Badger Conference

Last updated
Badger Conference Logo.jpg

USA Wisconsin location map.svg
Blue pog.svg
Green pog.svg
Purple pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Gold pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Gray pog.svg
Blue pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Orange pog.svg
Orange pog.svg
Blue pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Purple pog.svg
Purple pog.svg
Blue pog.svg
class=notpageimage|
Badger Conference member school locations in Wisconsin

The Badger Conference is a high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in south central Wisconsin. Established in 1952, the Badger Conference is a member of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Contents

History

Formation and Early Years (1952-1977)

The Badger Conference was formed in 1952, [1] and most of its members came from two conferences that disbanded the year prior: Edgerton, Fort Atkinson, Monroe, Stoughton and Wisconsin High from the Southern Ten Conference, and Evansville, Jefferson, Lake Mills and Milton from the Rock Valley League. Middleton, formerly of the Madison Suburban Conference, rounded out the original membership roster at ten schools. Three years after joining the conference, three schools left for the Madison Suburban Conference: Evansville, Lake Mills and Milton. [2] They were replaced by the recently opened Monona Grove High School, who joined the conference in 1956. [3] Sun Prairie moved over from the Madison Suburban Conference in 1963, [4] and University of Wisconsin High was closed the next year, with its students being moved to Madison Central High School. [5] The Badger Conference's membership roster would stay consistent until major realignment in the late 1970s.

Realignment (1977-2001)

In 1977, the Badger Conference underwent a significant realignment. Three schools left the conference: Edgerton and Jefferson for the Rock Valley Conference and Sun Prairie for the Big Eight Conference. [6] They were replaced that same year by Oregon from the Central Suburban Conference and Sauk Prairie from the South Central Conference. [7] Ten years later, DeForest and Waunakee joined from the Capitol Conference. [8] Middleton left to join the Big Eight in 1994, and their place was taken by Verona from the Capitol Conference. [9] [10] Fort Atkinson left for the Southern Lakes Conference in 1997, [11] and Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart in Madison joined in 1999 after competing independently as a WISAA member for most of their athletic history. [12] [13]

Expansion and Divisional Split (2001-present)

In 2001, the Badger Conference expanded from nine to fourteen schools, adding three schools formerly in the South Central Conference (Baraboo, Portage and Reedsburg) and two who joined from the Capitol Conference (McFarland and Mount Horeb). [14] In order to accommodate this, the conference split its members into North and South Divisions: [15]

North DivisionSouth Division
BarabooEdgewood
DeForestMcFarland
Mount HorebMonona Grove
PortageMonroe
ReedsburgOregon
Sauk PrairieStoughton
WaunakeeVerona

In 2008, McFarland and Verona left the Badger Conference to join the Rock Valley and Big Eight Conferences, respectively. [16] Their place in the South Division was taken by Fort Atkinson and Milton, who rejoined the Badger Conference from the Southern Lakes Conference. [17] Beaver Dam and Watertown joined from the dissolved Wisconsin Little Ten Conference in 2017 [18] and were placed in separate divisions (Beaver Dam in the North, Watertown in the South). In 2021, the Badger Conference realigned its divisions by East and West for most sports: [19]

East DivisionWest Division
Beaver DamBaraboo
DeForestEdgewood
Fort AtkinsonMonroe
MiltonMount Horeb
Monona GroveOregon
StoughtonPortage
WatertownReedsburg
WaunakeeSauk Prairie

This alignment only remained in place for two years, as it was replaced by Large School and Small School divisions in 2023. During this same year, McFarland and Monroe swapped conference affiliations: McFarland rejoined the Badger Conference and Monroe went to the Rock Valley Conference. [20] Monroe's departure left Stoughton as the only school to have been a member of the conference since its founding with no interruptions.[ citation needed ]

List of Member Schools

Current members

SchoolLocationAffiliation Enrollment MascotColorsJoined
Large School Division
Beaver Dam Beaver Dam, WI Public1124Golden Beavers  2017
DeForest DeForest, WI Public1093Norskies  1987
Fort Atkinson [a] Fort Atkinson, WI Public964Blackhawks  1952, 2008
Milton Milton, WI Public1059Red Hawks  2008
Monona Grove Monona, WI Public1127Silver Eagles  1956
Oregon Oregon, WI Public1248Panthers  1977
Watertown Watertown, WI Public1170Goslings  2017
Waunakee Waunakee, WI Public1309Warriors  1987
Small School Division
Baraboo Baraboo, WI Public919Thunderbirds  2001
Edgewood Madison, WI Private, Catholic (Dominican)569Crusaders  1999
McFarland [b] McFarland, WI Public774Spartans  2001, 2023
Mount Horeb Mount Horeb, WI Public792Vikings  2001
Portage Portage, WI Public705Warriors  2001
Reedsburg Reedsburg, WI Public897Beavers  2001
Sauk Prairie Prairie du Sac, WI Public858Eagles  1977
Stoughton Stoughton, WI Public868Vikings  1952

