Early Days The Wolverine Conference was formed in 1952, consisting of Allegan, Kalamazoo University, Otsego, Plainwell, Portage Central, and South Haven. Portage Central left for the SMAC in 1958. The Wolverine expanded for the first time in 1954, adding Vicksburg to the conference. The Wolverine "B" Conference has always consisted of mostly Class Bhigh schools, but there are bylaws in case a school is Class A for more than two years. In that instance, over 75% of schools must approve said school's membership and the school's case is reviewed every year. Further Expansion The Wolverine began adding more schools beginning in the 1960s. Paw Paw High School was the first to join in this decade, moving from the Kalamazoo Valley Conference in 1961. Kalamazoo University High closed in 1966, with Comstock joining the same year from the Kalamazoo Valley Conference, and Three Rivers from the Twin Valley Conference a year after in 1967. Gull Lake High School joined the conference in 1974. This kicked off a long period of stability within the Wolverine, with the only exception being Paw Paw returning to the Kalamazoo Valley in 1982. Major Realignment The new millennium brought major changes to the Wolverine Conference. In 2006, Paw Paw left the Kalamazoo Valley and once again rejoined the Wolverine, while Dowagiac joined the conference from the SMAC. Five years later, Gull Lake, dominant in many sports, left for the SMAC. Looking into expanding, the Wolverine raided the nearby Lakeland Conference, with Berrien Springs, Coloma, and Edwardsburg entering the conference. This, for the first time, created divisions within the Wolverine, with the alignment as follows from 2012 through 2014:
West Division
East Division
Berrien Springs
Allegan
Coloma
Comstock
Dowagiac
Otsego
Edwardsburg
Paw Paw
South Haven
Plainwell
Three Rivers
Vicksburg
Then, after the 2014 school year, Comstock left the Wolverine for the Kalamazoo Valley, replaced by Sturgis from the SMAC. To accommodate these changes, Paw Paw and Three Rivers switched divisions, making new divisions for the 2014-15 year as follows:
West Division
East Division
Berrien Springs
Allegan
Coloma
Otsego
Dowagiac
Plainwell
Edwardsburg
Sturgis
Paw Paw
Three Rivers
South Haven
Vicksburg
After the 2014–15 school year, Coloma and Berrien Springs, two of the smaller schools in the Wolverine, left for the Southwestern Athletic Conference and the BCS Conference, respectively, after only three seasons in the conference. This created a full 9-game football schedule for the conference, eliminating the need to have divisions after only three seasons. For the next five years, the conference remained the same, until South Haven, one of the founding members of the Wolverine, announced it will leave after 68 years for the BCS after the 2019–20 school year, leaving the conference at 9 teams in 2020. This will change in 2021, as Niles will join after one year in the BCS, bringing the conference back up to 10 teams for the 2021-22 school year.
Current Champions
Season
Sport
Champion
Fall 2019
Cross Country
Otsego
Fall 2019
Cross Country
Otsego
Fall 2019
Football
Edwardsburg
Fall 2019
Golf
Plainwell
Fall 2019
Soccer
Plainwell
Fall 2019
Tennis
Allegan‡
Fall 2019
Volleyball
Edwardsburg/Vicksburg
Winter 2019-20
Basketball
Otsego
Winter 2019-20
Basketball
Edwardsburg
Winter 2019-20
Bowling
Three Rivers
Winter 2019-20
Bowling
Allegan
Winter 2019-20
Competitive Cheer
Paw Paw
Winter 2019-20
Wrestling
Edwardsburg
Spring 2019†
Baseball
Edwardsburg/Otsego
Spring 2019†
Golf
Edwardsburg
Spring 2019†
Soccer
Otsego
Spring 2019†
Softball
Edwardsburg
Spring 2019†
Tennis
Allegan
Spring 2019†
Track and Field
Otsego
Spring 2019†
Track and Field
Otsego/Vicksburg
‡ Denotes state champion † All spring 2020 sports were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
