National Trail Conference

The National Trail Conference (NTC) is a historic high school conference in east central Illinois. The conference participates in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The conference comprises eleven public high schools and one private high school with small enrollments in portions of Effingham, Fayette, Shelby, Cumberland and Clay counties.

National Trail Conference
Established1935
AssociationIHSA
Members12
RegionEast Central Illinois

Founded in 1935, the National Trail Conference was named after the National Road, which runs through the heart of the conference in Effingham and Fayette Counties and coincides with U.S. Route 40.

While none of the schools in the NTC (as it is informally known) sponsor football, the conference is well-recognized around the state for having strong boys and girls basketball teams. The Teutopolis Lady Shoes have won five state titles, the second-most of any team in Illinois,[1] while the Teutopolis boys have won one state title (in 1986)[2] and numerous regional and sectional crowns. Effingham St. Anthony, Stewardson-Strasburg, and St. Elmo have also made appearances at the Illinois high school boys basketball championship, while Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City (a co-op between two member schools in girls basketball) has made two appearances (2010, 2012) in the girls final four.

Member Schools
School Location
(Population)		 Mascot Colors County 2017-18 Enrollment IHSA Classes 2/3/4[3] IHSA Music Class[4] IHSA Cheerleading Class[5] Year Joined Previous Conference
Altamont High School Altamont, IL
(2,319)		 Indians           Effingham 260 A/1A/1A D Small squad 1935
Beecher City High School Beecher City, IL
(463)		 Eagles           Effingham 90 A/1A/1A D Small squad 1935
Brownstown High School (Illinois) Brownstown, IL
(759)		 Bombers           Fayette 95 A/1A/1A D Small squad 1935
Cowden-Herrick High School Cowden, IL
(629)		 Hornets           Shelby 106 A/1A/1A D Small Squad 1971 none (new school)
Dieterich High School Dieterich, IL
(617)		 Movin' Maroons           Effingham 111 A/1A/1A D Small squad 2009 Midland Trail
North Clay High School Louisville, IL
(1,139)		 Cardinals                Clay 198 A/1A/1A D Small Squad 2016 Midland Trail
Neoga High School Neoga, IL
(1,639)		 Indians           Cumberland 188 A/1A/1A D Small squad 1935
St. Anthony High School (Illinois) Effingham, IL
(12,328)		 Bulldogs                Effingham 190 / 313.50 (multiplied) A/1A/2A D Small squad 1935
St. Elmo High School St. Elmo, IL
(1,426)		 Eagles                Fayette 124 A/1A/1A D Small squad 1935
South Central High School (Illinois) Farina, IL
(518)		 Cougars           Fayette 186 A/1A/1A D Small squad 2012 Midland Trail
Stewardson-Strasburg High School Strasburg, IL
(467)		 Comets           Shelby 105 A/1A/1A D Small squad 1951 none (new school)
Windsor High School (Illinois) Windsor, IL
(1,187)		 Blue Devils           Shelby 96 A/1A/1A C Small squad 1935

Sources:IHSA Conferences[6] and IHSA Member Schools Directory[7]

Former Members
School Location Mascot Colors County Year Joined Previous Conference Year Left Conference Joined
Herrick Herrick, IL Eagles           Shelby 1935 1971 none (consolidated into
Cowden-Herrick)
Strasburg Strasburg, IL Cardinals           Shelby 1935 1951 none (consolidated into
Stewardson-Strasburg)
Teutopolis High School Teutopolis, IL Wooden Shoes           Effingham 1935 2012 Independents

History

The National Trail Conference (NTC) was established in 1935. Nine of the twelve schools — all except Dieterich, South Central, and North Clay — have been members since the conference's founding.[8] Strasburg and Herrick high schools closed in 1951 and 1971, respectively, through consolidation. Their respective consolidations (Stewardson-Strasburg and Cowden-Herrick) would retain membership in the conference.[9][10]

The conference's membership stayed stable from 1971 until the 2009 season, when Dieterich became a full-time member after leaving the Midland Trail Conference. Teutopolis left in 2012 to become an independent and play schools closer to its size, as the school was twice the size of most of the schools in the conference. South Central left the Midland Trail Conference to join the NTC and replace Teutopolis for the 2012-13 school year. [11] North Clay left the Midland Trail Conference to join the NTC for the 2016-2017 school year [12] making them the 3rd school to leave the MTC for the NTC in 7 years.

Competitive Success

National Trail Conference teams have won 18 state championships in IHSA sponsored athletics and activities, most recently the 2017 Class 1A boys state basketball championship, won by St. Anthony. NTC teams have won numerous regional and sectional titles and most have competed in the final four at least once in either boys or girls basketball.

Cooperative Arrangements

Girls basketball in academic years 2009-2010 and 2010–2011

  • Cowden-Herrick and Beecher City
  • Brownstown and St. Elmo
  • Shelbyville and Windsor and Stewardson-Strasburg
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References
  1. http://www.ihsa.org/activity/bkg/records/mult.htm
  2. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-03-09/sports/8601180052_1_wooden-shoes-ohio-tiny-school
  3. http://www.ihsa.org/school/enrolla.htm
  4. http://www.ihsa.org/school/enrollments.htm
  5. http://www.ihsa.org/school/enrollments.htm
  6. http://www.ihsa.org/school/conf.htm
  7. http://www.ihsa.org/school/index.htm
  8. http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id349.html The Great Conferences, Illinois High School Glory Days, Accessed February 15, 2011
  9. http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id373.html Cowden High School, Illinois High School Glory Days, Accessed February 15, 2011
  10. http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id425.html Stewardson High School, Illinois High School Glory Days, Accessed February 15, 2011
  11. http://www.thexradio.com/premier/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9169:national-trail-conference-adds-south-central-turns-down-nokomis&catid=8:local-sports&Itemid=2 National Trail Conference Adds South Central, Turns Down Nokomis, The X Radio News, Accessed Feb. 27, 2011
  12. http://www.effinghamdailynews.com/sports/north-clay-to-join-national-trail-conference-in/article_ade5ff74-1556-11e5-8cb5-dbe06f324ecf.html
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