After two years of no conference affiliation in the aftermath of the dissolution of the sprawling Mid State conference, Hastings joined four other Mid State castoffs, Crete, Beatrice, Fairbury, and York in forming a more geographically tight conference. One new school joined the organization, suburban Lincoln Jackson High School which was in the Nebraska Wesleyan University Place area. The Mid East conference held its first event in 1938; Hastings won the track championship.
Hastings shared the basketball title in the winter of 1939 with Jackson and York, and then the Tigers swept football, basketball and track in the 1940-41 school year. After that year, Jackson closed (along with Bethany and Havelock schools, also in northeast Lincoln) and was replaced with Lincoln Northeast, which took Jackson's place in the Mid East and instantly became a great rival for Hastings. The two battled for conference, and sometimes state, honors. In 1949 the Rockets edged the Tigers for the state basketball title. [pictured]
The Mid East continued as a full conference even after HHS helped form the Nebraska Big Ten in 1945. The Tigers would be dual-conference members for the next 40 years.
After the 1949 track meet, Crete left the conference having never won a Mid East title, and was replaced by Columbus. The Discoverers played in the league for two years and then exited. York left after the 1951-52 school year, leaving the Tigers, Northeast, Fairbury and Beatrice. Hastings won three basketball titles, two football crowns and a conference track meet in the next three years.
In 1955 a south Lincoln suburban school, the College View Viewmen, joined the league in the school's last year of existence. It was closed in the spring of '55 and was replaced by the third Lincoln Public High School, Southeast. With the addition of the Knights (like Hastings with a new building that included a swimming pool), the Mid East added several new sports: swimming, gymnastics, golf and tennis.
The strength of the Tigers in the 1950s continued as Hastings won seven of the 14 conference trophies handed out in the next two years. Fast-growing suburban Omaha Westside joined Mid East for 1958 track meet. They participated in all conference events except basketball and football for two years. The Warriors won two meets while Hastings claimed four conference championships. Before football and basketball schedules could be adjusted to fully integrate Westside, the Warriors left to take an invitation to the Intercity League with several Omaha Public Schools and Lincoln High among others.
The Mid East continued as a five-team loop until the spring of 1964 when it was disbanded during the attempted formation of the Quin-Cities League. That league was spearheaded in 1962 by Hastings and Grand Island which attempted to form a new conference with the three Lincoln schools (High, Northeast and Southeast) and two booming Omaha suburban schools (Westside and Bellevue High). The original idea was for a seven team conference awaiting the planned opening of Lincoln East for an even eight.
The Quin-Cities died before ever making it to a playing field. Right away it faced criticism from Omaha, as many wondered why Boys Town was not being included, and out-state, as HHS and GI's Big Ten brethren wondered why they were being left behind. By 1963 the league idea had grown with Omaha Bishop Ryan (a South Omaha Catholic School) joining the original schools (minus Westside) in one division, and another division of Westside, Creighton Prep and the five OPS high schools (Central, South, North, Tech and Benson). It didn't take long for the 14-school behemoth to collapse under its own weight when scheduling quickly proved impossible.
Hastings, which had won the first Mid East event, the 1938 track meet, also won the finale, the 1964 track meet. [64 track team pictured]
The Trans-Nebraska Conference rose out of the ashes of the Quin-Cities minus the Omaha schools which formed the modern Metro conference from their portion of the ash heap. The Nebraska Big Ten stayed together and HHS continued to hold memberships in two conferences.
Founded with Hastings, Jackson, Crete, Beatrice, Fairbury, and York.
Lincoln Jackson closing and leaving Mid East after spring 1941. Lincoln Northeast taking over Jackson spot. The opening of LNE was hurried after a fire destroyed the Jackson gym in 1939.
**Lincoln Northeast forfeited games to give Hastings the title.
Crete left Mid East after spring 1949. Columbus joined.
Columbus left conference.
York did not enter the 1952 track meet and seems to have left conference then.
College View was at 1955 conference track. Were they in Mid East for other sports? Lincoln Southeast opens and joins conference in fall 1955.
Westside joins Mid East for 1958 track meet. Basketball and football participation will wait for schedules to catch up.
Omaha Westside leaves league to join the Intercity League. Westside never played a football or basketball conference season, but did compete in spring of 1959.
Mid East disbands with the attempted formation of the Quin-Cities League. That league dissolves before even reaching its first school year. The Trans-Nebraska rises out of the rubble.