Pocket Athletic Conference

Pocket Athletic Conference
(PAC)
Established 1938
Members 4 Class 3A, 4 Class 2A, and 1 Class A
Region 7 Counties: Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, and Warrick, Indiana
Locations

The Pocket Athletic Conference (PAC) is a high school athletic conference in Southwestern Indiana with its headquarters at Forest Park. Its members are mainly Class 2A and 3A public high schools located in Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, and Warrick counties. Only one, Tecumseh, is a 1A. Tecumseh operates its football program independently of the PAC and is likely to join the Southwest Seven Football Conference in the sport.

History

The Pocket Athletic Conference was established in 1938 with nine founding schools: Cannelton, Chrisney, Lynnville, Mount Vernon, Owensville, Petersburg, Poseyville, Rockport, and Tell City. Seven of the nine original schools remain members in some form today. Cannelton left in 1971 and is now an independent. Mount Vernon left in 1959 to join the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference and is now a member of the Big Eight Conference.

The first current member appeared in 1958 when Poseyville consolidated with Cynthiana, Griffin, and Wadesville to form North Posey. Rockport merged with Richland in 1965 to form South Spencer. Elberfeld merged with former member Lynnville in 1965 to form Tecumseh High School. Also in 1965, Oakland City and Francisco, both of which joined the PAC in 1939, joined to become Wood Memorial. Dale, which had joined in 1939, joined with another former member, Chrisney, to form Heritage Hills in 1972. Huntingburg joined the PAC in 1970 from the SIAC and in 1972 consolidated with Holland to become Southridge. In 1974, Owensville consolidated with Fort Branch and Haubstadt into Gibson Southern. Both Fort Branch and Owensville were members of the PAC at the time. Haubstadt was also briefly a member of the PAC. That same year Petersburg joined with Winslow and Otwell to form Pike Central.

Approximate location of the PAC schools and former schools. Abbreviations are as follows:
CHS: Cannelton FPHS: Forest Park GSHS: Gibson Southern
HHHS:Heritage Hills MVHS Mount Vernon
NPHS:North Posey PCHS: Pike Central SHS:Southridge
SSHS: South Spencer THS: Tecumseh TCHS: Tell City
WMHS: Wood Memorial

Gibson Southern left the PAC in 1979 when the Big Eight Conference was formed, only to return in 1994. In 2000, Wood Memorial left the PAC and is now a member of the Blue Chip Conference. Tell City, which had left in 1953, rejoined in 2001, also came back from the Big Eight Conference but also from the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference. In 2007, Forest Park, located in Ferdinand, officially joined the PAC from the Blue Chip Conference increasing the number of members back to the original nine.

The PAC has recently gained the reputation as a powerful football conference. Since 2000, the PAC has been represented in the state finals five times. The three schools that have represented the PAC recently are Heritage Hills (2000 3A State Champs, and 2004 3A Runner-up), Southridge (2002 and 2006 2A Runner-up) and North Posey (2005 2A Runner-up). Another emerging school is Gibson Southern, with very strong seasons in 2012, 2013, and 2015. It is not unusual to have two or even three members ranked in their respective classes or even the same class at football.

Another sport of recognition for the PAC is basketball. Forest Park, Southridge and Tecumseh have four state titles in both boys and girls basketball. Forest Park and Gibson Southern add three more state runner-up titles to the pool to make seven appearances at the state finals, not counting Tecumseh's appearance in the Tournament of Champions. Forest Park, Gibson Southern, North Posey, Southridge, and Tecumseh have all been ranked within the last eight years in either girls or boys basketball, sometimes both. In 1999, Tecumseh lost by only six points in the experimental "Tournament of Champions" to the 4A State Champion, Indianapolis' North Central. Tecumseh was the 1A State Champion.

As one of the southernmost conferences in the state, the PAC is also gaining a reputation as a powerhouse in baseball and softball. Both Gibson Southern and Forest Park have recently won state titles in softball. North Posey ('05, '06) and South Spencer ('07, '13) have won titles in baseball.

