Unusual Outcomes Marked First Season of South Central Conference Play

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The South Central Conference (SCC) celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2026, but the inaugural 1926-27 season was a far cry from the modern conference. Mount Olive won the first-ever SCC football championship based on a strange tiebreaker, while Litchfield edged Hillsboro for the basketball title in a low-scoring era. The new conference also struggled to organize a track and field championship that first year.

Why it matters

The SCC's first season provided a glimpse into the early days of high school sports organization, when schedules were loose, tiebreakers were convoluted, and certain sports like track were overlooked. This story highlights how the conference evolved over its first century, from those quirky beginnings to becoming a well-established and respected athletic league.

The details

In football, Mount Olive went 5-0 in conference play to win the title, while Pana was 3-0-1. But the tiebreaker at the time was the number of conference games played, so Mount Olive's five games gave them the edge over Pana's four. In basketball, Litchfield edged Hillsboro 33-15 in the final game to clinch the first-ever SCC title, in an era before the three-point line and shot clock. The conference also struggled to organize a track and field championship that inaugural year due to scheduling conflicts.

• The South Central Conference celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2026.
• The inaugural 1926-27 season featured the first-ever SCC football and basketball championships.
• Mount Olive won the 1926 SCC football title based on a tiebreaker of more conference games played.
• Litchfield clinched the 1927 SCC basketball title with a 33-15 home win over Staunton on March 4, 1927.
• The SCC decided not to hold a conference track meet in 1927 due to scheduling conflicts, delaying the inaugural track championship until 1928.

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