Area football coaches and athletic directors support the concept behind the WIAA's football district proposal, but some fear the added travel costs could derail the idea and the plan should be put on hold.
The plan, which the WIAA wants to implement next fall, would assign schools to eight-team districts based on their enrollment and only the top four teams in each district would qualify for the playoffs. Rather than the current conference system. On a 6-1 vote at its annual meeting Dec. 29, the football coaches advisory committee approved the district proposal the WIAA revised last month with 2009-10 enrollment figures.
The plan would have ramifications for seven area football teams. Monroe would move into a Division 3 district with Madison Edgewood, McFarland, River Valley, Sauk Prairie, Edgerton and Evansville.
"I think for Monroe's sake it would be a good idea," Monroe Athletic Director Kevin Keen said. "We typically in football our numbers are lower, we are competing with schools with bigger enrollments. I think it would be a good thing to play in a district with schools more our size and enrollment."
Monroe football coach Curt Miller is a proponent of the district proposal.
"It's a great proposal," he said. "It's one that levels the playing field for a lot of teams across the state of Wisconsin."
Miller said eliminating the three games in 10 days at the end of the season in the plan is a safety issue. Playing in the Badger South with schools in higher divisions has been a challenge for the Cheesemakers.
"It puts us at a disadvantage playing teams from a higher division in our conference," he said.
New Glarus-Monticello would be shipped into a Division 4 district with Belleville-Albany, Brodhead-Juda, Viroqua, Prairie du Chien, Platteville, Richland Center and Dodgeville. In tight budget times for school districts, travel costs for football for New Glarus-Monticello, Belleville-Albany and Brodhead-Juda would increase.
Brodhead-Juda football coach Jim Matthys supports the concept of realigning conferences into districts, but he is concerned that Brodhead-Juda's travel will double.
"Financially, it will be a big burden on our district," he said, who also serves as athletic director. "It's a double-edged sword. To put kids on a bus for two and half to three hours to play in Viroqua is ridiculous."
Matthys said the Cardinals would welcome playing other Division 4 opponents in a district, but the Cardinals continue to lobby the WIAA to hold off on implementing the football district plan for next fall.
"Ultimately, it's the WIAA's decision," he said. "We will not go into it kicking and screaming. I also hope the WIAA waits a year so we can work out the kinks."
Matthys said the Rock Valley Conference has already scheduled contracts with schools for the next two seasons. Another concern Matthys pointed out it's still uncertain whether the proposal would include freshmen and junior-varsity teams in new districts.
New Glarus-Monticello football coach Jeff Eichelkraut supports the plan, but he said the biggest concern is the travel.
"One of the things I'm excited about is we get rid of the playoff melee," Eichelkraut said of teams having to play three games at the end of the season in a week with a season finale Thursday night and then turning around and playing playoff games Tuesday and Saturday the following week. "It's not a battle of skill, it's survival of the fittest."
Eichelkraut wants the switch to a district format to be a smooth transition.
"The whole issue of conference realignment has pushed this," he said. "It's really looming. If you are going to do it, maybe put it on hold and make sure you do it right."
Pecatonica-Argyle would be bumped up into a Division 5 district with Darlington, Lancaster, Cuba City, Mineral Point, Boscobel, Iowa-Grant and Wisconsin Heights.
"Travel wise it has shortened us up," Pecatonica-Argyle Athletic Director Jim Strommen said. "We will have shorter trips."
The Vikings would not have to worry about making longer road trips to Cassville and River Ridge. The longest trip for the Vikings in the district proposal would be to Boscobel.
If the conference system was done away with, it could jeopardize long-standing rivalries between conference schools.
The Six Rivers Conference in football would be eliminated, but Strommen has already discussed an option to preserve the rivalry with Black Hawk by playing a season opener against the Warriors whenever the district plan is approved. District games would then be played weeks two through eight.
"There are changes that happen with anything," Strommen said. "It is what it is."
The proposal was discussed by the 14-member WIAA sports advisory committee, comprised of athletic directors, Monday. The proposal will be reviewed Jan. 26 by the WIAA Advisory Council before going to the WIAA Board of Control, which will cast the final vote on the changes Jan. 27.
