| In 1956, Greeneville joined the Big Six conference along with charter
members Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett, Johnson City Science Hill, Unicoi County of Erwin,
Bristol Tennessee High, and Elizabethton. Morristown joined the conference in 1959
and it became the Big Seven. In 1968, Morristown split into Morristown East and
Morristown West, with Morristown East remaining a member of the conference. Sullivan
East and Sullivan Central joined in 1971 as the conference grew to nine members. In
1977, the TSSAA stopped using power points to determine classifications and playoffs, and
instead schools were divided into districts for district play and playoff advancement.
Greeneville and Morristown East joined the Inter-Mountain Athletic Conference
(IMAC) with Cocke County, Morristown West, Daniel Boone, Sevier County, Jefferson County,
and David Crockett.
In 1981, Sevier County left the conference, but was replaced with Cherokee, which had
opened its doors in 1980. Daniel Boone left the conference in 1984, dropping the
number to seven teams, where it remained through the 1992 season.
Prior to the 1993 season, the TSSAA re-classified football from three classifications
to five. The IMAC was classified as "4A" league, moving charter members
Jefferson County and Morristown East up to 5A. Knox Carter, and former 2A school
Volunteer filled the gap. The IMAC came to be known as the Five Rivers Conference,
but was and is stilled called the IMAC by tradionalists.
Re-classification again in 1995, just two years later, moved Cherokee, Greeneville and
David Crockett back into the Big Nine/Mountain Lakes Conference with Elizabethton,
Tennessee High, Daniel Boone and Sullivan South, Sullivan Central, and Sullivan East.
Since Morristown East and Jefferson County had moved to 5A, and Volunteer had
dropped to 2A, there were no original members left and the IMAC just faded into
history. BUT, just two years later, the TSSAA changed their mind and decided it was
better before they "fixed" things and returned the Five Rivers/IMAC conference
to include both Morristown schools, Cherokee, and charter members Cocke County,
Greeneville, and Crockett. Jefferson County remains in 5A classification.
A slight increase in enrollment put Morristown East just barely above the limit for 4A
schools and they were moved up to 5A for the 1999 and 2000 seasons. They were
replaced with Volunteer. Two years later, East's enrollment dropped just enough to
allow them to drop back to 4A, where they joined the IMAC again. Morristown East is
currently 1 student below the 4A maximum.
Beginning with the 2005 season, Daniel Boone is welcomed back into the IMAC.
Boone, a charter member in 1977, was moved from the Mountain Lakes Conference after
Sullivan North elected to move up a level in classification, placing nine teams in that
conference. The TSSAA elected to move Boone to the IMAC, making Region 1 and 2 equal
in size with eight teams each.
5A - Schools with an enrollment of 1,348 and above
4A - Schools with an enrollment of 961 to 1,347
3A - Schools with an enrollment of 675-957
2A - Schools with an enrollment of 364-673
1A - Schools with an enrollment of 361 and under |
