BCS League

Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph League
Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph League
BCS League
Established	2014
Association	Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA)
Members	2 Class B, 4 Class C, 9 Class D
Region	Southwest Michigan
Locations

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 aspired to grow into a Southwest Michigan "super conference" with membership extending across all MHSAA classes and organized into divisions of schools with similar enrollments. Periodic realignment of divisions allowed 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 had a unique scheduling philosophy that did not force members to play against conference opponents in different divisions and respected the freedom of members to schedule rivals and other willing conference opponents regardless of size or division.^[1]^[2]

Between 2017 and 2021, the BCS experienced frequent membership changes with eight schools departing & five schools joining. A final attempt to realize its "super-conference" aspiration was attempted in 2019, when membership invitations were extended to ten schools of diverse enrollments.^[3] Niles and South Haven were the only two that accepted. However, Niles departed after only a single season and South Haven exited after two seasons. When expansion proved unsuccessful, the remaining larger schools decided in 2022 that it was time to move on and departed for other conferences.^[4] Beginning with the 2022-2023 season, the BCS became a league catering to small public and private schools in southwest Michigan.

Member schools[]

There are currently 15 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 2021-22 season according to the MHSAA website.^[5]

School	Location	Mascot	Colors	Enrollment	Class	Sports Division	Football Division	Affiliation	Joined	Previous Conference
Berrien Springs	Berrien Springs	Shamrocks	Green & White	491	B	Red	BCS	Public	2015^[6]	Wolverine Conference
Buchanan	Buchanan	Bucks	Maroon & White	376	C	Red	BCS	Public	2014^[7]	Lakeland Athletic Conference
Niles Brandywine	Niles Township	Bobcats	Maroon & Gold	369	C	Red	BCS	Public	2014^[7]	Lakeland Athletic Conference
	South Haven	Rams	Purple & Gold	524	B	Red	BCS	Public	2020^[8]	Wolverine Conference
Bridgman	Bridgman	Bees	Orange & Navy	250	C	White	n/a †	Public	2014^[7]	Lakeland Athletic Conference
	Benton Township	Cougars	Blue & White	174	D	White	n/a	Private	2016	Red Arrow Conference
	Covert Township	Bulldogs	Navy Blue & Gold	97	D	White	n/a	Public	2017^[9]	Southwestern Athletic Conference
	Eau Claire	Fighting Beavers	Maroon & White	188	D	White	n/a †	Public	2020^[10]	Southwest 10 Conference
	Lawrence	Tigers	Purple & White	189	C	White	n/a †	Public	2018^[11]	Southwestern Athletic Conference
	Flowerfield Township	Eagles	Red & White	39	D	White	n/a	Private	2016	Red Arrow Conference
	New Buffalo	Bisons	Royal Blue & Gold	182	D	White	n/a †	Public	2014^[7]	Red Arrow Conference
St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic	St. Joseph Township	Lakers	Royal Blue, Gold & White	73	D	White	n/a †	Private	2014^[7]	Red Arrow Conference
	Royalton Township	Titans	Purple & White	106	D	White	n/a †	Private	2015^[6]	Red Arrow Conference
Three Oaks River Valley	Chikaming Township	Mustangs	Navy & White	171	D	White	n/a	Public	2015^[6]	Red Arrow Conference
	Bainbridge Township	Patriots	Royal Blue, Gold & White	18	D	White	n/a	Private	2016	Red Arrow Conference

† 8-man football team that is a member of the Southwest Michigan 8-man Football League^[12]

Former members[]

School	Location	Joined	Previous Conference	Departed	Successive Conference
Bridgman Bees	Bridgman	2014	Lakeland Athletic Conference	2022	Southwestern Athletic 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	2014	St. Joseph Valley League	2017	Southwest 10 Conference
Comstock Colts	Comstock	2015	Kalamazoo Valley Association	2021	Southwest 10 Conference
	Mendon	2014	St. Joseph Valley League	2017	Southwest 10 Conference
Niles Vikings	Niles	2020	Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference	2021	Wolverine Conference
	Parchment	2015	Kalamazoo Valley Association	2020	Southwestern Athletic Conference
	South Haven	2020	Wolverine Conference	2022	Southwestern Athletic Conference
	White Pigeon	2014	St. Joseph Valley League	2017	Southwest 10 Conference

