“A Shared History. A New Standard.”
Frederick, MD – The Central Maryland Conference (CMC), a leading public high school athletic conference in Maryland, is proud to announce its expansion to include Carroll County, MD, joining the long-standing members Frederick County, MD and Washington County, MD. This expansion marks an exciting new chapter for the conference, reinforcing its commitment to excellence in interscholastic athletics, academics, and community engagement.
The theme for this historic expansion, “A Shared History. A New Standard,” honors the longstanding connections among the three counties while setting a forward-looking and innovative vision for collaboration and competition.
Key goals of the expanded Central Maryland Conference include:
- Scheduling Solutions & Equity: Creating balanced, data-driven schedules using both enrollment and two-year success measures to maximize competitive opportunities for all schools and student-athletes.
- Competitive Equity Across All Sports: Ensuring all programs, from varsity to junior varsity, compete on a more even playing field.
- Officiating Consistency & Conference Model: Implementing standardized officiating practices and a unified conference structure for smoother operations and fairness which focuses on safety, sportsmanship and respect for all.
- Football Added as a CMC Sport: Expanding the conference’s offerings to include (tackle) football, providing student-athletes with additional opportunities to compete within the CMC framework, including for division championships.
- Championship Contests: CMC Championship Contests will continue to exist in all sports with the exceptions of football, wrestling and tennis. These one additional contests, which are permitted under the MPSSAA, provide student-athletes with another opportunity to play and compete for a championship.
- 2027-2028 Implementation: Strategically rolling out the expanded conference structure in alignment with the MPSSAA’S new classification schedule to ensure a smooth transition for schools, teams, and communities.
“By welcoming Carroll County into the CMC, we are not only honoring our shared history but also setting a new standard for student-athlete experiences, competition, and collaboration,” said Kevin Kendro, Frederick County Public Schools Supervisor of Athletics. “This expansion is a meaningful step forward for education-based athletics across all three counties and hopefully a model of competitive equity for other counties throughout Maryland to follow.”
The CMC is committed to fostering an environment where competitive excellence, integrity, and sportsmanship remain at the forefront for every student-athlete and community member.