Notes

  1. ↑ Left the Badger Conference in 1997, returned in 2008
  2. ↑ Left the Badger Conference in 2008, returned in 2023

Football-Only Members

SchoolLocationAffiliation Enrollment NicknameColorsJoinedPrimary Conference
Lakeside Lutheran Lake Mills, WI Private (WELS)506Warriors  2024 Capitol
Sun Prairie East Sun Prairie, WI Public1,329Cardinals  2022 Big Eight
Sun Prairie West Sun Prairie, WI Public1,347Wolves   2022 Big Eight

Former Members

InstitutionLocationAffiliation Enrollment MascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent Conference
Edgerton Edgerton, WI Public537Crimson Tide  19521977Rock Valley
Evansville Evansville, WI Public507Blue Devils  19521955Madison SuburbanRock Valley
Jefferson Jefferson, WI Public604Eagles  19521977Rock Valley
Lake Mills Lake Mills, WI Public491L-Cats  19521955Madison SuburbanCapitol
Middleton Middleton, WI Public2,357Cardinals  19521994Big Eight
Monroe Monroe, WI Public742Cheesemakers  19522023Rock Valley
Wisconsin High Madison, WI University of Wisconsin-MadisonN/ABadger Preps  19521964Closed in 1964
Sun Prairie [a] Sun Prairie, WI Public1,329Cardinals  19631977Big Eight
Verona Verona, WI Public1,801Wildcats  19942008Big Eight

Notes

  1. ↑ Currently known as Sun Prairie East High School

Membership Timeline

Badger Conference

List of State Champions

Fall Sports

Boys Cross Country
SchoolYearDivision
Monona Grove1959Medium Schools
Monroe1973Medium Schools
Monroe1974Class A
Monroe1979Class A
Oregon1988Class A
Middleton1992Division 1
McFarland2002Division 2
Edgewood2013Division 2
Girls Cross Country
SchoolYearDivision
Mount Horeb/Barneveld2008Division 2
Football
SchoolYearDivision
Monona Grove1977Division 2
Middleton1983Division 2
Monona Grove1984Division 3
Monroe1986Division 2
Middleton1987Division 2
Monroe1990Division 2
Monroe1991Division 2
Monroe1992Division 2
Monroe1994Division 3
Waunakee1999Division 3
Waunakee2002Division 3
Reedsburg2009Division 3
Waunakee2009Division 2
Waunakee2010Division 2
Waunakee2011Division 2
Monona Grove2013Division 3
Waunakee2017Division 2
DeForest2019Division 3
Waunakee2021Division 2
Monroe2022Division 3
Girls Golf
SchoolYearDivision
Edgewood2001Single Division
Edgewood2002Single Division
Edgewood2003Division 2
Edgewood2004Division 2
Edgewood2005Division 2
Edgewood2006Division 2
Edgewood2007Division 2
Edgewood2008Division 2
Edgewood2009Division 2
Edgewood2011Division 2
Edgewood2012Division 2
Edgewood2013Division 2
Edgewood2014Division 2
Edgewood2018Division 2
Edgewood2019Division 2
Boys Soccer
SchoolYearDivision
Sauk Prairie1996Division 2
Oregon1998Division 2
Mount Horeb2011Division 2
Oregon2013Division 2
Mount Horeb2015Division 3
Mount Horeb2017Division 3
Oregon2018Division 2
Oregon2021Division 2
Oregon2022Division 2
Girls Swimming & Diving
SchoolYearDivision
Verona1998Division 2
Sauk Prairie2002Division 2
DeForest2006Division 2
DeForest2007Division 2
DeForest2008Division 2
Milton2010Division 2
Milton2011Division 2
Edgewood2015Division 2
Edgewood2016Division 2
Edgewood2017Division 2
Edgewood2018Division 2
Edgewood2019Division 2
Edgewood2020-21Alternate Season
Edgewood2021Division 2
Edgewood2022Division 2
Girls Tennis
SchoolYearDivision
Edgewood2013Division 2
Edgewood2015Division 2
Edgewood2016Division 2
Boys Volleyball
SchoolYearDivision
Wisconsin High1954Single Division
Wisconsin High1962Single Division
Wisconsin High1963Single Division
Monona Grove1965Single Division

