Wolverine Conference


The Wolverine "B" Conference is a high school athletic conference in southwestern Michigan. It is composed of Class A and B schools from the MHSAA in Allegan, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren counties.

Membership

Current members

Former members

Future members

Membership Timeline (since 1952)


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Period = from:1952 till:2021
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id:Full value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
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bar:1 color:Full from:1952 till:end text: Allegan
bar:2 color:Full from:1952 till:1966 text: Kalamazoo University
bar:3 color:Full from:1952 till:end text: Otsego
bar:4 color:Full from:1952 till:end text: Plainwell
bar:5 color:Full from:1952 till:1958 text: Portage Central
bar:6 color:Full from:1952 till:2020 text: South Haven
bar:7 color:Full from:1954 till:end text: Vicksburg
bar:8 color:Full from:1961 till:1982 text: Paw Paw
bar:8 color:Full from:2006 till:end text: Paw Paw
bar:9 color:Full from:1966 till:2014 text: Comstock
bar:10 color:Full from:1967 till:end text: Three Rivers
bar:11 color:Full from:1974 till:2011 text: Gull Lake
bar:12 color:Full from:2006 till:end text: Dowagiac
bar:13 color:Full from:2012 till:2015 text: Berrien Springs
bar:14 color:Full from:2012 till:2015 text: Coloma
bar:15 color:Full from:2012 till:end text: Edwardsburg
bar:16 color:Full from:2014 till:end text: Sturgis
bar:17 color:Full from:2021 till:end text: Niles
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text:"Wolverine Conference Membership History"

History

Early Days
The Wolverine Conference was formed in 1952, consisting of Allegan, Kalamazoo University, Otsego, Plainwell, Portage Central, and South Haven. Portage Central left for the SMAC in 1958. The Wolverine expanded for the first time in 1954, adding Vicksburg to the conference. The Wolverine "B" Conference has always consisted of mostly Class B high schools, but there are bylaws in case a school is Class A for more than two years. In that instance, over 75% of schools must approve said school's membership and the school's case is reviewed every year.
Further Expansion
The Wolverine began adding more schools beginning in the 1960s. Paw Paw High School was the first to join in this decade, moving from the Kalamazoo Valley Conference in 1961. Kalamazoo University High closed in 1966, with Comstock joining the same year from the Kalamazoo Valley Conference, and Three Rivers from the Twin Valley Conference a year after in 1967. Gull Lake High School joined the conference in 1974. This kicked off a long period of stability within the Wolverine, with the only exception being Paw Paw returning to the Kalamazoo Valley in 1982.
Major Realignment
The new millennium brought major changes to the Wolverine Conference. In 2006, Paw Paw left the Kalamazoo Valley and once again rejoined the Wolverine, while Dowagiac joined the conference from the SMAC. Five years later, Gull Lake, dominant in many sports, left for the SMAC. Looking into expanding, the Wolverine raided the nearby Lakeland Conference, with Berrien Springs, Coloma, and Edwardsburg entering the conference. This, for the first time, created divisions within the Wolverine, with the alignment as follows from 2012 through 2014:
West DivisionEast Division
Berrien SpringsAllegan
ColomaComstock
DowagiacOtsego
EdwardsburgPaw Paw
South HavenPlainwell
Three RiversVicksburg

Then, after the 2014 school year, Comstock left the Wolverine for the Kalamazoo Valley, replaced by Sturgis from the SMAC. To accommodate these changes, Paw Paw and Three Rivers switched divisions, making new divisions for the 2014-15 year as follows:
West DivisionEast Division
Berrien SpringsAllegan
ColomaOtsego
DowagiacPlainwell
EdwardsburgSturgis
Paw PawThree Rivers
South HavenVicksburg

After the 2014–15 school year, Coloma and Berrien Springs, two of the smaller schools in the Wolverine, left for the Southwestern Athletic Conference and the BCS Conference, respectively, after only three seasons in the conference. This created a full 9-game football schedule for the conference, eliminating the need to have divisions after only three seasons. For the next five years, the conference remained the same, until South Haven, one of the founding members of the Wolverine, announced it will leave after 68 years for the BCS after the 2019–20 school year, leaving the conference at 9 teams in 2020. This will change in 2021, as Niles will join after one year in the BCS, bringing the conference back up to 10 teams for the 2021-22 school year.

Current Champions

SeasonSportChampion
Fall 2019Cross Country Otsego
Fall 2019Cross Country Otsego
Fall 2019FootballEdwardsburg
Fall 2019Golf Plainwell
Fall 2019Soccer Plainwell
Fall 2019Tennis Allegan‡
Fall 2019VolleyballEdwardsburg/Vicksburg
Winter 2019-20Basketball Otsego
Winter 2019-20Basketball Edwardsburg
Winter 2019-20Bowling Three Rivers
Winter 2019-20Bowling Allegan
Winter 2019-20Competitive CheerPaw Paw
Winter 2019-20WrestlingEdwardsburg
Spring 2019†BaseballEdwardsburg/Otsego
Spring 2019†Golf Edwardsburg
Spring 2019†Soccer Otsego
Spring 2019†SoftballEdwardsburg
Spring 2019†Tennis Allegan
Spring 2019†Track and Field Otsego
Spring 2019†Track and Field Otsego/Vicksburg

‡ Denotes state champion
† All spring 2020 sports were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic