North Suburban Conference to dissolve after next year

The North Suburban Conference will disband effective June 30, 2014, member schools said in a press release Monday.

The 11-member conference already was facing the loss of three schools to the Mississippi 8 next year, and two more to the newly formed Metro West the year after that. The six remaining schools met two weeks ago and voted to disband, according to the release. The move was approved by the Minnesota State High School League.

Each of those six schools will now look for a new conference. If any school can't find a home by June 18, the high school league will assign them to one, according to a letter from Dave Stead, the league's executive director.

Chisago Lakes, North Branch and St. Francis announced earlier this year they would join the Mississippi 8 next fall. Cooper and St. Louis Park announced earlier this month that they will join the new Metro West Conference in 2014-15.

Schools that have not yet found a new conference are Benilde-St. Margaret's, Columbia Heights, Fridley, Irondale, Spring Lake Park and Totino-Grace.

Derek Wetmore is a University of Minnesota student reporter on assignment for the Star Tribune.