Winter Sports

Boys Basketball
SchoolYearDivision
Monroe1965Single Division
Edgewood2002Division 2
Monroe2007Division 2
Mount Horeb2015Division 2
Girls Basketball
SchoolYearDivision
Monroe1989Class A
Waunakee1993Division 2
Monroe2006Division 2
Monroe2008Division 2
Edgewood2017Division 3
Beaver Dam2018Division 2
Beaver Dam2019Division 2
Edgewood2024Division 3
Girls Gymnastics
SchoolYearDivision
Mount Horeb2015Division 2
Mount Horeb2020Division 2
Edgewood/Verona2023Division 1
Boys Swimming & Diving
SchoolYearDivision
Verona2000Division 2
McFarland2007Division 2
McFarland2008Division 2
Monona Grove2013Division 2
Edgewood2014Division 2
Monona Grove2015Division 2
Monona Grove2016Division 2
Monona Grove2017Division 2
Monona Grove2018Division 2
Edgewood2019Division 2
Edgewood2020Division 2
Edgewood2022Division 2
Boys Wrestling
SchoolYearDivision
Stoughton1968Single Division
Stoughton1972Single Division
Monroe1973Single Division
Stoughton1975Single Division
Stoughton1976Single Division
Stoughton1977Single Division
Stoughton1987Class A
Stoughton1988Class A
Stoughton2018Division 1
Stoughton2019Division 1
Stoughton2020Division 1

Spring Sports

Baseball
SchoolYearDivision
Sun Prairie1974Single Division
Sauk Prairie1996Division 2
Edgewood2004Division 2
Portage2006Division 2
Edgewood2009Division 2
Portage2012Division 2
Waunakee2018Division 1
Milton2022Division 1
Edgewood2024Division 2
Boys Golf
SchoolYearDivision
Wisconsin High1955Single Division
Monona Grove1989Class B
Middleton1993Division 1
McFarland2004Division 2
Edgewood2009Division 2
Edgewood2010Division 2
Edgewood2017Division 2
Edgewood2018Division 2
Edgewood2019Division 2
Edgewood2021Division 2
Edgewood2022Division 2
Edgewood2023Division 2
Girls Soccer
SchoolYearDivision
Monona Grove2001Division 2
Monona Grove2002Division 2
Monona Grove2003Division 2
Edgewood2009Division 2
Edgewood2009Division 2
Oregon2015Division 2
Oregon2019Division 2
Oregon2022Division 2
Oregon2024Division 2
Softball
SchoolYearDivision
Middleton1989Class A
Monroe2003Division 2
Portage2005Division 2
Boys Tennis
SchoolYearDivision
Monroe1996Division 2
Sauk Prairie2001Division 2
Sauk Prairie2003Division 2
Edgewood2016Division 2
Edgewood2018Division 2
Boys Track & Field
SchoolYearDivision
Monroe1966Class B
Monona Grove1982Class A
Monona Grove1984Class B
Monona Grove1985Class B
Sauk Prairie1999Division 2
Verona1999Division 1
Monroe2014Division 2
Girls Track & Field
SchoolYearDivision
Sauk Prairie1996Division 2
Edgewood2002Division 2
DeForest2023Division 1

See also

Related Research Articles

The Milwaukee City Conference is a high school athletic conference in Wisconsin. All full-time member institutions are located in the city of Milwaukee and are members of the Milwaukee Public Schools system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Eight Conference (Wisconsin)</span> Wisconsin high school athletic conference

The Big Eight Conference is a high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in south central Wisconsin. All member schools are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Transit (Madison)</span> Public transit operator in Madison, Wisconsin and vicinity

Metro Transit, formerly Madison Metro, operates bus services throughout the City of Madison, Wisconsin, United States and several of its suburbs, including Middleton, Fitchburg, Maple Bluff, Shorewood Hills, Sun Prairie, and Verona. System-wide, fixed route ridership was 9,514,620 in 2023. Metro Transit also provides supplemental transit services to Madison's high schools. These routes have been designed to provide additional services during peak school times. Metro Transit also serves the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus, Eagle Heights University apartments, and some off-campus residential areas, via routes 80, 81, 82, and 84. These routes are free of charge for UW students and faculty.

The Parkland Conference is a former high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in southeastern Wisconsin. It was in existence from 1963 to 2006 and all member schools were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisconsin Little Ten Conference</span> Former Wisconsin high school athletic conference

The Wisconsin Little Ten Conference is a former high school athletic conference with its membership based in southeastern Wisconsin. It existed from 1970 to 2017 and all member schools were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Braveland Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, formed in 1953 and ending competition in 1993. Its membership was concentrated in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and members were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Suburban Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, operating from 1925 to 1985 with its membership concentrated in the suburbs of Milwaukee.

