Colby would join Amherst, Loyal- ….
Colby would join Amherst, Loyal- Greenwood, Marathon, Spencer-Columbus, Stratford, Weyauwega-Fremont and Wittenberg-Birnamwood in the Central Wisconsin Large Conference.
Abbotsford would join Wisconsin Rapids Assumption, Auburndale, Edgar, Iola-Scandinavia, Stevens Point Pacelli, Pittsville and Rosholt in the Central Wisconsin Small Conference.
The Heart O’ North Conference would have a Large and Small Division with Hayward and Ashland joining the Large Division, which would be fairly close to the league’s traditional grouping with Barron, Bloomer, Cumberland, Northwestern, St. Croix Falls and Spooner. The Small Division includes Ladysmith and Chetek-Weyerhaeuser and would play a mandatory crossover against the Dunn-St. Croix Conference to assure seven conference games.
Timeline
According to the WIAA, newly-affected schools with the modified solutions are invited to appear and provide feedback during a virtual meeting scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 5.
All schools impacted by the modified realignment plan may provide feedback prior to and during the Task Force meeting on Thursday, Jan. 12. In addition, schools that submitted requests that were not advanced at the Dec. 6 Task Force meeting may appeal the decision at the Jan. 12 meeting before the Task Force finalizes the modified solutions.
Plans that are advanced from the January meeting will be reviewed by the WIAA’s Board of Control to make a final determination on each of the proposals at its March 7 meeting.
Appeals, if successful, will be communicated with the membership and re-evaluated by the Task Force. If the revised solutions are approved on appeal, they will be submitted to the Board of Control for consideration in March with any modifications and solutions communicated to the membership.
If the appeal is not approved by the Task Force, schools may make a final appeal to the Board of Control at its meeting on Feb. 1. Based on the appeals, the board may remand realignment plans back to the Task Force to reconsider at a Feb. 9 meeting, if necessary.
The main factors considered by the Task Force in its consideration of realignment requests included providing all members with a conference affiliation, maintaining a reasonable number of teams within geographic and enrollment considerations, participation numbers and levels of programming and flexibility with potential shifts caused by the forming of co-ops and programs transitioning from 11-player to eight-player status.
Extending the season
WisSports.net also reported in November, the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association is considering presenting a plan to extend 11-player seasons to the WIAA but is first seeking feedback from its coaches. The plan would lengthen the seasons to at least 11 games from its current nine-game regular-season format.
The season start dates would not change. The extension would come at the end of the season. Currently, non-playoff teams have the option of adding a 10th game, but few do.
The idea being considered has two major features.
Teams that do not make the 224-team playoff field would be placed in four-team pods, creating two-week mini-tournaments –– one week of semifinals, then a week of first- and third-place games within the pod.
For teams that do make the playoffs but lose in the first round within their eight-team regional groupings, four-team consolation brackets would be created where those teams would play at least one and possibly two more games. Consolation bracket winners would receive a WIAA award. Level 1 winners would not join the consolation tournament. Their seasons would end, as usual, when they are defeated in Level 2 of the playoffs or beyond.
