The SHARK Conference was a high school conference in north central Illinois and south central Wisconsin. The conference participated in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA). The conference included private and public high schools with enrollments between 75 and 2,000 students in Boone, DeKalb, Lee, McHenry, Stephenson and Winnebago counties in Illinois and Rock in Wisconsin.IHSA.org Enrollments
History The name SHARK is an acronym representing the first letter of its 5 charter members. (South Beloit, Harlem, Aquin, Rockton Hononegah and Kirkland-Hiawatha) The SHARK originated as a collection of schools in northern Illinois based primarily on proximity and not on enrollment. By 1953, Kirkland-Hiawatha left the conference and was replaced with Harvard and Marengo, taking the total number of teams to six. In 1955 Freeport Aquin left the conference, however Rockford St. Thomas High School took their place. The conference continued to morph as the 1950s came to a close with North Boone High School joining in 1957 and Richmond-Burton in 1958. Also in 1958, based on the completion of Boylan Catholic High School, St. Thomas dropped out of the conference as their students began transitioning toward a new high school, and Harlem left the league in order to join the Big 8 Conference with the intent of playing competition with similar enrollments.
As the 1960s began, Alden-Hebron High School joined, however, it quickly left in 1964 along with Richmond-Burton. The following season, Winnebago High School and two Beloit, Wisconsin schools joined the conference. The two schools from Wisconsin included; Beloit Catholic High School and Turner High School. Winnebago remained a member of the league until 1972 but left for the Mid Northern Conference. Amboy High School quickly replaced them in 1972, but left after the 1975 season, heading to the newly formed Three Rivers Conference. In 1978, Johnsburg High School joined the league and in 1981, the conference's final season, Woodstock Marian would be added. However, North Boone, Beloit Catholic, and South Beloit all left the conference before the start of the season, leaving the conference with only five teams in its final season.
All-Time Membership The SHARK Conference had various teams throughout its history, this list of schools encompasses all of the schools which were once a part of the conference.
School Location County Mascot Colors Year Joined Year LeftTotal Years Still openCurrent Conference Alden-HebronHigh School Hebron, IL McHenry Giants Green, White, Black 1960 (football) 1959 (other sports) 19645 Yes8-Man Football North Division (football) Northeastern Athletic Conference (other sports) AmboyHigh School Amboy, IL Lee Clippers Red, White, Black 1972 19753 Yes8-Man Football North Division (football) Northwest Upstate Illini Conference (other sports) Aquin CatholicHigh School Freeport, IL Stephenson Bulldogs Navy Blue, Gold 1946 19559 No* Beloit CatholicHigh School Beloit, WI Rock Crusaders Green, Gold 1964 198117 No** HarlemHigh School Machesney Park, IL Winnebago Huskies Black, Orange 1946 195812 YesNorthern Illinois Conference (NIC-10) HarvardHigh School Harvard, IL McHenry Hornets Black, Gold 1953 (football) 1952 (other sports) 198230 YesKishwaukee River Conference HononegahHigh School Rockton, IL Winnebago Indians Purple, Gold 1946 198236 YesNorthern Illinois Conference (NIC-10) JohnsburgHigh School Johnsburg, IL McHenry Skyhawks Blue, Gold 1978 19824 YesKishwaukee River Conference Kirkland-HiawathaHigh School Kirkland, IL DeKalb Hawks Navy Blue, Gold 1946 19537 Yes8-Man Football North Division (football) Little Ten Conference (other sports) MarengoHigh School Marengo, IL McHenry Indians Maroon, White 1953 (football) 1952 (other sports) 198230 YesKishwaukee River Conference Marian Central CatholicHigh School Woodstock, IL McHenry Hurricanes Columbia Blue, White, Red 1981 19821 YesIndependent; Joining the upcoming Chicagoland Christian Conference in 2023 North BooneHigh School Poplar Grove, IL Boone Vikings Green, White 1957 198124 YesBig Northern Conference Richmond-BurtonHigh School Richmond, IL McHenry Rockets Maroon, Gold 1958 19646 YesKishwaukee River Conference St. Thomas CatholicHigh SchoolIllinoisGloryDays.com Rockford, IL Winnebago Tommies Purple, White 1955 19583 No*** South BeloitHigh School South Beloit, IL Winnebago Sobos Scarlet Red, White 1946 198135 Yes8-Man Football North Division (football) Northeastern Athletic Conference (other sports) TurnerHigh School Beloit, WI Rock Trojans Blue, Gold 1965 (football) 1964 (other sports) 19695 YesRock Valley Conference WinnebagoHigh School Winnebago, IL Winnebago Indians Orange, Black 1964 19728 YesBig Northern Conference *Aquin Catholic High School would close in 2024. **Beloit Catholic High School would close in 2000. ***St. Thomas Catholic High School would close in 1962. Sources:IHSA Conferences,IHSA.org Conferences IHSA Coop Teams,IHSA.org Cooperative Agreements and IHSA Member Schools DirectoryIHSA.org Schools Directory
Membership timeline
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