Bay Conference

Last updated

Bay Conference
Bay seal.jpg
Conference WIAA
Founded1970
CommissionerJoel Wondra
No. of teams8
Headquarters Shawano, Wisconsin
Official website http://www.bayconference.org/

The Bay Conference is a high school athletics conference made up of eight teams in northeastern Wisconsin, centering primarily around the Green Bay and Fox Valley metropolitan areas. The conference and its member schools are members of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Contents

History

1970–2007

Bay Conference
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30km
19miles
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Location of Original Bay Conference Members

The Bay Conference was established in 1970 by charter members Ashwaubenon, Bay Port, Clintonville, De Pere, Marinette, Oconto, Oconto Falls, Pulaski, Seymour, and West De Pere. [1] Eight of the original members of the Bay Conference competed previously in the Northeastern Wisconsin Conference, all with the exception of Clintonville (Mid-Eastern Conference) and Marinette (independent).1979 brought the addition of former East Central Conference member New London and former Wisconsin Valley Conference member Shawano, in exchange for Oconto and Oconto Falls, who would go to the Central Wisconsin Conference. [2] In 1999, Clintonville left the Bay Conference to join the newly formed Valley 8 Conference. [3] Of the ten original members, only Seymour and West De Pere have remained in the conference since its inception.

2007–2015

In 2007, realignment in the Fox Valley region by the WIAA brought major changes to the Bay Conference. Four schools (Ashwaubenon, Bay Port, De Pere and Pulaski) transferred to the Fox River Classic Conference (FRCC), where they joined the larger Green Bay, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan area high schools. [4] Replacing the departing schools were two former members of the Packerland Conference (Denmark and Luxemburg-Casco) [5] and two schools from the shuttered Valley 8 Conference (Hortonville and Oconto Falls). [6] Each of these schools had increasing enrollments and had outgrown their previous conferences.

In late 2008, Hortonville petitioned the WIAA to move the growing school into the Fox Valley Association in exchange for Menasha High School, whose declining enrollment prompted them to look at other alternatives. Hortonville cited travel times and costs as well as the imbalance that existed in the Bay Conference as reasons to leave. Hortonville's enrollment was nearly twice as large as the Bay Conference's smallest school and 200 students more than the second largest school. The issue came to a vote at a Menasha School Board meeting, which resulted in Menasha's decision to remain in the FVA. [7] In September 2011, at an WIAA area meeting held in Appleton, Green Bay West requested to leave the FRCC to join the Bay Conference, and Green Bay East asked to go if needed. [8] [9] West and East both cited their inability to compete in the FRCC. In a September 2012 WIAA area meeting, New London asked to leave the Bay Conference to move to the Eastern Valley Conference, and Denmark requested to leave. Green Bay East and West are still seeking to move. [10] At a WIAA Board of Control meeting in September, the board gave first approval to swap Hortonville with FVA member Menasha before the 2014-15 school year. A final vote was taken after the 40-day appeal window and passed. [11] In December 2013, the WIAA Board of Control gave first approval for the departure of Denmark, Luxemburg–Casco, Marinette and Oconto Falls to the Eastern Valley in Return for the FRCC's Green Bay East & West and the EVC's Xavier. Waupaca would be in the Bay for football only. A final vote was taken after the 40-day appeal window & successfully passed for implementation for the 2015–2016 school year along with several other conference realignments. [12]

2015–present

Starting in 2015, the conference stayed steady at eight schools. However, in September 2016, West De Pere requested to move to the FRCC, citing inadequate athletic competition in the Bay and a school size that was rapidly growing. Other reasons included rivalries against teams in the FRCC like De Pere, Ashwaubenon and Pulaski. In December 2019, as part of the realignment process, West De Pere formally filed a request to move to the FRCC. After a committee reviewed the process, West De Pere's request was denied due to their failure to provide documents showing discussions with the Northeastern Conference which was provided as a solution to fill the void leaving the Bay Conference. West De Pere chose not to appeal the rejection. [13] [14] [15] [16]

