New changes coming for West Michigan Conference in 2026-27 season

Every three years, all 14 athletic directors from schools in both the WMC Lakes and the WMC Rivers come together and realign the division based on enrollment numbers.

For the 2026-27 school year, Hart will move up into the Lakes division while Manistee drops down to the Rivers division.

2026-27 Full Divisions

Lakes Division

• Ludington (683 students)

• Fremont (614)

• Whitehall (584)

• Oakridge (561)

• Orchard View (528)

• Montague (437)

• Hart (400)

Rivers Division

• Manistee (396)

• Mason County Central (395)

• Shelby (344)

• Ravenna (318)

• North Muskegon (317)

• Hesperia (248)

• Holton (222)

Whitehall AD, Christian Subdon, told Local Sports Journal, “We’re always actively looking. We have an application process, and we would take a vote (for membership). The end goal, I think, is a 16-team conference with two 8-team divisions.”

The initial realignment took place in 2022 after close to 90 years’ worth of teams jumping in and out of the conference. Montague, Shelby, and Mason County Central (Scottville), however, showed true loyalty by sticking with the conference throughout its whole history.

Ken-Ne-Wa Conference, Valley Coast, Lake Michigan Athletic Conference, Tri-River, and the Waterways Conference were just some of the leagues to which teams departed.

The Seaway Conference lasted from 1960 to 1997 and had some of West Michigan’s most prized programs in it.

Before the West Michigan Conference assembled in 1932, Whitehall, Montague, Ravenna, Muskegon St. Mary’s, and Holton were all a part of the Muskegon County Athletic Association.

Oakridge High School began in the 1960s and joined the WMC in 1966; it has been there ever since.

With the constant changes in the school’s enrollment numbers, there is no doubt that another realignment will happen, as well as a few teams joining the WMC in the near future.

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