Cascade Conference (MHSAA)
High school athletic conference in Michigan, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cascade Conference is a Michigan high school athletic conference that was formed prior to the 1954 school year. The conference includes mostly Class C schools, two Class B schools, and one Class D school with the majority of its members being from Jackson County along with one member each from Hillsdale, Ingham, Lenawee, and Washtenaw counties.
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| Conference | Michigan High School Athletic Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1954 |
| Sports fielded |
|
| No. of teams | 10 (11 in 2027–28) |
| Region | Jackson County |
| Website | Cascades Conference |
History
Formation
The Cascades Conference was formed in 1954 with ten schools from the Jackson County League. The original members were: Brooklyn, Concord, East Jackson, Grass Lake, Hanover-Horton, Jackson Vandercook Lake, Michigan Center, Napoleon, Parma and Springport high schools.
Red and Blue
With the growth of suburbs, some Cascades Conference schools grew more rapidly than others. This led to the creation of the Red and Blue divisions. Between 1983 and 1996, four schools were listed as Cascades-Red Members: Jackson Lumen Christi, Jackson Northwest, Parma Jackson County Western and Brooklyn Columbia Central. In 1996, Jackson Northwest and Jackson Lumen Christi left the Cascades Red for the Capital-Circuit Conference.[1] Brooklyn Columbia Central left the Cascades Red after 1995 and competed as an independent for two years, before joining the Lenawee County Conference at the start of the 1997 school year.[2] Parma Jackson County Western left the Cascades Red after the 1995 school year and joined the Twin Valley Conference.[3]
Expansion
In 2022, the Cascades Conference was looking to expand from eight to twelve schools for the 2022–23 school year. On June 13, Brooklyn Columbia Central of the Lenawee County Athletic Association accepted their invite to join the Cascades, which they were previously a member of from 1968 to 1996. A little over a week later, Leslie, a member of the Greater Lansing Athletic Conference accepted their invitation as well. Within a few weeks after Columbia Central and Leslie joined, two Big "8" members, Jonesville and Homer accepted their invitations to join the conference as well. All four schools will be joining the conference for the 2022–23 school year.[4]
With the Cascades Conference expanding to twelve teams, the conference decided to split the league into two geographical divisions (East and West).[5]
| East | West |
|---|---|
| East Jackson | Addison |
| Grass Lake | Columbia Central |
| Leslie | Hanover-Horton |
| Manchester | Homer |
| Michigan Center | Jonesville |
| Napoleon | Vandercook Lake |
With both East Jackson and Homer leaving for the Big "8" Conference after the 2025-26 season[6] (reducing the conference from twelve to ten teams), the division alignment changed with Napoleon and Vandercook Lake swapping divisions.
| East | West |
|---|---|
| Grass Lake | Addison |
| Leslie | Columbia Central |
| Manchester | Hanover-Horton |
| Michigan Center | Jonesville |
| Vandercook Lake | Napoleon |
Member schools
Current members
The following institutions are full members of the Cascade Conference for the 2026–27 school year:
| School name | Location | Nickname | Class | Enrollment[a] | Joined | Colors | Previous conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addison | Addison, Lenawee County | Panthers | C | 198 | 1988 | Lenawee County Athletic Association | |
| Brooklyn Columbia Central | Columbia Township, Jackson County | Golden Eagles | B | 379 | 1968[b] 2023 |
Lakeland "C" Conference Lenawee County Athletic Association | |
| Grass Lake | Grass Lake, Jackson County | Warriors | B | 378 | 1954[c] 1976 |
Jackson County League Southern Central Athletic Association | |
| Hanover-Horton | Horton, Jackson County | Comets | C | 290 | 1954[d] 1960 (football)[e] 1976 |
Jackson County League Independent Southern Central Athletic Association | |
| Jonesville | Jonesville, Hillsdale County | Comets | C | 317 | 2023 | Big "8" Conference | |
| Leslie | Leslie, Ingham County | Black Hawks | C | 299 | 2023 | Greater Lansing Athletic Conference | |
| Manchester | Manchester, Washtenaw County | Flying Dutchmen | C | 184 | 1983 | Lenawee County Athletic Association | |
| Michigan Center | Michigan Center, Jackson County | Cardinals | B | 492 | 1954 | Jackson County League | |
| Napoleon | Napoleon, Jackson County | Pirates | C | 352 | 1954 | Jackson County League | |
| Vandercook Lake[f] | Jackson, Jackson County | Jayhawks | D | 159 | 1954 | Jackson County League |
- Notes
- Enrollment numbers are as of 2026-27 school year.
- Columbia Central left the conference to join the Lenawee County Athletic Association in 1996.
- Grass Lake left the conference in 1964 to join the Lakeland "C" Conference.
- Hanover-Horton left the conference in 1965 to join the Mid-Southern Conference.
- Hanover-Horton did not start a football team until 1959.
- Vandercook Lake played 8-man football from 2020 until 2023.
Future member
| School | Nickname | Location | Class | Enrollment[a] | Joining[b] | Current Conference | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockbridge | Panthers | Stockbridge, Ingham County | C | 323 | 2027 | Big "8" Conference |
- Notes
Former members
| School name | Location | Nickname | Joined[a] | Previous Conference | Left[b] | Successive Conference | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn | Brooklyn, Jackson County | Golden Eagles | 1954 | Jackson County League | 1960 | Mid-Southern Conference | Closed in 1967[c] |
| Concord | Concord, Jackson County | Yellowjackets | 1954 | Jackson County League | 1973 | Big "8" Conference | |
| East Jackson | Jackson, Jackson County | Trojans | 1954 | Jackson County League | 2026 | Big "8" Conference | |
| Homer | Homer, Calhoun County | Trojans | 2023 | Big "8" Conference | 2026 | Big "8" Conference | |
| Jackson Lumen Christi | Summit Township, Jackson County | Titans | 1983 1991 (football) |
Independent | 1996 | Capital Circuit League | Catholic High School League |
| Jackson Northwest | Blackman Charter Township, Jackson County | Mounties | 1960 1983 |
Independent Twin Valley Athletic Association |
1976 1996 |
Independent Capital Circuit League |
Interstate 8 Conference[d] |
| Parma | Parma, Jackson County | Panthers | 1954 | Jackson County League | 1961 | Closed in 1961[e] | |
| Parma Jackson County Western[f] | Spring Arbor Township, Jackson County | Panthers | 1961 1983 |
New school[e] Southeastern Conference |
1976 1996 |
Independent Twin Valley Athletic Association |
Interstate 8 Conference |
| Springport | Springport, Jackson County | Spartans | 1954 | Jackson County League | 1963 | Independent (football)[g] Cereal Center Conference |
Big "8" Conference |
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition end.
- Brooklyn and Cement City consolidated to form Columbia Central.
- Jackson Northwest will be leaving the Interstate 8 to join the Southeastern Conference for the 2027-28 school year.
- Parma and Spring Arbor consolidated to form Jackson County Western.
- Also known as Parma Western
- Springport joined the Cereal Center Conference for football in 1964.
Membership timeline
Full Members Full Members (Blue Division) Full Members (Red Division) Full members (non-football) Non-football members (Red Division) Other Conference