BCS League
The Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph League is an athletic conference for high schools in southwest Michigan. Founded in 2014 with the inaugural season of play in 2014-15, the conference aspired to grow into a Southwest Michigan "super conference" with membership extending across all MHSAA classes and organized into divisions of schools with similar enrollments. Periodic realignment of divisions allowed members to remain in competition with like-sized schools within the conference thereby avoiding the disruptive effects of conference switching due to changing enrollment. The conference had a unique scheduling philosophy that did not force members to play against conference opponents in different divisions and respected the freedom of members to schedule rivals and other willing conference opponents regardless of size or division.
Between 2017 and 2021, the BCS experienced frequent membership changes with eight schools departing & five schools joining. A final attempt to realize its "super-conference" aspiration was attempted in 2019, when membership invitations were extended to ten schools of diverse enrollments. Niles and South Haven were the only two that accepted. However, Niles departed after only a single season and South Haven exited after two seasons. When expansion proved unsuccessful, the remaining larger schools decided to leave for other conferences. Beginning with the 2022-2023 season, the BCS transitioned into being a league catering to small public and private schools in southwest Michigan.
Sponsored Sports
Boys
, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Tennis, Track and Field, WrestlingGirls
, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field, VolleyballMember schools
There are currently 9 member schools. The geographic footprint of the league includes Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties in Michigan.Current members
School data in the table below is current for the 2023-24 season according to the MHSAA website.| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | Enrollment | Class | Sports Division | Football Division | Affiliation | Joined | Previous Conference |
| Benton Harbor Countryside Academy | Benton Township | Cougars | Blue & White | 179 | C | BCS | n/a | Public Charter | 2016 | Red Arrow Conference |
| Covert | Covert Township | Bulldogs | Navy Blue & Gold | 107 | D | BCS | n/a | Public | 2017 | Southwestern Athletic Conference |
| Eau Claire | Eau Claire | Fighting Beavers | Maroon & White | 175 | C | BCS | n/a † | Public | 2020 | Southwest 10 Conference |
| Marcellus Howardsville Christian | Flowerfield Township | Eagles | Red & White | 62 | D | BCS | n/a | Private | 2016 | Red Arrow Conference |
| New Buffalo | New Buffalo | Bisons | Royal Blue & Gold | 178 | C | BCS | n/a † | Public | 2014 | Red Arrow Conference |
| Our Lady of the Lake Catholic | St. Joseph | Lakers | Royal Blue, Gold & White | 61 | D | BCS | n/a † | Private | 2014 | Red Arrow Conference |
| St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran | Royalton Township | Titans | Purple & White | 114 | D | BCS | n/a † | Private | 2015 | Red Arrow Conference |
| Three Oaks River Valley | Chikaming Township | Mustangs | Navy & White | 155 | D | BCS | n/a | Public | 2015 | Red Arrow Conference |
| Watervliet Grace Christian | Bainbridge Township | Patriots | Royal Blue, Gold & White | 19 | D | BCS | n/a | Private | 2016 | Red Arrow Conference |
† 8-man football team that is a member of the Southwest Michigan 8-man Football League
Former members
Membership Timeline
DateFormat = yyyy
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Period = from:2014 till:2025
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bar:1 color:red from:2014 till:2022 text:Bridgman
bar:2 color:red from:2014 till:2017 text:Bronson
bar:3 color:red from:2014 till:2022 text:Buchanan
bar:4 color:red from:2014 till:2017 text:Cassopolis
bar:5 color:red from:2014 till:2017 text:Centreville
bar:6 color:red from:2014 till:2017 text:Mendon
bar:7 color:red from:2014 till:end text:New Buffalo
bar:8 color:red from:2014 till:2022 text:Niles Brandywine
bar:9 color:red from:2014 till:end text:Our Lady of the Lake Catholic
bar:10 color:red from:2014 till:2017 text:White Pigeon
bar:11 color:red from:2015 till:end text:Three Oaks River Valley
bar:12 color:red from:2015 till:2022 text:Berrien Springs
bar:13 color:red from:2015 till:2021 text:Comstock
bar:14 color:red from:2015 till:2020 text:Parchment
bar:15 color:red from:2015 till:end text:St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran
bar:16 color:red from:2016 till:end text:Benton Harbor Countryside Academy
bar:17 color:red from:2016 till:end text:Marcellus Howardsville Christian
bar:18 color:red from:2016 till:end text:Watervliet Grace Christian
bar:19 color:red from:2017 till:end text:Covert
bar:20 color:red from:2018 till:2022 text:Lawrence
bar:21 color:red from:2020 till:end text:Eau Claire
bar:22 color:red from:2020 till:2021 text:Niles
bar:23 color:red from:2020 till:2022 text:South Haven
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text:"BCS League Membership History"