History
1969-1977
The Eastern Suburban Conference was formed in 1969 after the dissolution of the eighteen-member Madison Suburban Conference. Six of its original members were part of that conference's Eastern Section (Cambridge, Deerfield, Johnson Creek, Juneau-Reeseville, Lakeside Lutheran in Lake Mills, and Marshall) with Palmyra and Queen of Apostles in Madison rounding out the original membership roster. [1] Juneau-Reeseville (later renamed Dodgeland) left the conference after only one season to become a charter member of the newly created Flyway Conference. [2] They were replaced by Hustisford and Williams Bay, formerly of the Fox Valley Tri-County League and Indian Trails Conference, respectively. [3]
1977-1987
Waterloo joined the Eastern Suburban Conference from the Capitol Conference in 1977, [4] and two years later, Queen of Apostles High School left the conference after it was closed by the Catholic order (Pallotine Fathers and Brothers of Milwaukee) that ran the school. [5] They were replaced in 1980 by Dodgeland, making their return to the Eastern Suburban after ten years of competition as members of the Flyway Conference. [6] Lake Mills became members of the conference after exiting the Capitol Conference in 1983, giving Lakeside Lutheran a crosstown rival for conference play. [7] For a three-year period, the Eastern Suburban Conference was partitioned into Northern and Southern divisions:
| Northern Division | Southern Division |
|---|---|
| Dodgeland | Cambridge |
| Hustisford | Deerfield |
| Lakeside Lutheran | Johnson Creek |
| Marshall | Lake Mills |
| Waterloo | Palmyra-Eagle |
| Williams Bay |
1987-2001
Lake Mills' stint in the Eastern Suburban Cofnerence was short-lived, as they returned to the Capitol Conference in 1987. [8] Palmyra-Eagle would leave the Eastern Suburban to join the Rock Valley Conference in 1990, [9] and in 1991, the Eastern Suburban and Dual County Conferences traded members for their football-only alignments. Gone were the three smallest schools in the conference (Deerfield, Hustisford and Johnson Creek), and in its place entered the three largest schools from the Dual County (Montello, Pardeeville and Westfield). [10] Lakeside Lutheran would make their exit from the Eastern Suburban Conference in 1995 for membership in the Capitol Conference. [11] The Eastern Suburban Conference would end its run in 2001 with three schools (Cambridge, Marshall and Waterloo) joining the Capitol Conference and the remaining five (Deerfield, Dodgeland, Hustisford, Johnson Creek and Williams Bay) joining with the Dual County Conference to create the new Trailways Conference. [12]
