03/02/2026 - My notes on the Expansion of the SouthEastern Conference (Michigan)

03/02/2026 - My notes on the Expansion of the SouthEastern Conference (Michigan) and the high school athletic leagues & conferences in “my” region.

All unofficial and subject to mistakes on my part -

My big takeaways:

*“Why not Northville and Novi?”;

*The SEC is will be “big school” heavy - most of the member schools will be Class A / Division 1 in enrollment (Division 1, 2 for football). 14 schools over 1,500, 20 over 1,000.

*How much really changed? SEC Red and SEC White are essentially the same except for Monroe - the KLAA teams are generally intact in the “Blue” & “Siver” divisions.

*Is there “managment” in the SEC that does not exsit in the KLAA, so joining the SEC provides a better league management?

*Coverage will not improve (my opinion) - so following the Lenawee County and Monroe County schools will continue to be easier than the big SEC schools.

*What will we see in the fall of 2027?

*Competing conferences - The SEC White has the best selection of conferences to compete with - Downriver, Huron and Interstate 8 (as they stand currently). Also many of the NW Ohio conferences are similar in enrollment to the SEC White schools.

The major logic appears to be (1) simplifying schedules out to the future; (2) controlling travel and (3) I assume making it easier to schedule (and negotiate pay?) for game officials. Similar “mega” conferences are the Macomb Area Conference and the OK Conference.

The “old SEC” in 1964: Chelsea, Dexter, Saline, Ypsilanti Lincoln, South Lyon (now in the Lakes Valley Conference);

The proposed SEC structure for the 2027-2028 school year (current affiliation):

*SEC Blue: Brighton (KLAA), Canton (KLAA), Hartland (KLAA), Howell (KLAA), Plymouth (KLAA), Salem (KLAA);

*SEC Red: Temperance Bedford (SEC Red), Dexter (SEC Red), Ann Arbor Huron (SEC Red), Ann Arbor Pioneer (SEC Red), Ann Arbor Skyline (SEC Red), Saline (SEC Red);

*SEC Silver: Belleville (KLAA), Dearborn (KLAA), Dearborn Heights Crestwood (Western Wayne/KLAA), Dearborn Fordson (KLAA), Westland John Glenn (KLAA), Monroe (SEC Red), Wayne Memorial (KLAA);

*SEC White: Adrian (SEC White), Chelsea (SEC White), Jackson (SEC White), Ypsilanti Lincoln (SEC White), Jackson Northwest (Interstate 8), Pinckney (SEC White), Tecumseh (SEC White), Ypsilanti (SEC White);

The Lakes Valley Conference in 2026-2027 will have (current affiliation): Lakes: Livonia Churchill (KLAA), Livonia Franklin (KLAA), Livonia Stevenson (KLAA), Farmington (OAA), North Farmington (OAA), Walled Lake Central (Lakes Valley), Milford (Lakes Valley), White Lake Lakeland (Lakes Valley), South Lyon (Lakes Valley), South Lyon East (Lakes Valley), Walled Lake Northern (Lakes Valley), Walled Lake Western (Lakes Valley);

Note: Waterford Kettering and Waterford Mott moved to the OAA;

The KLAA dissolution (2026-2027 & 2027-2028):

Belleville to SEC;

Brighton to SEC;

Canton to SEC;

Dearborn to SEC;

Dearborn Fordson to SEC;

Dearborn Heights Crestwood from Western Wayne to KLAA, then SEC

Hartland to SEC;

Howell to SEC;

Livonia Churchill to Lakes Valley;

Livonia Franklin to Lakes Valley;

Livonia Stevenson to Lakes Valley;

Northville - ?

Novi - ?

Plymouth to SEC;

Salem to SEC;

Wayne Memorial to SEC;

Westland John Glenn to SEC;

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The proposed Big 8 members for the 2026-2027 school year (current affiliation): Concord (Big 8), Springport (Big 8), Reading (Big 8), Quincy (Big 8), Vermontville Maple Valley (Big 8), Bronson (Big 8), Union City (Big 8), East Jackson (Cascades), Homer (Cascades);

The proposed Cascades members for the 2026-2027 school year (current affiliation): Addison (Cascades), Brooklyn Columbia Central (Cascades), Hanover Horton (Cascades), Vandercook Lake (Cascades), Grass Lake (Cascades), Michigan Center (Cascades), Napoleon (Cascades), Leslie (Cascades), Manchester (Cascades), Jonesville (Cascades), Stockbridge (Big 8), Hillsdale (LCAA);

The LCAA in 2026-2027 would be: Adrian Madison, Blissfield, Clinton, Dundee, Hudson, Ida, Onsted - Hillsdale leaving to the Cascades;

The Huron League in 2026-2027: Carleton Airport, Flat Rock, Grosse Ile, Milan, Monroe Jefferson, Monroe St Mary's Catholic Central, New Boston Huron, Riverview;

The TCC / Tri-County Conference in 2026-2027 would be: Adrian Lenawee Christian, Britton Deerfield, Erie Mason*, Morenci, Petersburg Summerfield*, Sand Creek*, Ottawa Lake Whiteford*; Football will be the Great Lakes Conference/GLC: Erie Mason (TCC), Petersburg Summerfield (TCC), Sand Creek (TCC), Whiteford (TCC) and Edon/OH (TAAC), West Unity Hilltop/OH (TAAC), Montpelier/OH (TAAC), North Central/OH (TAAC) - from Doug Donnelly https://whitefordbobcatsports.com/2025/10/15/whiteford-board-of-education-approves-football-move-to-new-great-lakes-conference/

 

The Downriver League in 2026-27: Allen Park, Dearborn Edsel Ford, Gibraltar Carlson, Lincoln Park, Southgate Anderson, Taylor, Trenton, Woodhaven, Wyandotte Roosevelt;

The Interstate 8 in 2026-2027: Battle Creek Harper Creek; Battle Creek Pennfield; Coldwater; Hastings; Marshall; Parma Western - with Jackson Northwest leaving for the SEC;

Some of the recent coverage -

*Northwest to Join SEC; Two New Schools Joining Big 8 Conference (JTV David Rice 02/10/26) - https://jtv.tv/northwest-to-join-sec-two-new-schools-joining-Big 8-conference/

*Jackson Northwest joining SEC White (MLive/Ja ckson Eric Ingles 02/13/26 ) - https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2026/02/jackson-northwest-joining-sec-white.html

*Southeastern Conference Announces Major Expansion in 2027-28 (Sun Times News Mike Williamson 02/28/26) - https://thesuntimesnews.com/southeastern-conference-announces-major-expansion-in-2027-28/

*SEC adding 12 KLAA schools for 2027-28 school year (MLive/Ann Arbor Greg Wickliffe 03/01/26) - https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2026/02/sec-announces-addition-of-12-klaa-schools-for-2027-28-school-year.html

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