Merrimack Valley Conference
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Founded | 1946 |
|---|---|
| Divisions | 2 |
| No. of teams | 11 |
The Merrimack Valley Conference is a high school athletic conference in District 4 of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA). The conference was founded c. 1946[1] and was originally known as the Lowell Suburban Loop.
The conference consists of ten public high schools and one catholic school split into two sections. All schools are in towns or cities on or near the Merrimack River, hence the name.
The first Merrimack Valley Conference was a different league created by way of a "Football Jamboree" which included schools Keith Academy, Manchester Central (N.H.), St. Clement's, Nashua High School (N.H.), Lowell High School, St. John's of Concord (N.H.), Lawrence High School, and Cathedral High School of Manchester (N.H.)[2][3]. By 1950, the league had ceased to exist.
As for the Lowell Suburban Loop, the league consisted of at least eight teams for the first twenty years of its existence, including Ayer, Billerica, Burlington, Chelmsford, Dracut, Methuen, North Andover, Tewksbury, and Wilmington. Andover joined when the league renamed themselves to the Merrimack Valley Conference in 1965[4]. Ayer was the first to leave in 1956,[5] and the league remained stable for almost 15 years following this.
In the spring of 1971, North Andover opted to drop out of the conference to join the Cape Ann League. Austin Prep. and Central Catholic pushed for membership the same year and were rejected.[6] They got their chance the following year when Andover and Burlington applied for Middlesex League membership. Only Burlington was taken, and Austin Prep. and Central Catholic filled Burlington's and North Andover's spots.[5] Lawrence, Lowell, and Haverhill, which were trying to find a new home as the Essex County League started to fall apart, began flirting with joining the MVC in 1973 by joining for golf and tennis.[7] Lawrence was the first to obtain full membership in 1974; the league was still hesitant to add Lowell and Haverhill[8]
With a new decade in 1980 came a new setup for the league; a fourteen team super conference, with football having two divisions split between east and west. The east featured Andover, Austin Prep., Central Catholic, Lawrence, and Mathuen; along with newcomers Greater Lawrence Tech. and after a long wait, Haverhill. The west included Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury, and Wilmington; and the other league newcomers Lowell and Greater Lowell Tech.[9][10]
After a weak two seasons, Austin Prep. and Greater Lowell left the conference in 1982; the former to the Catholic Conference and the latter became an independent.[11] Greater Lawrence tried to jump ships to the Commonwealth Athletic Conference in 1985 and was denied entry, leaving them independent.[12]
The league remained stable from here for the better part of ten years, until Lawrence left to be independent in 1994.[13] The following year, Wilmington left to the lower division Cape Ann League.[14] Lawrence rejoined the league in 2009, the year the Merrimack Valley split into two divisions, large and small. The large schools were Andover, Billerica, Central Catholic, Chelmsford & Lowell; the small schools were Dracut, Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen, and Tewksbury.[15] After 41 years in the Cape Ann League, North Andover returned to the Merrimack Valley in 2012, taking the league back to eleven members, which remains as of early 2026.[16]
Member Schools
Source: [17]
| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | Joined League | Year Founded | Enrollment[18] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrimack Valley I | ||||||
| Andover High School | Andover, Massachusetts | Golden Warriors | Navy Blue & Gold | 1965 | 1854 | 1,578 |
| Billerica Memorial High School | Billerica, Massachusetts | Indians | Forest Green & White | 1955 | 1955 | 1,737 |
| Central Catholic High School | Lawrence, Massachusetts | Raiders | Red & Navy Blue | 1972 | 1935 | 1,200 |
| Chelmsford High School | Chelmsford, Massachusetts | Lions | Maroon & White | 1946 | 1917 | 1,442 |
| Haverhill High School | Haverhill, Massachusetts | Hillies | Brown & Gold | 1980 | 1841 | 1,850 |
| Lowell High School | Lowell, Massachusetts | Red Raiders | Red & Gray | 1980 | 1831 | 3,374 |
| North Andover High School | North Andover, Massachusetts | Scarlet Knights | Scarlet, Black & White | 1946-1971, 2012-present | 1954 | 1,288 |
| Merrimack Valley II | ||||||
| Dracut High School | Dracut, Massachusetts | Middies | Navy Blue, Colombia Blue, & White | 1946 | 1934 | 763 |
| Lawrence High School | Lawrence, Massachusetts | Lancers | Navy Blue & White | 1974-1994, 2009-present | 1901 | 3,280 |
| Methuen High School | Methuen, Massachusetts | Rangers | Blue & White | 1946 | 1874 | 1,751 |
| Tewksbury Memorial High School | Tewksbury, Massachusetts | Redmen | Scarlet, White, & Royal Blue | 1946 | 1905 | 730 |
Former Members
| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Preparatory School | Reading, Massachusetts | Cougars | Green, White, & Black | 1972 | 1982 | New England Preparatory School Athletic Council |
| Ayer Shirley Regional High School | Ayer, Massachusetts | Panther | Maroon & White | 1946 | 1956 | Midland Wachusett League |
| Burlington High School | Burlington, Massachusetts | Red Devils | Red, White, & Blue | 1946 | 1972 | Middlesex League |
| Greater Lawrence Technical School | Andover, Massachusetts | Reggies | Black & Orange | 1980 | 1985 | Commonwealth Athletic Conference |
| Greater Lowell Technical High School | Tyngsborough, Massachusetts | Gryphons | Blue & Gold | 1980 | 1982 | Commonwealth Athletic Conference |
| Wilmington High School | Wilmington, Massachusetts | Wildcats | Navy Blue, Colombia Blue, & White | 1946 | 1995 | Middlesex League |