Proposal calls for conference move
By Greg Seubert
Another conference change could be in the cards next year for Clintonville High School’s football program.
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Realignment Task Force Committee will meet Thursday, Feb. 11, to review a proposal that would move the Truckers from the Packerland Conference to the Northwoods Conference.
The change would not take effect until 2022.
Clintonville competed in the Packerland in 2020 with Bonduel, Kewaunee, Mishicot, Oconto, Peshtigo and Southern Door after several seasons in the North Eastern Conference.
The task force met Jan. 6 to consider several realignment proposals and conduct appeals of realignment requests that had been denied in December.
Marinette High School submitted a plan to the WIAA that would move that school’s program from the North Eastern to the Packerland.
Also under that proposal, Clintonville would move from the Packerland to the Northwoods Conference.
Clintonville would have the highest enrollment of schools in the conference with 494 students, followed by Oconto Falls (489), Northland Pines (389), Tomahawk (377), Menominee Indian (278), Crandon (247), Coleman (214) and Crivitz (202).
The committee had denied Marinette’s original realignment plan in December, but Marinette came back with a modified plan for the Jan. 6 meeting.
Under Marinette’s latest plan, the Packerland would include Marinette (600 students), Sturgeon Bay (394), Peshtigo (363), Kewaunee (323), Southern Door (313), Bonduel (309), Oconto (274) and Mishicot (234); the North Eastern would consist of Luxemburg-Casco (629), Fox Valley Lutheran (618), Freedom (543), Little Chute (511), Wrightstown (485) and Denmark (462); and the Bay would include Shawano (767), Seymour (700), Waupaca (665), New London (633), Xavier (533) and Winneconne (521).
Schools affected by the Marinette’s modified proposal can appear in person or virtually at the Feb. 11 meeting or submit a written statement.
The WIAA Board of Control makes final conference alignment decisions.
“The intent of the new conference realignment process is to apply a more formalized method for member schools to request relief from conference affiliations,” WIAA Communications Director Todd Clark said. “A committee of member school administrators has been established to evaluate all realignment requests and present them to the board.”