Officials with the Big South Conference announced Thursday that the conference is growing again as it will be adding another school from the dissolving Minnesota River Conference.
Belle Plaine will be joining the BSC in the 2023-2024 school year according to a release from Conference President Andy Traetow, Superintendent of School at Fairmont; and Executive Secretary Andy Ourada, Activities Director at Redwood Valley High School.
The conference announced in April that Tri-City United High School, based in Montgomery, would become the BSC’s 14th school in April. Belle Plaine brings the total to 15 schools.
“I think it will be a good fit for us competitively speaking,” Belle Plaine Activities Director John Bergs told the Henderson Independent. “It is going to be an adjustment obviously – we were spoiled for so many years in the Minnesota River Conference geographically – but from a competitive standpoint there are a lot of really good programs in the Big South, consistently putting out section and state caliber teams. We are excited about the opportunity.”
The school will see increased transportation costs. Bergs said Belle Plaine did not have to travel far when playing in the Minnesota River Conference as member schools Le Sueur-Henderson, TCU, Lester Prairie, Mayer Lutheran, Sibley East and Norwood Young America were all between 15 and 40 minutes away.
Bergs said while the Belle Plaine district initiated conversation with the Big South about joining, the conference chose to extend an invitation, rather than making the district submit an application.
According to The Independent, the new conference will apply to Belle Plaine Tigers programs and not co-op teams with Jordan for nordic ski, boys and girls soccer, and wrestling.
Nordic ski is currently part of the Twin Cities Nordic Ski Conference, the soccer teams are hosted by Jordan and play in the Wright County Conference and the Scott West Panthers wrestling team is not currently part of a conference.
Belle Plaine has been looking for a new conference since April following the announcement that the MRC would dissolve after the 2023-24 school year. The Big South Conference was the district’s next preferred choice.
Belle Plaine’s activity offerings include cross country, football, girls tennis, volleyball, boys and girls soccer (co-op with Jordan), boys and girls basketball, dance team, boys and girls hockey (co-op with LeSueur-Henderson, Cleveland, Tri-City United and St. Peter), wrestling (co-op with Jordan), baseball, softball, boys and girls track and field, and boys and girls golf).
Belle Plaine also has fine arts activities that include band and choir, one-act play, speech, robotics and clay target.
The conference said in its release that it is excited to provide the best experiences for students in its member schools.
Enrollments (2023-24 according to the MSHSL website)
Worthington 804
Marshall 720
New Ulm 624
St. Peter 606
Waseca 520
Tri-City United 494
Fairmont 482
Belle Plaine 431
Luverne 335
Redwood Valley 309
Jackson County Central 288
Pipestone 287
Windom 283
Blue Earth Area 277
St. James Area 271