The plan, which the WIAA wants to implement next fall, would assign schools to eight-team districts based on their enrollment and only the top four teams in each district would qualify for the playoffs. Rather than the current conference system. On a 6-1 vote at its annual meeting Dec. 29, the football coaches advisory committee approved the district proposal the WIAA revised last month with 2009-10 enrollment figures.
The plan would have ramifications for seven area football teams. Monroe would move into a Division 3 district with Madison Edgewood, McFarland, River Valley, Sauk Prairie, Edgerton and Evansville.
"I think for Monroe's sake it would be a good idea," Monroe Athletic Director Kevin Keen said. "We typically in football our numbers are lower, we are competing with schools with bigger enrollments. I think it would be a good thing to play in a district with schools more our size and enrollment."
Monroe football coach Curt Miller is a proponent of the district proposal.
"It's a great proposal," he said. "It's one that levels the playing field for a lot of teams across the state of Wisconsin."
Miller said eliminating the three games in 10 days at the end of the season in the plan is a safety issue. Playing in the Badger South with schools in higher divisions has been a challenge for the Cheesemakers.
"It puts us at a disadvantage playing teams from a higher division in our conference," he said.
New Glarus-Monticello would be shipped into a Division 4 district with Belleville-Albany, Brodhead-Juda, Viroqua, Prairie du Chien, Platteville, Richland Center and Dodgeville. In tight budget times for school districts, travel costs for football for New Glarus-Monticello, Belleville-Albany and Brodhead-Juda would increase.
Brodhead-Juda football coach Jim Matthys supports the concept of realigning conferences into districts, but he is concerned that Brodhead-Juda's travel will double.
"Financially, it will be a big burden on our district," he said, who also serves as athletic director. "It's a double-edged sword. To put kids on a bus for two and half to three hours to play in Viroqua is ridiculous."
Matthys said the Cardinals would welcome playing other Division 4 opponents in a district, but the Cardinals continue to lobby the WIAA to hold off on implementing the football district plan for next fall.
"Ultimately, it's the WIAA's decision," he said. "We will not go into it kicking and screaming. I also hope the WIAA waits a year so we can work out the kinks."
Matthys said the Rock Valley Conference has already scheduled contracts with schools for the next two seasons. Another concern Matthys pointed out it's still uncertain whether the proposal would include freshmen and junior-varsity teams in new districts.
New Glarus-Monticello football coach Jeff Eichelkraut supports the plan, but he said the biggest concern is the travel.
"One of the things I'm excited about is we get rid of the playoff melee," Eichelkraut said of teams having to play three games at the end of the season in a week with a season finale Thursday night and then turning around and playing playoff games Tuesday and Saturday the following week. "It's not a battle of skill, it's survival of the fittest."
Eichelkraut wants the switch to a district format to be a smooth transition.
"The whole issue of conference realignment has pushed this," he said. "It's really looming. If you are going to do it, maybe put it on hold and make sure you do it right."
Pecatonica-Argyle would be bumped up into a Division 5 district with Darlington, Lancaster, Cuba City, Mineral Point, Boscobel, Iowa-Grant and Wisconsin Heights.
"Travel wise it has shortened us up," Pecatonica-Argyle Athletic Director Jim Strommen said. "We will have shorter trips."
The Vikings would not have to worry about making longer road trips to Cassville and River Ridge. The longest trip for the Vikings in the district proposal would be to Boscobel.
If the conference system was done away with, it could jeopardize long-standing rivalries between conference schools.
The Six Rivers Conference in football would be eliminated, but Strommen has already discussed an option to preserve the rivalry with Black Hawk by playing a season opener against the Warriors whenever the district plan is approved. District games would then be played weeks two through eight.
"There are changes that happen with anything," Strommen said. "It is what it is."
The proposal was discussed by the 14-member WIAA sports advisory committee, comprised of athletic directors, Monday. The proposal will be reviewed Jan. 26 by the WIAA Advisory Council before going to the WIAA Board of Control, which will cast the final vote on the changes Jan. 27.
