MONROE — At the regular school board meeting on Jan. 8, the School District of Monroe Board of Education unanimously approved the renewal of the Monroe boys hockey co-op for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.
The program renews its cooperative agreement with other area schools on a two-year basis.
This time around, Pecatonica and Orangeville will leave the program, as its remaining high school players are graduating this spring.
Albany will join the co-op. Derik Doescher, Albany Athletic Director, told the Times the school has two brothers in grades 7 and 5 that play hockey and are expected to join the program. While the seventh grader won’t be able to play next winter, the agreement will allow him the opportunity to play his freshman season (2025-26).
“The reason for joining the coop is to give those individuals the opportunity to play high school organized hockey,” Doescher said. “Both young men have been playing hockey since a very young age and this allows them an opportunity eventually to continue those opportunities during their high school years.”
The younger brother would graduate with the class of 2031, meaning the school will likely be staying in the co-op for almost the next decade.
The Monroe co-op currently plays in the Badger Small Conference, but is a Division 1 playoff program thanks to the combined enrollments of the partnered schools — Monroe, New Glarus, Lena-Winslow, Warren, Pecatonica, Orangeville and Dakota, Ill. Losing Orangeville and Pecatonica would decrease the program’s enrollment by more than 100 students, which could potential drop the co-op back down to Division 2 in the future.
“At one point our program was up to 10 schools, and now we’re down to six,” MHS Principal Jeriamy Jackson told the board.
For next year, Monroe is expected to have 17 hockey players in the program, New Glarus three, then one each from the other area schools.
Monroe Athletic Director Jeff Newcomer told district administrator Rodney Figueroa that he had worked with other schools to get a strong sense of the numbers of players that would be continuing to play hockey. The fear is that a player would stop playing, but the school stay in the co-op. Not only would the program be down a player, but the school’s enrollment would still be counted by the WIAA for divisional placement.
“He re-confirmed that last week — it’s about as real-time as we can get it,” Figueroa told the board. Newcomer was not able to attend the meeting.
The Monroe co-op is 5-6-1 overall this season, and 2-4 in conference play. They have four points in the standings, tied with Reedsburg/Wis. Dells for fourth place out of seven teams. Their most recent game against Stoughton on Jan. 9 was postponed due to snow. The next two games will be Jan. 13 at home against Kettle Moraine and Jan. 16 vs. Reedsburg/Wis. Dells.
