The Merrimack Valley Conference is a high school athletic conference in District 4 of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA). The conference was founded 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.
History 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.). 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. Ayer was the first to leave in 1956, 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. 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. 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. Lawrence was the first to obtain full membership in 1974; the league was still hesitant to add Lowell and Haverhill
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.
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. Greater Lawrence tried to jump ships to the Commonwealth Athletic Conference in 1985 and was denied entry, leaving them independent.
The league remained stable from here for the better part of ten years, until Lawrence left to be independent in 1994. The following year, Wilmington left to the lower division Cape Ann League. 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. 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.
Member Schools Source: +SchoolLocationMascotColorsJoined LeagueYear FoundedEnrollmentMerrimack Valley IAndover High SchoolAndover, MassachusettsGolden WarriorsNavy Blue & Gold 196518541,578Billerica Memorial High SchoolBillerica, MassachusettsIndiansForest Green & White 195519551,737Central Catholic High SchoolLawrence, MassachusettsRaidersRed & Navy Blue 197219351,200Chelmsford High SchoolChelmsford, MassachusettsLionsMaroon & White 194619171,442Haverhill High SchoolHaverhill, MassachusettsHilliesBrown & Gold 198018411,850Lowell High SchoolLowell, MassachusettsRed RaidersRed & Gray 198018313,374North Andover High SchoolNorth Andover, MassachusettsScarlet KnightsScarlet, Black & White 1946-1971, 2012-present19541,288Merrimack Valley IIDracut High SchoolDracut, MassachusettsMiddiesNavy Blue, Colombia Blue, & White 19461934763Lawrence High SchoolLawrence, MassachusettsLancersNavy Blue & White 1974-1994, 2009-present19013,280Methuen High SchoolMethuen, MassachusettsRangersBlue & White 194618741,751Tewksbury Memorial High SchoolTewksbury, MassachusettsRedmenScarlet, White, & Royal Blue 19461905730
Former Members +SchoolLocationMascotColorsJoinedLeftCurrent ConferenceAustin Preparatory SchoolReading, MassachusettsCougarsGreen, White, & Black 19721982New England Preparatory School Athletic CouncilAyer Shirley Regional High SchoolAyer, MassachusettsPantherMaroon & White 19461956Midland Wachusett LeagueBurlington High SchoolBurlington, MassachusettsRed DevilsRed, White, & Blue 19461972Middlesex LeagueGreater Lawrence Technical SchoolAndover, MassachusettsReggiesBlack & Orange 19801985Commonwealth Athletic ConferenceGreater Lowell Technical High SchoolTyngsborough, MassachusettsGryphonsBlue & Gold 19801982Commonwealth Athletic ConferenceWilmington High SchoolWilmington, MassachusettsWildcatsNavy Blue, Colombia Blue, & White 19461995Middlesex League
State championships This is a list of MIAA State championships won by schools while a part of the Merrimack Valley Conference
Football
Source:
Andover - 1974, 1975 D2 Eastern Tewksbury - 1985 D2 Eastern; 1996 D2B Eastern Chelmsford - 1987 D2 Eastern; 1991, 1994 D2A Eastern; 2007 D1A Eastern Dracut - 1988 D2 Eastern; 2008 D1A Eastern Methuen - 1992 D2A Eastern Billerica - 1993, 1999 D2A Eastern Central Catholic - 1997 D2B Eastern; 1998 D2C Eastern; 2013 D1
Cross Country Source:
Boys
Chelmsford - 1988 D1
Fall Volleyball Source:
Chelmsford - 1985, 1986 D1
Soccer Source:
Girls
Central Catholic - 2010 D1
Fall Swim & Dive Source:
Boys
Methuen - 2021-2024 D1 Billerica - 2021-2023 D2
Girls
Andover - 1999-2007, 2009-2012, 2014-2019 D1 Chelmsford - 2008, 2013 D1 Central Catholic - 2004 D2
Basketball Source:
Boys
Chelmsford - 1951 Class C North Andover - 1958 Class C Central Catholic - 1999, 2008, 2010 D1
Girls
Methuen - 1986, 1999 D1 Haverhill - 1987, 1989, 1992, 1994-1996 D1 Andover - 2003, 2010-2012, 2020 (Co-champs with Franklin High School), 2023 D1 Central Catholic - 2009, 2013 D1
Winter Swim & Dive Source:
Boys
Chelmsford - 2002-2004 D1
Gymnastics Source:
Dracut - 1989, 1990 Andover - 2000 Chelmsford - 2006
Ice Hockey Source:
Boys
Billerica- 1975-1977, 2025 D2 Chelmsford - 1995 D1 Tewksbury - 1995, 2011, 2022 D2 Catholic Memorial - 2009 D1A
Girls
Methuen - 2019 (Co-Champs with Tewksbury Memorial High School), 2026 D1 Tewksbury - 2019 (Co-champs with Methuen High School) D1
Indoor Track & Field Source:
Boys
Andover - 1970, 1984 Class B Wilmington 1975 Class C Methuen - 1978, 1979, 1983 Class B Chelmsford - 1984, 1985, 1990 Class A Central Catholic - 1995 Class B; 2004, 2005 D2 Tewksbury - 2005 D3 Lowell - 2013, 2018-2020, 2025 D1; 2020, 2022 All-State North Andover - 2022-2024 D2
Girls
Billerica - 1979 Class A; 2023, 2024, 2025 D3 Tewksbury - 1990 Class B Central Catholic - 2005-2007 D2; 2024 D1
Alpine Ski Source:
Boys
Haverhill - 1982 Andover - 2011
Girls
North Andover - 2015
Wrestling Source:
Boys
Clemsford - 1969, 1970 All-State; 1976, 1977, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1999, 2000, 2016, 2018 D1 Lowell - 1981, 1989, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 D1 Billerica - 1983, 1993 D1 Tewksbury - 1989, D2; 2025 D3 Methuen 1997, 2012 D1 Central Catholic - 1998, 2026 D1; 2002, 2003, 2019 D2 Dracut - 2004 D2 Lawrence - 2011 D1 North Andover - 2013, 2014 D2 Haverhill - 2024 All-State
Girls
Lowell - 2024 D1 & All State; 2026 D1
Baseball Source:
Andover - 1991, 1992 D1 Chelmsford - 2025 D1
Softball Source:
Wilmington - 1993, 1994 D2 Dracut - 1997, 1998 D2 Chelmsford - 1999 D1 Lowell - 2005 D1
Outdoor Track & Field Source:
Boys
Andover - 1966, 1968, 1970, 1973, 1979 (Co-Champs with Ayer-Shirley), 1984, 2009, 2010, 2015 All-State Methuen - 1985 All-State Haverhill - 1998 D1 Lowell - 2018, 2019 All-State; 2025 D1 North Andover - 2022, 2023, 2026 D2
Girls
Billerica 1980 All-State; 2023 D3; 2026 D2 Chelmsford - 1990 All-State Methuen - 1995 All-State Andover - 2005 All-State, 2023 D1; 2025 D3 North Andover - 2025 D2
Tennis Source:
Girls
Andover - 2007, 2014, 2015 D1
Lacrosse Source:
Boys
Billerica - 2001 D1; 2025 D2
References
External links
School websites
Andover High School Billerica Memorial High School Central Catholic High School Chelmsford High School Dracut High School Haverhill High School Lawrence High School Lowell High School Methuen High School North Andover High School Tewksbury Memorial High School