Cape Ann League
The Cape Ann League is a high school athletic conference in District 5 of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. The league is based mainly on or around Cape Ann, a small cape on the North Shore of Massachusetts.
Member schools
The CAL has twelve member schools in northeastern Massachusetts. The schools in the Cape Ann League are split into two divisions: Cape Ann Kinney and Cape Ann Baker.The Kinney division incorporates the schools with six largest enrollment within the league and compete in Division 3 for football. The Baker division incorporates the schools with six smallest enrollment within the league and compete in Division 4 for football.
History
Longtime Secretary and Treasurer of the Cape Ann League, Dick Baker, steps down after 41 years with the Cape Ann League. Baker also spent 18 years with the Northeastern Conference.Beginning in the 2011-12 season, Wilmington High School moved to the Middlesex League along with Arlington High School moving from the Dual County League.
Prior to the 2012-13 school year, North Andover High School left the Cape Ann League after forty years to join the Merrimack Valley Conference (MVC).
On December 14, 2012, Saugus High School announced on that they would join the Cape Ann League, leaving the Northeastern Conference for more success in their school athletics. On January 18, 2013, the move was approved by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.
At the conclusion of Saugus High School's first season in the Cape Ann League, they requested to rejoin the Northeastern Conference due to geographic and traveling issues. The rejoin was approved by both high school conferences allowing Saugus High School to return to the Northeastern Conference. All sports would play in the Northeastern Conference, with the exception of football which would become independent for the 2014 fall season. The Saugus Sachems football team would play opponents from both the Cape Ann League and Northeastern Conference.
Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, Essex Tech became a member of the Cape Ann League after many years playing in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference.
With the addition of Essex Tech becoming a member of the Kinney Division, Lynnfield High School moved to the Baker Division in the 2024-2025 school year.
Sports
The Cape Ann League sponsors championship competition in twelve men's, eleven women's, and one coed MIAA sanctioned sports.State Championships
Below is a list of state championships for sports sanctioned by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association won by schools while they were members of the Cape Ann leagueFootball
Source: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.Newburyport - 1975, 1976 D3 Eastern; 1995 D4B Eastern; 1997 D4A EasternIpswich - 1977 D3 Eastern; 1991, 1992 D4B Eastern; 2006 D3A EasternManchester Essex - 1981, 1982 D5 Eastern; 1999 D6A Eastern; 2008 D4 EasternNorth Andover - 1994 D4A EasternPentucket - 1999 D4A EasternGeorgetown - 2000 D6A EasternAmesbury - 2008 D3A EasternNorth Reading - 2022 D5