STEVENS POINT — The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Conference Realignment Task Force convened Thursday, Jan. 16 to hear appeals of the preliminary solutions for the football and lacrosse realignment requests reviewed in December. 

Based on the information gathered from the appeals of the preliminary solutions, the Task Force amended the 11-player football and the lacrosse plans. Schools and conferences that are directly affected by the amended realignment considerations have the opportunity to appeal the proposed changes at the Task Force meeting on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. The hearing is intended to enhance engagement, communication and transparency in the conference realignment process. Requests to appeal must be submitted in writing to Melissa Gehring at mgehring@wiaawi.org by 4 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30.

Among those potentially affected is Monroe, which would move from the Rock Valley to the Badger Small, swapping spots with Portage. Watertown would also join the Badger Small. With just seven teams in both the Badger Small and Badger Large, one crossover game per year would be required. The Badger Small would consist of Beaver Dam, Fort Atkinson, Mount Horeb-Barneveld, Sauk Prairie, Stoughton, Monroe and Watertown. The Badger Large is made up of DeForest, Milton, Monona Grove, Oregon, Sun Prairie East, Sun Prairie West and Waunakee.

Monroe has spent the past five years in the Rock Valley after the football-only realignments went into effect. The Cheesemakers have not yet lost a game in the Rock Valley.

Also slated to move conferences would be Belleville — from the SWAL to the Eastern Suburban, joining Cambridge, Horicon-Hustisford, Markesan, Marshall, Pardeeville, Poynette and Waterloo.

No amendments were made to the 8-player football conference realignment plan, which will be advanced to the Board of Control for a final vote Tuesday, March 11. 

The details of the amended plans and the complete configuration of the modified conference affiliation recommendations for football and lacrosse are available for review by accessing the “Requests and Proposals” option on the WIAA’s Conference Realignment web page. 

Plans that are advanced from the Task Force meeting on Feb. 6 will be reviewed by the Board of Control to make a final determination on each of the proposals at its March 11, 2025 meeting.

The football and lacrosse plans advanced by the Task Force, if approved by the Board of Control, will be implemented for the 2026 seasons, respectively. The conference realignment process addressing sports other than football occurs on an alternate-year rotation. The lacrosse realignment process is occurring this year because of requests following the first year the sport was sponsored in 2024. Future lacrosse realignment requests will follow the schedule of nonfootball realignment.

The WIAA, as defined by its Constitution, is a voluntary, unincorporated, and nonprofit organization. The membership oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 513 senior high schools and 36 junior high/middle level schools in its membership. For more information, please contact the WIAA office at (715) 344-8580.