In the last ten years, 29 Pocket Athletic Conference teams have represented their school and the conference in state championship games.

Currently there are no new candidates or applications being considered by the conference.

Member schools

Current members (9)

School
School Corp.
Mascot Colors Location County Gym
Size
Size Other
Sports
Football Soccer Softball4 Baseball4 Year
Joined
Previous
Conference
Forest
Park

Southeast Dubois
Rangers          
    
Ferdinand 19
Dubois
3,500 446 AA AA A AA AA 2007 Blue
Chip
Gibson
Southern

South Gibson
Titans          
    
Fort
Branch
26
Gibson
3,870 707 AAA AAA A AAAA 4 AAA 1974 1
1994
new school
Big Eight
Heritage
Hills

N. Spencer
Patriots          
    
Lincoln
City
74
Spencer
3,410 611 AAA AAA A AAA AAA 1972 none
(new school)
North
Posey

MSD North Posey
Vikings          
    
Poseyville 65
Posey
2,000 513 AA AA A AA AA 1958 none
(new school)
Pike
Central

Pike County
Chargers          
    
Petersburg 63
Pike
3200 564 AAA AAA A AAA AAA 1974 none
(new school)
Southridge
Southwest
Dubois
Raiders          
    
Huntingburg 19
Dubois
6,092 552 AAA AAA A AAA AAA 1972 none
(new school)
South
Spencer

S. Spencer
Rebels          
    
Rockport 74
Spencer
3,500 482 AA AA A AA AAA 4 1965 none
(new school)
Tecumseh
Warrick
County
Braves          
    
Lynnville 87
Warrick
2,600 259 A A2 A A A 1965 none
(new school)
Tell City3
Tell City /
Troy Twp.
Marksmen     
    
Tell
City
62
Perry
3,487 424 AA AA A AA AA 1938
2001
Independents
Big Eight
  1. Gibson Southern competed in the Big Eight Conference from 1980 to 1994 before rejoining the PAC.
  2. Tecumseh is a 1A independent school in football.
  3. Tell City played in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference from 1953 to 1980, then played in the Big Eight Conference 1980–2001 before rejoining.
  4. Due to Gibson Southern making back-to-back appearances at the state finals, Gibson Southern and defending state champ and this year's runner-up Leo High School from the Allen County Athletic Conference will move up to Class AAAA for 2 years. South Spencer and Lafayette Central Catholic both advance to AAA for 2 years for the same reason in Baseball.

Former members

School
School Corp.
Mascot Colors Location County Year
Joined
Previous
Conference
Year
Left
Conference
Joined
Cannelton
Cannelton Comm. Schools
Bulldogs                Cannelton 62
Perry
1938 1971 Independents
(BRC 1974)
Chrisney
North Spencer
Wildcats           Chrisney 74
Spencer
1938 1959 Patoka Valley
Lynnville
Warrick County
Lyndis           Lynnville 87
Warrick
1938 1959 Patoka Valley
Mount Vernon
M.S.D. Mount Vernon
Wildcats                Mount Vernon 65
Posey
1938 1959 Southern Indiana,
Later Big Eight
Owensville
South Gibson
Kickapoos           Owensville 26
Gibson
1938 1974 none (consolidated into
Gibson Southern)
Petersburg
Pike County
Indians           Petersburg 63
Pike
1938 1974 none (consolidated into
Pike Central)
Poseyville
M.S.D. North Posey
Posies           Poseyville 65
Posey
1938 1958 none (consolidated into
North Posey)
Rockport
South Spencer
Zebras           Rockport 74
Spencer
1938 1965 none (consolidated into
South Spencer)
Boonville
Warrick County
Pioneers           Boonville 87
Warrick
1939 1941 Southern Indiana,
Later Big Eight
Dale
North Spencer
Golden Aces           Dale 74
Spencer
1939 1972 none (consolidated into
Heritage Hills)
Fort Branch
South Gibson
Twigs           Fort Branch 26
Gibson
1939 1974 none (consolidated into
Gibson Southern)
Francisco
East Gibson
Owls           Francisco 26
Gibson
1939 1965 none (consolidated into
Wood Memorial)
Mount Olympus
North Gibson
Mountaineers           Mount Olympus 26
Gibson
1939 1965 none (consolidated into
Princeton)
Oakland City
East Gibson
Acorns           Oakland City 26
Gibson
1939 1965 none (consolidated into
Wood Memorial)
Winslow
Pike County
Eskimos           Winslow 63
Pike
1939 1940 Independents
(PVC 1964)
Wood Memorial
East Gibson
Trojans                Oakland
City
26
Gibson
1965 none (new school) 2000 Blue Chip
Huntingburg
Southwest Dubois
Happy Hunters           Huntingburg 19
Dubois
1970 Southern Indiana 1972 none (consolidated into
Southridge)

