Comstock | 10-0 | St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran | 12-0 | ||
| 2019 | Comstock | 10-0 | St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran | 9-1 | ||
| 2020 | Niles Brandywine | 10-0 | St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran | 13-1 | ||
Football
| Blue Division | Red Division | White Division | BCS Division | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | School | Division Record |
School | Division Record |
School | Division Record |
School | Division Record |
| 2014 | Mendon | 4-0 | Bridgman | 4-0 | ||||
| 2015 | Bridgman | 4-0 | Cassopolis | 4-0 | Buchanan | 3-0 | ||
| 2016 | St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic | 4-0 | Cassopolis | 4-0 | Berrien Springs | 3-0 | ||
| 2017 | St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic | 4-0 | N/A | N/A | Berrien Springs | 3-0 | ||
| 2018 | Niles Brandywine | 3-0 | N/A | N/A | Berrien Springs | 3-0 | ||
| 2019 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Berrien Springs | 3-0 |
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References
- "Berrien-Cass-St. Joe Conference Archives". Leader Publications. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- Tribune, Jack Walkden South Bend. "High school sports: A dream conference?". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- "Michigan High School Athletic Association". Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- Hafer, Val (15 November 2018). "New 8-Man Football Conference Formed In SW Michigan". 106.1 & 1400 WSJM Sports. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- "BCS expanding to 15 teams for 2015-16". Leader Publications. August 13, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- https://www.wsjmsports.com/a-summer-of-change/
- https://www.southbendtribune.com/sports/high_school/niles-move-to-wolverine-will-grow-rekindle-rivalries/article_5625c2cc-bbde-11ea-a80b-5b8d62d606bd.html
- "Niles leaving SMAC to join BCS Conference". Leader Publications. September 26, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- Editor, BEN SANDERS-HP Sports. "Niles, South Haven to join BCS". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved February 23, 2020.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- "Southwest 10 Conference prepares for its debut in Fall 2017". mlive. January 17, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- Correspondent, DEBRA HAIGHT-HP. "Eau Claire schools joins BCS Athletic Conference". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- Editor, JASON MITCHELL-HP Sports. "Transparent Lawrence starts its move to BCS". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved February 23, 2020.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- "Southwest Schools Begin League Shuffle > SecondHalf". Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- "South Haven, Parchment to join new athletic conferences in 2020". mlive. September 30, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
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