In 2018, the WIAA and Wisconsin Football Coaches Association released a realignment plan to go into effect starting in fall 2020 for football only. The proposal has Green Bay West, Green Bay East, West De Pere, and Menasha moving to the FRCC, with Fox Valley Lutheran and Marinette joining the five other remaining Bay football schools in a revamped Bay where Shawano would be the largest school in terms of enrollment. After some modifications the final Bay Conference will consist of current schools New London, Seymour, Shawano, Waupaca and Xavier, as well as football-only schools Fox Valley Lutheran and Winneconne. In 2022 A slight modification sent FVL to the Northeastern for 2 seasons setting up double crossover games between the Bay and Northeastern Conferences in Weeks 3 and 4 of the regular season, These 2 games counted in the conference standings and for playoff qualification purposes. FVL will return in 2024 and teams in the Bay and Northeastern will have 1 Crossover game to count in the conference and playoff standings. Football Only conferences run on a 2 year window to make changes. [17] [18] [19]

In late 2023 West De Pere once again filed a Fast Track Request to move to the FRCC, Also Winneconne and Fox Valley Lutheran made the request to move the growing schools into the Bay Conference. The first process saw both moves with Unanimous support from the Realignment Task Force Committee to move to the next steps. This proposal became official in April 2024 with the changes taking effect in the 2025-2026 School year. [20] [21]

List of member schools

Current members

SchoolLocationAffiliation Enrollment MascotColorsJoined
Green Bay East Green Bay, WI Public1,164Red Devils  2015 [12]
Green Bay West Green Bay, WI Public818Wildcats  2015 [12]
Menasha Menasha, WI Public1,022Bluejays  2014 [11]
New London New London, WI Public707Bulldogs  1979 [2]
Seymour Seymour, WI Public595Thunder  1970 [1]
Shawano Shawano, WI Public752Hawks  1979 [2]
West De Pere De Pere, WI Public1,081Phantoms  1970 [1]
Xavier Appleton, WI Private (Catholic, De La Salle Brothers, Manitowoc Franciscans)457Hawks  2015 [12]

Affiliate members

[22]

SchoolLocationAffiliation Enrollment MascotColorsSportsPrimary Conference
Bonduel Bonduel, WI Public263Bears  Girls Golf Central Wisconsin
Clintonville Clintonville, WI Public404Truckers  Girls Swimming North Eastern
Fox Valley Lutheran Appleton, WI Private (Lutheran, WELS)745Foxes  Football (2020-2021,2024), Girls Tennis and Boys Tennis North Eastern
Marinette Marinette, WI Public645Marines
  
Girls Tennis, Girls Swimming North Eastern
Oconto Oconto, WI Public252Blue Devils  Girls Golf Packerland
Sturgeon Bay Sturgeon Bay, WI Public404Clippers  Girls Swimming, Girls Golf Packerland
Waupaca Waupaca, WI Public644Comets  Football North Eastern
Winneconne Winneconne, WI Public510Wolves  Football (2024), Girls Golf East Central
Wittenberg-Birnamwood Wittenberg, WI Public338Chargers  Girls Swimming Central Wisconsin

Future members

SchoolLocationAffiliationEnrollmentMascotColorsJoinedFormer Conference
Fox Valley Lutheran Appleton, WI Private (Lutheran, WELS)745Foxes  2025 [20] [21] North Eastern
Winneconne Winneconne, WI Public510Wolves  2025 [20] [21] East Central

