The WIAA Conference Realignment Task Force voted Tuesday, Dec. 6, on 35 football-only requests in the first meeting of the membership’s realignment review process for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Twenty-seven plans either requested placement in a conference or requested relief from their current conference affiliation in 11-player football, the WIAA reports. Although none of the plans advanced were as specified in the respective proposals, information provided in 14 of the plans were modified and advanced for further review by the Task Force.
The 14 plans that were the catalysts for the modified plans were submitted by Ashland, Berlin, Green Bay West, Hortonville, Nekoosa, Oshkosh West, Palmyra-Eagle, Pittsville, Rice Lake, Sheboygan Falls, Southwestern, Waupun, Webster and West Allis Central. If the Task Force’s plan is eventually adopted, it would have big impact in this area.
The Heart O’North would be broken into two conferences: Big and Small. The HO’N Small would consist of seven teams: Cameron, Chetek-Weyerhaeuser, Clear Lake, Glenwood City, Grantsburg, Ladysmith and Turtle Lake.
The HO’N Big would consist of Ashland, Barron, Bloomer, Cumberland, Hayward/Lac Courte Oreilles, Northwestern, St. Croix Falls and Spooner.
Each HO’N Small team would play one crossover game per season that counts toward playoff qualification against a member of the 7-team Dunn-St. Croix Conference: Boyceville, Cadott, Colfax, Elmwood/Plum City, Spring Valley, Unity and Webster.
There would be no Lakeland Conference.
The Big Rivers would combine with the Valley Football Association to make an East and West. The East would include D.C. Everest, Eau Claire Memorial, Eau Claire North, Marshfield, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln and Wausau West. The West would include Chippewa Falls, Hudson, Menomonie, New Richmond, Rice Lake, River Falls and Superior.
Rice Lake would be back out of the Middle Border. The Middle Boarder would consist of Altoona, Amery, Baldwin-Woodville, Ellsworth, Osceola, Prescott, Somerset and St. Croix Central, if the plan makes it through final passage.
Eight plans submitted for 8-player football conference realignment were referenced to modify conference alignment throughout the entire state in an all-encompassing plan advanced by the WIAA Task Force for further consideration.
The Lakeland Conference name will also disappear from 8-player football, if the plan is approved.
Prairie Farm would join Clayton, Frederic, Luck, New Auburn, Siren and Valley Christian (Osceola) in the North Central-West. The 7-team league would have a crossover schedule with North Central-East Conference teams: Alma Center Lincoln, Cornell, Lake Holcombe, McDonell Catholic, Owen-Withee and Thorp.
There would also be two Northwoods Conferences – East and West – that would play a crossover schedule. Each team would have one crossover game per season that counts toward playoff qualification.
The Northwoods East would consist of Athens, the Chequamegon co-op, Hurley, Mellen, Phillips, Prentice and Rib Lake. The West would include Bruce, Flambeau, Northwood/Solon Springs, Shell Lake, Washburn and Winter/Birchwood.
The extensive football conference realignment plans are outlined with links to the detailed proposed conference affiliations on the “Requests and Proposals” option on the WIAA’s Conference Realignment web page.
Newly affected schools with the modified solutions are invited to appear and provide feedback during a virtual WIAA meeting scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023.
All schools impacted by the modified realignment plan may provide feedback prior to and during the Task Force meeting on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. In addition, schools that submitted requests that were not advanced at last week’s meeting may appeal the decision at the Jan. 12 meeting before the Task Force finalizes the modified solutions.
Plans that are advanced from the January meeting will be reviewed by the Board of Control to make a final determination on each of the proposals at a March 7, 2023, meeting.
Appeals, if successful, will be communicated with the membership and re-evaluated by the Task Force. If the revised solutions are approved on appeal, they will be submitted to the Board of Control for consideration in March.
If the appeal is not approved by the Task Force, schools may make a final appeal to the Board of Control on Feb. 1, 2023. Based on the appeals, the Board may remand realignment plans back to the Task Force to reconsider at a Feb. 9 meeting, if necessary.
A link to the complete WIAA conference realignment process flowchart is available on the Conference Realignment page on the WIAA website.
In review and consideration of each of the realignment requests, the Task Force identified various rationale for advancing or not advancing requests. Those factors included providing all members with a conference affiliation, maintaining a reasonable number of teams within geographic and enrollment considerations, participation numbers and levels of programming, and flexibility with potential shifts caused by the forming of co-ops and programs transitioning from 11-player to 8-player status.
The purpose of the conference realignment process is to apply a formalized method for member schools to request relief from conference affiliations, the WIAA reports. A committee of member school administrators evaluates all realignment requests and presents them to the Board, which retains the authority to make final determinations of all conference alignment decisions.
The revised conference realignment process provides structure, enhanced communication and transparency to the realignment process. All levels of school administration at each member school are informed of the committee’s deliberations and decisions.
The membership of the WIAA oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 518 senior high schools and 48 junior high/middle level schools in its membership.
