Another round of Football Only Conference Realignment changes high school football in Central Wisconsin again with major changes.
Starting with the large schools, the VFA is dissolved and the Wisconsin Valley Schools join a new Big Rivers/WI Valley Conference combo. In the East Division: D.C. Everest, Eau Claire Memorial, Eau Claire North, Marshfield, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Wausau West. In the West Division: Chippewa Falls, Hudson, Menomonie, New Richmond, Rice Lake, River Falls, Superior. Each team will play one crossover with a team from the other division to make 8 conference games.
Wausau East will take the spot of Ashland in the Great Northern Conference, along with Tomahawk taking the place of Hayward, so the Great Northern will include: Antigo, Lakeland, Medford, Merrill, Mosinee, Rhinelander, Tomahawk, Wausau East.
Both Hayward and Ashland move to the new Heart O’ North Large.
The next big change is the dissolution of the Marawood, with schools splitting between the CWC-Large and the CWC-Small.
CWC-Small will now include Abbotsford, Assumption, Auburndale, Edgar, Iola-Scandinavia, Pacelli, Pittsville, and Rosholt.
CWC-Large will now include Amherst, Colby, Loyal/Greenwood, Marathon, Spencer/Columbus, Stratford, Weyauwega-Fremont, and Wittenberg-Birnamwood.
Manawa and Shiocton will move out of the CWC-Large and into the Northwoods, joined by Clintonville, Coleman, Crandon, Crivitz, Northland Pines, and Oconto Falls.
Nekoosa probably has the biggest change in 11-player as they will be moved to the Trailways Conference, matching up with Cambria-Friesland, Johnson Creek, Lourds Acdmy (Oshkosh), Milwaukee Excellence, Palmyra-Eagle, Randolph, and Westfield.
8-Player probably sees the largest shifts with 12 new teams moving to 8-Player.
Local teams will be split between three conferences.
in the North Central East: Alma Center Lincoln, Cornell, Gilman, Lake Holcombe, McDonell Catholic, Owen-Withee, Thorp. Each team will play a crossover against the North Central West.
In the Northwoods East: Athens, Chequamegon, Hurley, Mellen, Phillips, Prentice, and Rib Lake. Each team will play a mandatory crossover against the Northwoods West.
In the new Mideast Conference: Almond-Bancroft, Bowler/Gresham, Faith Christian, Newman Catholic, Port Edwards, Tri-County, and Wild Rose. The conference is short a member, but with no other conferences needing a matchup, each team will have an open date on their schedule.
You can find a full list of the new conferences here: 11-Player and 8-Player