^[9]^[13]^[14]^[15]

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
2021	Niles Brandywine	5-0	Marcellus Howardsville Christian	8-0
2022	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

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	Buchanan & Comstock	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
2021	Buchanan	6-0^[16]	St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran & New Buffalo	8-1
2022	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

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
2020	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Buchanan	4-0^[17]
2021	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Berrien Springs	3-0^[18]

Volleyball[]

	Red Division		White Division		Blue Division
Season	School	Division Record	School	Division Record	School	Division Record
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019	Bridgman	^[19]	New Buffalo	^[20]
2020
2021	Buchanan	6-0^[21]

State championships[]

Schools that have participated in MHSAA state championship finals while being members of the BCS League.

Baseball
Finish	Year	School	Division
Runner-Up^[22]	2015	Buchanan	3
Runner-Up^[23]	2015	Centreville	4

Boys Track & Field
Finish	Year	School	Division
Runner-Up^[24]^[25]	2018	Berrien Springs	3

Girls Cross County
Finish	Year	School	Division
Champion^[26]^[27]	2019	Bridgman	4

Softball
Finish	Year	School	Division
Runner-Up^[28]	2015	Bronson	3
Runner-Up^[29]^[30]	2021	Buchanan	3

Volleyball
Finish	Year	School	Division
Champion^[31]	2015	Bronson	C
Champion^[32]	2016	Bronson	C

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.
^ https://www.heraldpalladium.com/sports/local/jason-mitchell-bcs-wants-to-expand-so-whos-signing-up/article_4caed4f8-415f-5580-8a44-ba1b1c17ce25.html
^ https://www.leaderpub.com/2021/12/17/new-athletic-conference-gets-the-go-ahead-for-school-boards/
^ "Michigan High School Athletic Association". Retrieved February 23, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c "BCS expanding to 15 teams for 2015-16". Leader Publications. August 13, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e https://www.wsjmsports.com/a-summer-of-change/
^ 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)
^ ^a ^b "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)
^ Hafer, Val (15 November 2018). "New 8-Man Football Conference Formed In SW Michigan". 106.1 & 1400 WSJM Sports. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
^ "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.
^ https://www.heraldpalladium.com/sports/local-athletic-conferences-could-see-movement/article_d0779d28-2032-5911-bd81-b1a091c35c44.html
^ https://leaderpub.com/2021/03/20/buchanan-boys-girls-basketball-teams-sweep-rival-niles-lady-bucks-clinch-bcs-red-title/
^ https://www.southbendtribune.com/sports/high_school/football/michigan-football-roundup-historic-night-for-bcs-champion-bucks-as-they-beat-vikings-for-first/article_e61151d8-0f46-11eb-b4c0-77e759c08889.html
^ https://www.leaderpub.com/2021/10/16/hailey-runs-wild-as-berrien-springs-bests-short-handed-bobcats-26-6/
^ https://www.harborcountry-news.com/sports/bison-bees-claim-conference-volleyball-titles/article_d8c71cfa-fb8e-11e9-b7bb-b3b1cdf7274e.html
^ https://www.harborcountry-news.com/sports/bison-bees-claim-conference-volleyball-titles/article_d8c71cfa-fb8e-11e9-b7bb-b3b1cdf7274e.html
^ https://www.leaderpub.com/2021/10/24/buchanan-wins-outright-bcs-red-division-championship/
^ "Yearly Champions | Baseball | MHSAA Sports".
^ "Yearly Champions | Baseball | MHSAA Sports".
^ "Division 3 state track finals: All the best stories, photos and videos". 3 June 2018.
^ "Team Champions | Boys Track & Field | MHSAA Sports".
^ "Bridgman girls win state cross country championship".
^ "Team Champions | Girls Cross Country | MHSAA Sports".
^ "Yearly Champions | Softball | MHSAA Sports".
^ "Oh so close: Gritty, unranked Buchanan upended after remarkable run to state title game".
^ "Yearly Champions | Softball | MHSAA Sports".
^ "Yearly Champions | Girls Volleyball | MHSAA Sports".
^ "Yearly Champions | Girls Volleyball | MHSAA Sports".

