New high school conference forms

Lapel among first commits to Eastern Crossroads

The REPORTER

A new high school sports conference is on the horizon in central Indiana.

Eastern Hancock, Lapel, New Castle and Shenandoah have all committed to the new Eastern Crossroads Conference. Lapel Athletics announced the new conference in a post on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday afternoon.

In addition to the committed schools, Centerville, Delta and Northeastern will also receive formal invitations to join the conference.

“This conference will feature athletics, including cheerleading and academic competitions both at the high school and middle school levels,” the press release said. “The formal by-law writing process will being in November.”

Lapel is an independent school and has not been affiliated with a conference since leaving the Indiana Crossroads Conference in 2014. New Castle has been a member of the Hoosier Heritage Conference since 2013, following a decades-long run in the North Central Conference. Eastern Hancock and Shenandoah have been part of the Mid-Eastern Conference since 2017.