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At its January meeting held on Thursday, the WIAA Conference Realignment Task Force heard feedback and alternative suggestions from schools impacted by its initial December football-only realignment proposal, modifying a number of teams and leagues in a new proposal that was released on Friday. 

The preliminary football-only proposal that was released in December would have seen 105 teams change conferences in 11player football beginning in 2024, with just 17 of 49 conferences not impacted in some way.

A number of schools, both those that had originally requested relief and those that would not be moved or impacted because of other changes, expressed concerns with some placements, and had their chance to be heard yesterday at the Task Force meeting. A total of 43 representatives presented via Zoom to the Task Force, some representing their school while others represented an entire conference or group of schools.

A reminder, this is still just in the proposal stage, and this new plan from the Conference Realignment Task Force will be voted on at the March 7th Board of Control meeting. Pursuant to the WIAA Constitution, the Board of Control has final authority to approve, reject, or remand realignment recommendations back to the task force.

The following changes were made from the preliminary proposal announced by the Task Force in December, to the modified version that was announced today.

• The teams in each league stay the same, but what had been dubbed the Big Rivers/VFA-East and Big Rivers/VFA-West are now re-named as Wisconsin Valley and Big Rivers. They would still play one crossover game.
• Horicon/Hustisford moves from the Eastern Suburban to the Capitol.
• Brodhead/Juda moves from the SWC to the Capitol.
• Pewaukee moves from the Parkland to the Classic Eight.
• Waukesha North and Waukesha South move from the Classic Eight to the Parkland.
• West Allis Central moves from the Greater Metro to the Parkland.
• The Classic Eight and Greater Metro would be seven-team leagues with one crossover game that would count in the league standings for playoff qualification.
• Dodgeville and River Valley move from the Capitol to the SWC.
• A group of 24 teams that had been split into three conferences dubbed the Fox River Area-1, Fox River Area-2, and Fox River Area-3 are significant re-shuffled, returning to closer versions of the current conferences:
  • The Fox Valley Association would now include Appleton East, Appleton North, Kaukauna, Fond du Lac, Kimberly, Neenah, Oshkosh West, Hortonville
  • FRCC-South would now include Sheboygan North, Oshkosh North, Green Bay East, Green Bay West, Menasha, Notre Dame, Manitowoc Lincoln, Sheboygan Soouth
  • The FRCC-North would now include Bay Port, Green Bay Preble, Appleton West, De Pere, Pulaski, West De Pere
• The Lakeland is restored from what was previously labeled the Heart O'North-Small, with Unity, Webster, and Cadot moving into the league from the Dunn-St. Croix.
• Turtle Lake, Clear Lake, and Glenwood City would move from the Heart O'North-Small (Lakeland) to the Dunn-St. Croix. The Dunn-St. Croix and Lakeland Conferences would still play one crossover game.
• Poynette would move from the South Central to the Eastern Suburban. 
• Cambridge and Marshall would move from the SWC to the Eastern Suburban.
• Nekoosa would move from the Trailways to the South Central.
• Dodgeland moves from the Eastern Suburban to the Trailways.
• The teams remain the same, but what was labeled the Heart O'North-Large would now be the Heart O'North.
• Kingdom Prep Lutheran would move from the Milwaukee-City Blackbourn to the new Midwest Classic-Small. 
• The Midwest Classic-Small would also include Brookfield Academy, Catholic Central, Dominican, Kenosha Christian Life, and Living Word Lutheran in addition to Kingdom Prep.
• Pius XI Catholic would move from the Parkland to the Midwest Classic-Large.
• Cudahy would move from the Woodland to the Midwest Classic-Large.
• Milwaukee Academy of Science would move from the Milwaukee City-Richardson to the Midwest Classic-Large.
• The Midwest Classic-Large and Midwest Classic-Small would play two mandatory conference crossovers.
• With Academy of Science and Kingdom Prep leaving, the Milwaukee City Conference would again be two, seven-team leagues with one mandatory crossover game.
• Milwaukee Lutheran would move from the Parkland to the Woodland.
• What had been dubbed the Ridge & Valley would now be called the Six Rivers.
• Abundant Life Christian/St. Ambrose would move from the Ridge & Valley (Six Rivers) to the SWAL.
• Parkview/Albany would move from the Eastern Suburban to the SWAL.
• Southwestern/East Dubuque (IA) would move from the SWAL to the SWC.
• River Ridge would move from the SWAL to the Six Rivers (Ridge & Valley).

The following changes were made from the preliminary proposal announced by the Task Force in December, to the modified version that was announced today.

• Mellen would move from the Northwoods-East to the Northwoods-West.
• Flambeau would move from the Northwoods-West to the Northwoods-East.
• Marion/Tigerton and Menominee Indian would move from the Across the Bay to the Mideast.
• The Mideast had been an unpaired league of seven teams, but would now feature eight teams.
• Suring would move from the Northeast to the Across the Bay.
• The Across the Bay would now have just seven teams and be unpaired.
• Faith Christian would move from the Mideast to the Northeast.

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board as the Website and Communications Director and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball) and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.

For the latest and most up to date football news and recruiting information, follow Travis on Twitter @travisWSN. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Travis at travis(at)wissports.net.