Badger Conference

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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] .

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

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

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References

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