Central Massachusetts Conference
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The Central Massachusetts Conference was a high school athletic conference located in District 2 of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. All of the schools in the conference during the final years of existence were Catholic Schools located in the Worcester County of Massachusetts. St. Bernard's Football and Ice Hockey teams were part of the Catholic Central League.[1]
The current iteration of the conference was founded in 1975[2] with schools Fitchburg, Gardner, Holy Name, Leominster, St. Bernard's, St. John's, St. Peter's (which would become St. Peter-Marian a year later after merging with Marian High), and Wachusett.[3] It wasn't long until members began leaving however, Gardner being the first to go join the massive Wachusett League in the fall of 1980.[4] The conference remained stable for the better half of the decade until 1988, when Fitchburg, Leominster and Wachusett all left for the Midland League.[5] By now, all schools had dwindling enrollment sizes except for St. John's who was easily overpowering the others in athletics. This led to St. John's leaving for the Catholic Conference in 2021.[6] In 2025, with the conference on its final leg, it merged with the Colonial Athletic League, Dual Valley Conference, Inter-High League, and the Southern Worcester County League to create the Central Massachusetts Athletic Conference[7].
Former Members
| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | Year Left* | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitchburg High School | Fitchburg, Massachusetts | Red Raiders | Red & Gray | 1989 | Midland Wachusett League |
| Gardner High School | Gardner, Massachusetts | Wildcats | Orange & Black | 1980 | Midland Wachusett League |
| Leominster High School | Leominster, Massachusetts | Blue Devils | Blue & White | 1989 | Midland Wachusett League |
| Notre Dame Academy | Worcester, Massachusetts | Rebels | Green & Gold | 2025 | Central Massachusetts Athletic Conference |
| Saint Bernard's High School | Fitchburg, Massachusetts | Bernardians | Blue & Gold | 2025 | Central Massachusetts Athletic Conference |
| Saint John's High School | Shrewsbury, Massachusetts | Pioneers | Red & White | 2021 | Catholic Conference |
| St. Paul Diocesan Junior-Senior High School | Worcester, Massachusetts | Knights | Black & Gold | 2025 | Central Massachusetts Athletic Conference |
| Wachusett Regional High School | Holden, Massachusetts | Mountaineers | Green & White | 1989 | Midland Wachusett League |
*All schools joined when the league founded in 1975
State Championships
This is a list of MIAA state championships won by schools while a part of the Central Mass Conference
Football[8]
Note: From 1972 to 2012, football state championships were separated by region, so there would be multiple champions from each division. From 1972 to 1977 and from 1997 to 2008, it was split between Eastern Mass and Central/Western Mass and there would be two champions in each division. From 1978 to 1996 and from 2009 to 2012 Central and Western Mass split so there would be three champions in each division. In 2013 everything was combined and therefore only allowed one state champion per division.
- St. John's - 1977, 2001, 2004 D1 Central/Western; 1985, 1988, 2001 D1 Central; 2005, 2006 D1AA Central/Western; 2017 D3
- Leominster - 1978, 1981, 1982, D1 Central
- St. Peter-Marian - 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 D2 Central
- Holy Name - 2005, 2006 D2 Central/Western; 2008 D1A Central/Western
- St. Bernard's - 2018, 2019 D8
Cross Country[9]
Boys
- Gardner - 1976 D1
- St. John's - 1992, 2017 D1
Soccer[10]
Boys
- Leominster - 1978 D1
- St. John's - 1985, 2007 D1
Girls
- St. Peter-Marian - 1999 (Co-Champs with Oliver Ames High School) D2
Golf[11]
- St. John's - 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2023
Field Hockey[12]
- Notre Dame Academy - 1992, 2002, 2003, 2005 D1
Basketball[13]
Boys
- St. Bernard's - 1988 D2
- St. John's - 2000, 2009 D1
Girls
- St. Peter-Marian - 1984 D1
Indoor Track[9]
Boys
- Fitchburg - 1978 Class C
Ice Hockey[14]
Boys
- St. John's - 1999, 2004 D1
Alpine Ski[15]
Boys
- St. John's - 2007
Baseball[16]
- St. John's - 1976, 2002 D1
- St. Peter-Marian - 1977, 1987 D1
Softball[17]
- St. Peter-Marian - 1977, 1979, 1981, 1985, 2015 D1
- Leominster - 1987 D1
Tennis[18]
Boys
- St. John's - 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004 D1
References
- ^ https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-06/miaa-league-directory.pdf
- ^ Bause, Rick (April 2, 1975). "Red and Gray Ready to Play". Fitchburg Sentinel. p. 8.
- ^ Newell, Gordon (December 6, 1975). "Leominster Five opens Dec. 17". Fitchburg Sentinel. p. 6.
- ^ "GHS Eleven Trounced in Home Opener". Athol Daily News. September 20, 1979. p. 6.
- ^ "Standings: League, Overall". The Boston Globe. October 4, 1988. p. 81.
- ^ Garven, Rich. "Right time arrives for St. John's move". The Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
- ^ "Where will my school play? The fall and winter alignments for the Central Mass. Athletic Conference". The Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
- ^ https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-football.pdf
- ^ a b https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-track-cross-country.pdf
- ^ https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-soccer.pdf
- ^ https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-10/2024-fall-golf-program.pdf
- ^ https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-11/fieldhockey-2024-state-finals-program.pdf
- ^ https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-04/miaa-state-champions-basketball.pdf
- ^ https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-ice-hockey_0.pdf
- ^ https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-ski.pdf
- ^ https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-baseball.pdf
- ^ https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-softball.pdf
- ^ https://www.miaa.net/sites/default/files/2024-05/miaa-state-champions-tennis.pdf