[1] "Berrien-Cass-St. Joe Conference Archives". Leader Publications. Retrieved February 23, 2020.

[2] Tribune, Jack Walkden South Bend. "High school sports: A dream conference?". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved February 23, 2020.

[3] ttps://www.heraldpalladium.com/sports/local/jason-mitchell-bcs-wants-to-expand-so-whos-signing-up/article_4caed4f8-415f-5580-8a44-ba1b1c17ce25.html

[4] ttps://www.leaderpub.com/2021/12/17/new-athletic-conference-gets-the-go-ahead-for-school-boards/

[auto-5] "Michigan High School Athletic Association". Retrieved February 23, 2020.

[2015expansion-6] "BCS expanding to 15 teams for 2015-16". Leader Publications. August 13, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2020.

[BCSfounding-7] ttps://www.wsjmsports.com/a-summer-of-change/

[8] 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)

[auto1-9] "Southwest 10 Conference prepares for its debut in Fall 2017". mlive. January 17, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2020.

[10] Correspondent, DEBRA HAIGHT-HP. "Eau Claire schools joins BCS Athletic Conference". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved February 23, 2020.

[11] 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)

[12] Hafer, Val (15 November 2018). "New 8-Man Football Conference Formed In SW Michigan". 106.1 & 1400 WSJM Sports. Retrieved 23 February 2020.

[13] "Southwest Schools Begin League Shuffle > SecondHalf". Retrieved February 23, 2020.

[14] "South Haven, Parchment to join new athletic conferences in 2020". mlive. September 30, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.

[15] ttps://www.heraldpalladium.com/sports/local-athletic-conferences-could-see-movement/article_d0779d28-2032-5911-bd81-b1a091c35c44.html

[16] ttps://leaderpub.com/2021/03/20/buchanan-boys-girls-basketball-teams-sweep-rival-niles-lady-bucks-clinch-bcs-red-title/

[17] ttps://www.southbendtribune.com/sports/high_school/football/michigan-football-roundup-historic-night-for-bcs-champion-bucks-as-they-beat-vikings-for-first/article_e61151d8-0f46-11eb-b4c0-77e759c08889.html

[18] ttps://www.leaderpub.com/2021/10/16/hailey-runs-wild-as-berrien-springs-bests-short-handed-bobcats-26-6/

[19] ttps://www.harborcountry-news.com/sports/bison-bees-claim-conference-volleyball-titles/article_d8c71cfa-fb8e-11e9-b7bb-b3b1cdf7274e.html

[20] ttps://www.harborcountry-news.com/sports/bison-bees-claim-conference-volleyball-titles/article_d8c71cfa-fb8e-11e9-b7bb-b3b1cdf7274e.html

[21] ttps://www.leaderpub.com/2021/10/24/buchanan-wins-outright-bcs-red-division-championship/

[22] "Yearly Champions | Baseball | MHSAA Sports".

[23] "Yearly Champions | Baseball | MHSAA Sports".

[24] "Division 3 state track finals: All the best stories, photos and videos". 3 June 2018.

[25] "Team Champions | Boys Track & Field | MHSAA Sports".

[26] "Bridgman girls win state cross country championship".

[27] "Team Champions | Girls Cross Country | MHSAA Sports".

[28] "Yearly Champions | Softball | MHSAA Sports".

[29] "Oh so close: Gritty, unranked Buchanan upended after remarkable run to state title game".

[30] "Yearly Champions | Softball | MHSAA Sports".

[31] "Yearly Champions | Girls Volleyball | MHSAA Sports".

[32] "Yearly Champions | Girls Volleyball | MHSAA Sports".

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