Big Northern Conference
The Big Northern Conference is an athletic conference in the Northern Illinois area consisting of ten small-to-medium sized high schools. It is among one of the most competitive circuits in Illinois Scholastic Bowl with winners often going on to great success at the IHSA State Tournament. The Conference has produced four State champions & nine top-4 finalists in Class A since the early 1990's.
The Big Northern Conference scholastic bowl circuit was started by Byron coach & IHSSBCA Hall of Fame, Larry Schnorr. Once split between the Big 8 & Mid-North Conferences, members that would make up the Big Northern in 1995 had been apart of creating what is now known as the Masonic State Tournament.
The conference used Brody Finney's Platypus Questions for almost certainly its entire history until 2009-2010, when it switched to an NAQT IS set, becoming one of two known Illinois conferences to use the ACF bonus format.
Current Members
| School | Location | Mascot | County | Enrollment | IHSA Class | Masonic Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Byron | Byron, IL | Tigers | Ogle | 456 | 1A | 2A |
| Dixon | Dixon, IL | Dukes | Lee | 749 | 2A | 3A |
| Genoa-Kingston | Genoa, IL | Cogs | DeKalb | 555 | 2A | 2A |
| North Boone | Poplar Grove, IL | Vikings | Boone | 466 | 1A | 2A |
| Oregon | Oregon, IL | Hawks | Ogle | 466 | 1A | 2A |
| Rock Falls | Rock Falls, IL | Rockets | Whiteside | 647 | 2A | 2A |
| Rockford Christian | Rockford, IL | Royal Lions | Winnebago | 389 | 1A | 1A |
| Rockford Lutheran | Rockford, IL | Crusaders | Winnebago | 315 | 1A | 1A |
| Stillman Valley | Stillman Valley, IL | Cardinals | Ogle | 559 | 2A | 2A |
| Winnebago | Winnebago, IL | Indians | Winnebago | 451 | 1A | 2A |
Former Members
Big Northern Conference Results
| Year | Tournament Champions | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | 4th Place | Regular Season Champions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Winnebago | North Boone | Oregon | Rockford Lutheran | Winnebago |
| 2022 | Rockford Lutheran | Winnebago | Rock Falls | Dixon | Rockford Lutheran |
| 2020 | Winnebago | Byron | Rock Falls | North Boone | Byron |
| 2019 | Winnebago | Rock Falls | Rockford Lutheran | Rockford Christian | Winnebago |
| 2018 | Byron | Winnebago | Stillman Valley | Rockford Christian | Byron |
| 2017 | Byron | Stillman Valley | Winnebago | Rockford Lutheran | Byron |
| 2016 | Marengo | Byron | Burlington (Central) | Stillman Valley | Marengo |
| 2015 | Stillman Valley | Marengo | Oregon | Burlington (Central) | |
| 2014 | Stillman Valley | Rock Falls | Winnebago | Burlington (Central) | Stillman Valley |
| 2008 | Byron | Winnebago | Byron | ||
| 2006 | Winnebago | ||||
| 2005 | Winnebago | ||||
| 2004 | Winnebago | ||||
| 2003 | Stillman Valley | ||||
| 2002 | Stillman Valley | ||||
| 2001 | Stillman Valley | ||||
| 2000 | Stillman Valley |
Comepetitive Success
IHSA State Tournament
- 2023: Winnebago - 3rd Place (1A)
- 2022: Winnebago - 3rd Place (1A)
- 2019: Winnebago - 4th Place (1A)
- 2018: Byron - 2nd Place (1A)
- 2006: Winnebago - 3rd Place (1A)
- 2003: Stillman Valley - 1st Place (1A)
- 2000: Byron - 1st Place (1A)
- 1998: Byron - 4th Place (1A)
- 1997: Byron - 2nd Place (1A)
- 1996: Marquette - 4th Place (1A)
- 1995: Winnebago - 1st Place (1A)
- 1994: Winnebago - 3rd Place (1A)
- 1993: Winnebago - 1st Place (1A)
Masonic State Tournament
- 2017: Byron - 4th Place (2A)
- 2003: Stillman Valley - 3rd Place
- 2001: Stillman Valley - 4th Place
- 1994: Winnebago - 1st