Former members

SchoolLocationAffiliation Enrollment MascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent Conference
Ashwaubenon Ashwaubenon, WI Public989Jaguars  1970 [1] 2007 [4] Fox River Classic
Bay Port Suamico, WI Public1,915Pirates  1970 [1] 2007 [4] Fox River Classic
Clintonville Clintonville, WI Public412Truckers  1970 [1] 1999 [3] Valley 8 North Eastern
De Pere De Pere, WI Public1,457Redbirds  1970 [1] 2007 [4] Fox River Classic
Marinette Marinette, WI Public623Marines  1970 [1] 2015 [12] North Eastern
Oconto Oconto, WI Public282Blue Devils  1970 [1] 1979 [2] Central Wisconsin Packerland
Oconto Falls Oconto Falls, WI Public521Panthers  1970, [1] 2007 [6] 1979, [2] 2015 [12] Central Wisconsin, North Eastern North Eastern
Pulaski Pulaski, WI Public1,141Red Raiders  1970 [1] 2007 [4] Fox River Classic
Denmark Denmark, WI Public488Vikings  2007 [5] 2015 [12] North Eastern
Hortonville Hortonville, WI Public1,232Polar Bears  2007 [6] 2014 [11] Fox Valley Association
Luxemburg-Casco Luxemburg, WI Public610Spartans  2007 [5] 2015 [12] North Eastern

Membership timeline

Full members

Bay Conference

Football members

Bay Conference

Membership map

Bay Conference
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Location of Bay Conference full members:

List of state champions

Fall sports

Girls Cross Country
SchoolYearDivision
Xavier2022Division 2
Xavier2023Division 2
Football
SchoolYearDivision
Clintonville1978Division 2
Seymour1985Division 3
Marinette1989Division 2
De Pere1992Division 3
Ashwaubenon1996Division 2
Ashwaubenon2000Division 2
Ashwaubenon2001Division 2
Ashwaubenon2005Division 2
West De Pere2010Division 3
West De Pere2011Division 3
Menasha2014Division 2
Boys Soccer
SchoolYearDivision
De Pere1993Division 2
Girls Tennis
SchoolYearDivision
Xavier2020Division 2
Girls Volleyball
SchoolYearDivision
Seymour1988Class B
Shawano1988Class A
Xavier2022Division 2
Xavier2023Division 2

Winter sports

Boys Basketball
SchoolYearDivision
Clintonville1977Class B
Clintonville1989Class B
Seymour1997Division 2
New London1999Division 2
Seymour2001Division 2
Seymour2006Division 2
Xavier2017Division 3
Girls Basketball
SchoolYearDivision
De Pere1983Class A
De Pere2005Division 1
Ashwaubenon2006Division 1
New London2011Division 2
New London2012Division 2
Girls Gymnastics
SchoolYearDivision
De Pere1986Class B
De Pere1987Class B
De Pere1988Class B
De Pere1989Class B
De Pere1990Class B
Boys Swimming & Diving
SchoolYearDivision
Ashwaubenon2002Division 2
Boys Wrestling
SchoolYearDivision
Oconto Falls2010Division 2
Luxemburg-Casco2012Division 2
Luxemburg-Casco2013Division 2

Spring sports

Baseball
SchoolYearDivision
Oconto Falls1973Single Division
Oconto Falls1978Class B
West De Pere2008Division 2
Softball
SchoolYearDivision
Ashwaubenon1992Division 1
Ashwaubenon1993Division 1
Ashwaubenon1994Division 1
Shawano2002Division 2
Ashwaubenon2006Division 1
Luxemburg-Casco2009Division 2
Luxemburg-Casco2010Division 2
New London2013Division 2
Seymour2019Division 2
Boys Track & Field
SchoolYearDivision
Ashwaubenon1974Class B
Seymour1981Class B
Xavier2017Division 2
Girls Track & Field
SchoolYearDivision
Marinette1992Division 1
Marinette1993Division 1
Marinette1994Division 1
West De Pere2022Division 1

List of conference champions

Boys Basketball

Source: [23]

SchoolQuantityYears
Seymour151995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2020
Pulaski81972, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996
Xavier82016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Marinette61977, 1979, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2008
West De Pere61971, 1976, 1986, 2013, 2022, 2025
Ashwaubenon41993, 1999, 2002, 2006
Bay Port41981, 2001, 2002, 2003
Clintonville41974, 1979, 1980, 1989
De Pere31973, 1978, 2005
Oconto31973, 1974, 1975
New London11983
Shawano11982
Denmark0
Green Bay East0
Green Bay West0
Hortonville0
Luxemburg-Casco0
Menasha0
Oconto Falls0

