The Cape Ann League (CAL) is a high school athletic conference in District 5 of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. The league is based mainly on or around Cape Ann, a small cape on the North Shore of Massachusetts.
Member schools The CAL has twelve member schools in northeastern Massachusetts. The schools in the Cape Ann League are split into two divisions: Cape Ann Kinney and Cape Ann Baker.
The Kinney division incorporates the schools with six largest enrollment within the league and compete in Division 3 for football. The Baker division incorporates the schools with six smallest enrollment within the league and compete in Division 4 for football.
Current members InstitutionLocationFoundedNicknameEnrollment(2024-25)Kinney Division (Large)Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical SchoolHathorne2014Hawks1,830Lynnfield High SchoolLynnfield1960Pioneers588Newburyport High SchoolNewburyport1831Clippers743North Reading High SchoolNorth Reading1955Hornets652Pentucket Regional High SchoolWest Newbury1954Panthers578Triton Regional High SchoolByfield1971Vikings538Baker Division (Small)Amesbury High SchoolAmesbury1882Red Hawks481Georgetown Middle/High SchoolGeorgetownRoyals268Hamilton-Wenham Regional High SchoolSouth Hamilton1936Generals448Ipswich High SchoolIpswich1642Tigers447Manchester Essex Regional High SchoolManchester-by-the-Sea2000Hornets392Rockport High SchoolRockport1865Vikings221Boys Tennis Only Mystic Valley Regional Charter School Malden Eagles
Former members InstitutionLocationFoundedNicknameJoinedLeftCurrentConferenceMasconomet Regional High SchoolBoxford1960Chieftains2020Northeastern ConferenceNorth Andover High SchoolNorth AndoverScarlet Knights19712012Merrimack Valley ConferenceSaugus Middle/High SchoolSaugus1906Sachems20132014Northeastern ConferenceWilmington High SchoolWilmingtonWildcats19942011Middlesex League
History
Longtime Secretary and Treasurer of the Cape Ann League, Dick Baker, steps down after 41 years with the Cape Ann League. Baker also spent 18 years with the Northeastern Conference.
Beginning in the 2011-12 season, Wilmington High School moved to the Middlesex League along with Arlington High School moving from the Dual County League.
Prior to the 2012-13 school year, North Andover High School left the Cape Ann League after forty years to join the Merrimack Valley Conference (MVC).
On December 14, 2012, Saugus High School announced on their Twitter account that they would join the Cape Ann League, leaving the Northeastern Conference for more success in their school athletics. On January 18, 2013, the move was approved by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.
At the conclusion of Saugus High School's first season in the Cape Ann League, they requested to rejoin the Northeastern Conference due to geographic and traveling issues. The rejoin was approved by both high school conferences allowing Saugus High School to return to the Northeastern Conference. All sports would play in the Northeastern Conference, with the exception of football which would become independent for the 2014 fall season. The Saugus Sachems football team would play opponents from both the Cape Ann League and Northeastern Conference.
Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, Essex Tech became a member of the Cape Ann League after many years playing in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference.
With the addition of Essex Tech becoming a member of the Kinney Division, Lynnfield High School moved to the Baker Division in the 2024-2025 school year.
Sports The Cape Ann League sponsors championship competition in twelve men's, eleven women's, and one coed MIAA sanctioned sports.
+ Teams in CAL Conference competitionSportMen'sWomen'sBaseballBasketballCross countryField hockeyFootballGolfGymnasticsIce HockeyLacrosseSoccerSoftballSwimming & Diving7TennisIndoor Track & FieldOutdoor Track & FieldVolleyballWrestling
Coed sponsored sports by school School Swimming & Diving Total CAL SportsAmesbury Essex Tech Georgetown Hamilton-Wenham Ipswich Lynnfield Manchester Essex Newburyport North Reading Pentucket Rockport Triton Totals
Men's sponsored sports by school School Baseball Basketball Cross Country Football Golf Ice Hockey Lacrosse Soccer Tennis Track & Field(Indoor) Track & Field(Outdoor) Wrestling Total CAL SportsAmesbury Essex Tech Georgetown Hamilton-Wenham Ipswich Lynnfield Manchester Essex Newburyport North Reading Pentucket Rockport Triton Totals
Women's sponsored sports by school School Basketball Cross Country Field Hockey Gymnastics Lacrosse Soccer Softball Tennis Track & Field(Indoor) Track & Field(Outdoor) Volleyball Total CAL SportsAmesbury Essex Tech Georgetown Hamilton-Wenham Ipswich Lynnfield Manchester Essex Newburyport North Reading Pentucket Rockport Triton Totals
State Championships Below is a list of state championships for sports sanctioned by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association won by schools while they were members of the Cape Ann league
Football Source:
Note: From 1972 to 2012, football state championships were separated by region, so there would be multiple champions from each division. From 1972 to 1977 and from 1997 to 2008, it was split between Eastern Mass and Central/Western Mass and there would be two champions in each division. From 1978 to 1996 and from 2009 to 2012 Central and Western Mass split so there would be three champions in each division. In 2013 everything was combined and therefore only allowed one state champion per division.