The Madison Suburban Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, founded in 1926 and ending competition in 1969. Its members were located in south central Wisconsin, predominantly around the Madison area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Central Conference (Wisconsin)</span> Wisconsin high school athletic conference

The South Central Conference is a high school athletic conference in Wisconsin. Originally founded in 1926, it disbanded in 1941 only to reconstitute eleven years later. All member schools of the South Central Conference are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Rock Valley Conference is a high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, originally formed as the Central Suburban Conference in 1969. All member schools belong to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and are concentrated in the Rock River Valley in south central Wisconsin.

The Dual County Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, inaugurated in 1926 as the Columbia County Little Six Conference and ending competition in 2001. All conference members were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Eastern Suburban Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, originally formed in 1969 and disbanding in 2001. With the exception of the conference's two private schools, all members belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and were located in south central Wisconsin.

The Tri-County League is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, operational from 1926 to 1963 with its membership concentrated in south central Wisconsin. All members belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The State Line League is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin. Formed in 1927 and ending competition in 1997, its membership consisted of small schools located in the southernmost counties of the state along the Wisconsin-Illinois border. All member schools were associated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Black Hawk League is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin. Formed in 1930 and in operation until 1997, its membership consisted primarily of small high schools in the southwest corner of Wisconsin. All members were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Rivers Conference</span> Wisconsin high school athletic conference

The Six Rivers Conference is a high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, formed in 1997 and consisting of small schools in the southwestern part of the state. All member schools belong to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trailways Conference</span> Wisconsin high school athletic conference

The Trailways Conference is a high school athletic conference in Wisconsin. Formed in 2001, its membership consists of smaller public and private high schools in east central and south central Wisconsin. All member schools belong to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Southern Ten Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, comprising schools in the south central part of the state. It was in operation from 1941 to 1952 and all member schools were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Rock River Valley League is a former high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in south central Wisconsin. Competing from 1922 to 1952, all conference members were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitol Conference (Wisconsin)</span> Wisconsin high school athletic conference

The Capitol Conference is a high school athletic conference in south central Wisconsin. It was founded in 1969, and its member schools are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

References

  1. ↑ Associated Press (March 23, 1952). "New Badger Prep League Completed". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. p. 10. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Wisconsin High Wins Easily, 82-42". The Capital Times. February 11, 1955. p. 13. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  3. ↑ Hinrichs, Art (March 2, 1955). "Badger Loop Holds Spring Meet". The Capital Times. p. 17. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Sun Prairie Is Invited to Join Badger Circuit". Janesville Weekly Gazette. May 11, 1962. p. 14. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  5. ↑ McCormick, George (November 6, 1962). "Wisconsin High-Central Merger Advanced a Step". The Capital Times. p. 13. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  6. ↑ Hillstrom, Eric (August 17, 1977). "Learning to live with realignment". The Capital Times. p. 69. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  7. ↑ Lindstrom, Don (August 13, 1976). "Badger Conference teams wouldn't have made playoff". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 60. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  8. ↑ Lindstrom, Don (August 1, 1986). "A bigger Badger Conference kills 2 rivalries". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 18. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  9. ↑ Semrau, Dennis (December 8, 1993). "Sugar River Raiders still homeless". The Capital Times. p. 21. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  10. ↑ Hernandez, Rob (August 28, 1994). "Newcomer Verona adjusts to its surroundings". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 46. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  11. ↑ Hernandez, Rob (May 8, 1996). "Realignment works its way through WIAA". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 21. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Notes". The La Crosse Tribune. April 23, 1998. p. 21. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  13. ↑ Hernandez, Rob (May 5, 1998). "Middleton duo stick together". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 12. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  14. ↑ Semrau, Dennis (December 7, 1999). "WIAA realignment plan moves closer to reality". The Capital Times. p. 15. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Prep Scoreboard (see Badger Conference)". Wisconsin State Journal. December 25, 2001. p. 22. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  16. ↑ Hernandez, Rob (October 6, 2006). "Hauser sticks to her plan". Wisconsin State Journal. pp. D1. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  17. ↑ Zizzo, Nick (August 24, 2008). "Moving Back In". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 33. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  18. ↑ Kabelowsky, Art (April 20, 2016). "Beaver Dam and Watertown join Badger Conference". Baraboo News Republic. p. 9. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  19. ↑ Masson, Jon (September 9, 2021). "Badger coaches unsure about new quad format". Wisconsin State Journal. pp. B6. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Conference (from A6)". Portage Daily Register. February 16, 2023. pp. A7. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.