Girls Basketball

Source: [24]

SchoolQuantityYears
West De Pere111977, 1979, 1981, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2025
Pulaski101980, 1981, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000
De Pere91978, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007
Bay Port81982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2004
Ashwaubenon51976, 1994, 2001, 2004, 2005
New London52008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014
Seymour31978, 1991, 2018
Luxemburg-Casco22010, 2011
Shawano21988, 1989
Xavier22022, 2024
Clintonville11982
Denmark0
Green Bay East0
Green Bay West0
Hortonville0
Marinette0
Menasha0
Oconto0
Oconto Falls0

Football

Source: [25]

SchoolQuantityYears
West De Pere191971, 1973, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019
Marinette91974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000
Ashwaubenon71979, 1990, 1993, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004
De Pere51972, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2005
Xavier52015, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Clintonville41976, 1978, 1981, 1987
Pulaski41970, 1980, 1991, 1998
Seymour41985, 1991, 1996, 2009
Menasha32014, 2016, 2017
New London31982, 1984, 2007
Bay Port22001, 2003
Denmark12007
Oconto11970
Shawano12009
Winneconne12024
Fox Valley Lutheran0
Green Bay East0
Green Bay West0
Hortonville0
Luxemburg-Casco0
Oconto Falls0
Waupaca0

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Walter, Tony (December 21, 1969). "High School Realignment Begins To Take Definite Shape in Area". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 47. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Shawano is to leave the Valley Conference". Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune. February 24, 1978. p. 6. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Conference gets name". Appleton Post-Crescent. October 15, 1998. pp. E-8. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Venci, Scott (December 28, 2006). "2006 Top 10 Stories (story 4)". Green Bay Press-Gazette. pp. C-2. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "WIAA approves realignment". Appleton Post-Crescent. January 14, 2006. pp. D-3. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Thompson, Andy (July 29, 2005). "Switch to Bay Conference appeals to Hortonville". Appleton Post-Crescent. p. 10. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  7. "Postcrescent.com | Appleton Post-Crescent | Appleton news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Appleton, WI". Archived from the original on June 13, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  8. http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110922/GPG020510/109220554/West-asks-moved-Bay-Conference-East-will-go-needed?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CGPG-High%20School%20Sports%7Cp%5B%5D
  9. http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110921/GPG020510/109210559/Green-Bay-West-East-may-want-out-FRCC?odyssey=mod_sectionstories%5B%5D
  10. Doug Ritchay. "Green Bay East and West seek to move to Bay Conference," Fox11 Sports, September 26, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
  11. 1 2 3 WIAA." "News | Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association". Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2013."
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "News | Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association". Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  13. "West De Pere requests move to FRCC". Press Gazette Media. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  14. Inc., Midwest Communications. "West De Pere wants out of Bay". WTAQ. Retrieved February 9, 2017.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  15. "Task Force Conducts First Realignment Review".
  16. "West de Pere's hoped-for move to FRCC on hold for nonfootball sports".
  17. "Football Coaches Release Football-Only Conference Plan" (PDF). Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  18. "WIAA passes statewide football-only conference realignment plan developed by WFCA". April 16, 2019.
  19. "WFCA-WIAA FB ONLY CONF. changed 2-2019 BOC" (PDF). February 6, 2019.
  20. 1 2 3 "WIAA Conference Realignment Task Force supports several realignment requests at December meeting". December 6, 2023.
  21. 1 2 3 https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/sports/high-school/2023/12/13/west-de-pere-excited-for-move-into-the-fox-river-classic-conference/71897272007/
  22. http://www.wiaawi.org/directory.php%5B%5D
  23. "Bay Boys' Basketball Team Champions (1991-Present)". Google Docs. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  24. "Bay Girls' Basketball Team Champions (1976-Present)". Google Docs. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  25. "Bay Football Team Champions (1970-Present)". Google Docs. Retrieved June 19, 2025.