The National Trail Conference (NTC) is a historic high school

conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...

in east central

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. The conference participates in athletics and activities in the

Illinois High School Association The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National Fed ...

(IHSA). The conference comprises eleven

public high school State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

s and one

private high school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

with small enrollments in portions of Effingham, Fayette, Shelby,

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

and

Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

counties. Founded in 1935, the National Trail Conference was named after the

National Road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the Federal Government of the United States, federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Pot ...

, which runs through the heart of the conference in Effingham and Fayette Counties and coincides with U.S. Route 40. While none of the schools in the NTC (as it is informally known) sponsor football, the conference is well-recognized around the state for having strong boys and girls basketball teams. The Teutopolis Lady Shoes have won five state titles, the second-most of any team in Illinois, while the Teutopolis boys have won one state title (in 1986) and numerous regional and sectional crowns. Effingham St. Anthony, Stewardson-Strasburg, and St. Elmo have also made appearances at the

Illinois high school boys basketball championship The Illinois High School Boys Basketball Championship is a single elimination tournament held each spring in the United States. It is organized by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). From 1908 to 1971, it was a single tournament contested ...

, while Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City (a co-op between two member schools in girls basketball) has made two appearances (2010, 2012) in the girls final four.

Member Schools

''Sources:IHSA Conferences and IHSA Member Schools Directory''

Former Members

History

The National Trail Conference (NTC) was established in 1935. Nine of the twelve schools — all except Dieterich, South Central, and North Clay — have been members since the conference's founding. Strasburg and Herrick high schools closed in 1951 and 1971, respectively, through consolidation. Their respective consolidations (Stewardson-Strasburg and Cowden-Herrick) would retain membership in the conference. The conference's membership stayed stable from 1971 until the 2009 season, when Dieterich became a full-time member after leaving the Midland Trail Conference. Teutopolis left in 2012 to become an independent and play schools closer to its size, as the school was twice the size of most of the schools in the conference. South Central left the Midland Trail Conference to join the NTC and replace Teutopolis for the 2012-13 school year. North Clay left the Midland Trail Conference to join the NTC for the 2016-2017 school year making them the 3rd school to leave the MTC for the NTC in 7 years.

Competitive Success

National Trail Conference teams have won 18 state championships in IHSA sponsored athletics and activities, most recently the 2017 Class 1A boys state basketball championship, won by St. Anthony. NTC teams have won numerous regional and sectional titles and most have competed in the final four at least once in either boys or girls basketball.

Cooperative Arrangements

In academic years 2021-22 * Cowden-Herrick and Beecher City * Brownstown and St. Elmo * Windsor and Stewardson-Strasburg

References

External links

National Trail Conference
{{Illinois High School Association Illinois high school sports conferences