Membership timeline

Forest Park High School (Indiana) Pike Central High School Gibson Southern High School Gibson Southern High School Southridge High School (Huntingburg, Indiana) Heritage Hills High School Southridge High School (Huntingburg, Indiana) Waldo J. Wood Memorial Jr/Sr High School Tecumseh High School (Indiana) South Spencer High School North Posey High School Pike Central High School Waldo J. Wood Memorial Jr/Sr High School Princeton Community High School Waldo J. Wood Memorial Jr/Sr High School Fort Branch High School Heritage Hills High School Boonville High School Tell City High School Tell City High School South Spencer High School North Posey High School Pike Central High School Owensville High School Mount Vernon High School (Mount Vernon, Indiana) Tecumseh High School (Indiana) Heritage Hills High School Cannelton High School

Sponsored Sports

Boys State Titles Runner-Up Regional Sectional Girls State Titles Runner-Up Regional Sectional
Basketball 3 2 18 119 Softball 3 6 13 39
Baseball 6 1 20 69 Basketball 1 2 11 50
Football 1 2 1 7 25 36 Cross Country 0 0
Cross Country 0 0 7 25 Golf 0 0
Golf 0 0 0 4 Soccer 0 1 1 7
Soccer 0 0 0 3 Swimming 0 0 No Regional
Swimming 0 0 No Regional 3 Tennis 0 0
Tennis 0 0 1 16 Track & Field 0 0
Track & Field 0 0 0 18 Volleyball 0 0
Wrestling 0 0 0 14
Total 10 10 71 307 Total 4 8
Conference
Total
14 17

1As of the 2008-09 school year Tecumseh will play football as an independent. They will remain in the PAC for all other sports.

22 State Titles, however Tell City's football title was won under the Big Eight Conference.

State championships

Forest Park Rangers (3)

Gibson Southern Titans (3)

Heritage Hills Patriots (1)

North Posey Vikings (2)

Pike Central Chargers (0)

Southridge Raiders (1)

South Spencer Rebels (5)

Tecumseh Braves (4)

Tell City Marksmen (0)

Former Member State Titles

Cannelton Bulldogs (0)

Mount Vernon Wildcats (0)

Wood Memorial Trojans (0)

State Runner-Up Titles

Forest Park Rangers (2)

Gibson Southern Titans (5)

Heritage Hills Patriots (1)

North Posey Vikings (2)

Pike Central Chargers (1)

Southridge Raiders (4)

South Spencer Rebels (2)

Tecumseh Braves (5)

Tell City Marksmen (1)

1Occurred when Forest Park was a member of the Blue Chip Conference.

2Occurred when Tell City was a member of the Big Eight Conference.

PAC titles

Boys Girls
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross Country
Cross Country Soccer
Football Softball
Soccer Swimming & Diving
Swimming & Diving Tennis
Tennis Track & Field
Track & Field Volleyball
Wrestling
All-Sports Titles All-Sports Titles

News and facts

Famous Conference alumni

Neighboring Conferences

See also

References

External links

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