Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

After reviewing requests from a number of schools, the WIAA Conference Realignment Task Force put forth its initial draft of football-only changes for 11-player and 8-player football that would take effect in the 2026 season for a two-year cycle.

These preliminary solutions will continue to be reviewed, with impacted schools given the opportunity to provide feedback in January, including submitting appeals. The plans will be reviewed again and any changes made, with final proposals going before the WIAA Board of Control in March for passage, though there would still be a possibility that remanded proposals could need additional review and be brought forward again at the April Board of Control meeting.

To see all the teams that requested to be moved, as well as their proposed solutions, click here. 

You can see the full realignment proposals for both 11-player and 8-player in the PDF files below. Teams/leagues highlighted have changed conferences, are new for 2026, or are part of a new co-op.

The majority of 11-player football changes proposed in this cycle center around southern and especially southeast Wisconsin. A number of options were floated by schools that were requesting relief, but in the WIAA's version that moves forward it includes a redesign of the Classic Eight and Greater Metro Conferences.

Pewaukee, moved into the Classic Eight to much complaint from people around the state in the last cycle, would move out of the league and into the North Shore. Waukesha West would flip from the Classic Eight to the Greater Metro, which would also add Franklin, while West Allis Hale would slide from the GMC to the Woodland.

The new Classic Eight would actually be a seven-team league consisting of Arrowhead, Sussex Hamilton, Kettle Moraine, Mukwonago, Muskego, Oak Creek, and Oconomowoc. It would be paired for one mandatory conference crossover with the Greater Metro, which would now feature Brookfield Central, Brookfield East, Franklin, Germantown, Marquette, Menomonee Falls, and Waukesha West.

In addition to Pewaukee, Wisconsin Lutheran would join an adjusted North Shore Conference, which would see West Bend East and West Bend West exit for a new Glacier Trails Conference.

The Glacier Trails would also feature a number of former East Central teams like Grafton, Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Kewaskum, Plymouth, and Port Washington. It would be the only unpaired seven-team league, playing just six conference games due to an odd number of teams in the state.

The Southeast Conference would lose its top two programs, Oak Creek and Franklin, adding Westosha Central to become a seven-team conference paired with the Southern Lakes.

The Midwest Classic-Large and Midwest Classic-Small as well as the Milwaukee City Conference divisions would also see some minor shuffling.

Just to the west, the Badger Conference would see some impacts, with Watertown moving from the now-defunct East Central to the Badger-Large. Beaver Dam would move from the East Central to the Badger-Small, which would also add Fort Atkinson and McFarland. Portage would be shifted to the Rock Valley.

Of note, despite a request by Bay Port to move to the Fox Valley Association, there are currently no changes among large-school leagues in that part of the state.

The 8-Player game also sees a number of changes, including some teams moving over from 11-player football. The North Central-East was already an incredible strong league, and would be further bolstered by the addition of Assumption from 11-player as well as Athens and perennial contender Newman Catholic moving in to join the likes of defending state champion Owen-Withee, Thorp, and Gilman.

In total, all but one of the nine conferences in 8-player would see some kind of movement. The Ridge & Valley would be the only league without any changes for 2026 under this proposal.

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 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), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, 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.