MarshfieldAreaSports.com
STEVENS POINT – Plans to change the landscape of central Wisconsin high school football is far from dead.
On Monday, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control modified recommendations for a pair of football-only conference realignment plans that could drastically change which schools teams from the Wisconsin Valley Conference would play.
The Board’s suggested change would combine the six-school Wisconsin Valley Conference and the 10-school Fox Valley Association to form one, 16-team league containing two separate eight-team divisions, which would be determined by the schools of the newly formed football conference.
A plan to create numerous football-only conferences throughout the state was scrapped earlier this school year.
The second football-only conference realignment plan modified by the Board affects the members of the Cloverwood, Dairyland, Great Northern and Marawood conferences with implementation in 2011. The plan moves Chippewa McDonell from the Marawood to the Cloverwood, Augusta from the Cloverwood to the Dairyland and Tomahawk from the Great Northern to the Marawood.
The Great Northern Conference released Northland Pines and Tomahawk from its football schedule effective in 2010, making it a five-team league this fall. In 2011, Merrill and Ashland are both scheduled to become members of the Great Northern Conference for football only. Until then, Merrill will compete in the Wisconsin Valley Conference with all sports beginning this fall, and Ashland will play an independent football schedule in 2010.
WIAA membership rules require reconsideration of any realignment recommendation that is modified by the Board. Therefore, the first consideration for the modified realignment models is scheduled for the May 14 Board meeting with second consideration scheduled for the Board meeting on June 24.
Information provided by the WIAA.
