The Midland Empire Conference took a step to reinforce the league for years to come Thursday morning. The MEC agreed to add Marshall, Moberly, Mexico and Kirksville beginning in the 2028-2029 academic year, bumping the total number of schools from seven to 11.
The new-look MEC will feature an East Division that will include the four new schools plus Chillicothe. The West Division will be made up of Benton, Bishop LeBlond, Cameron, Excelsior Springs, Maryville, and Savannah.
The move comes after the league has seen ebbs and flows over the years with schools including Smithville and St. Pius exiting for other opportunities, and Lafayette closing at the end of the current year.
The North Central Missouri Conference had announced plans in 2024 to dissolve, leaving Marshall, Mexico, Kirksville and Moberly without a league. In the fall, officials from Marshall Public Schools reached out to Maryville leadership to discuss the possibility of the four districts joining the Midland Empire.
"We just saw it as a way to strengthen the MEC," Maryville superintendent Philip Pohren said, "Not just for the 2028-2029 year, but for years to come."
The conference realignment keeps the league intact and allows longtime rivalries to continue on a regular basis. For Maryville, it also prevents challenge of figuring out its next move if the MEC disbanded.
"Up in that northwest corner of the state, if some of these other schools decided to jump out of our conference, we would be left with being independent," Pohren said. "It would've been very troublesome for Maryville."
The conference will already see one new school join for the 2026-27 school year in Excelsior Springs. The Tigers left the Suburban Conference to join the MEC after seeing St. Pius exit.
Full audio of our interview with Maryville superintendent Philip Pohren is available above.