Newburyport - 1975, 1976 D3 Eastern: 1995 D4B Eastern; 1997 D4A Eastern Ipswich - 1977 D3 Eastern; 1991, 1992 D4B Eastern; 2006 D3A Eastern Manchester Essex - 1981, 1982 D5 Eastern; 1999 D6A Eastern; 2008 D4 Eastern North Andover - 1994 D4A Eastern Pentucket - 1999 D4A Eastern Georgetown - 2000 D6A Eastern Amesbury - 2008 D3A Eastern North Reading - 2022 D5
Cross Country Source:
Boys
Newburyport - 2018 D2
Girls
Newburyport - 1995, 1997, 2001 D2 Hamilton-Wenham - 1999, 2000, 2008, 2013, 2014 D2
Field Hockey Source:
Rockport - 1984 D2
Fall Volleyball Source:
North Reading - 2007 D3 Ipswich - 2021-2024 D4
Soccer Source:
Boys
Masconomet - 1996, 2013 D2 Newburyport - 2022 D3 Lynnfield - 2023 D4
Girls
Masconomet - 1989 D2 Lynnfield - 2003, 2004 (co-champs with Sutton High School) D3 Newburyport - 2007, 2008, 2013 D3 Hamilton-Wenham - 2021 D4
Fall Golf Source:
Lynnfield - 1999 D3 Wilmington - 2000 D3 Masconomet - 2011 D2
Basketball Source:
Boys
North Andover - 1974, 1975 D2 Lynnfield - 2000 D4 Newburyport - 2000 D3 Ipswich - 2005 D4 Hamilton-Wenham - 2015 D4
Girls
Ipswich - 1980 D3; 1995 D4 Masconomet - 1996 D2 Pentucket - 2012 D3; 2019 D2 Amesbury - 2022 D4
Gymnastics Source:
Masconomet - 2019
Ice Hockey Source:
Boys
Lynnfield - 1996 D3 Newburyport - 2009 D2
Indoor Track & Field Source:
Boys
North Andover - 1977 Class B Hamilton-Wenham - 2009, 2010 D4 Newburyport - 2011-2013, 2022 D4; 2014-2016 D5 Amesbury - 2020 D5
Girls
Ipswich - 2001, 2002 Class C
Baseball Source:
North Reading - 1974 D1; 2012 D3 Hamilton-Wenham - 1988 D2 Pentucket - 1994 D3 Amesbury - 1997 D3 Masconomet - 2000, 2014 D2 Georgetown - 2012, 2026 D4 Manchester Essex - 2019, 2022 D4
Softball Source:
Hamilton-Wenham - 1980 D2 Lynnfield - 1985 D3 Amesbury - 1988, 1989, 1997, 2000 D3; 2022 D4 North Reading - 1999, 2007 D3
Outdoor Track & Field Source:
Boys
Newburyport - 2022, 2026 D4 Pentucket - 2023 D5 Amesbury - 2023 D6
Girls
Newburyport - 2023 D4 North Reading - 2026 D5
Lacrosse Source:
Boys
Ipswich - 2003, 2017 D3
Girls
Newburyport - 2014 D2; 2023 D3
Tennis Source:
Boys
Manchester Essex - 1983, 1998 D2 Hamilton-Wenham - 2009 D3 Mystic Valley - 2026 D4
Girls
Lynnfield - 1992, 1997-1999, D2; 2014 D3 Manchester Essex - 1993, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001 D2; 2011, 2013, 2018 D3; 2026 D4 Newburyport - 2022, 2023 D3 Hamilton-Wenham - 2022, 2023 D4
References