Local football teams could be put in new conferences in 2024
The WIAA released information regarding its high school football conference realignment plan that would have an effect on a large number of area schools, including Colby and Abbotsford. This proposal, which will still need to be approved in March after affected schools have time to react to the changes, would see the long standing Marawood conference dissolved from the football sphere, putting the displaced teams into other conferences to better fit the ideal eightteam conference size that the WIAA is aiming for. The plan, should it be enacted, would see the realignment taking place ahead of the 2024 season.
Under the new proposal, with the dissolution of the Marawood football conference, Abbotsford would be moved along with fellow Marawood programs Auburndale, Edgar and Pittsville to the Central Wisconsin-Small, joining the remnants of the conference in Rosholt, Pacelli, Iola-Scandinavia and Assumption to bring the floundering entity back to eight teams after losing many of its members to 8-man leagues.
Colby and Marathon would find themselves in the Central Wisconsin-Large, which would have them competing with the likes of Amherst, Stratford, Weyauwega- Fremont, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Spencer/Columbus and Loyal/ Greenwood.
Thirty-five football-only realignment requests were received from member schools, leading to the proposed widespread changes. When evaluating whether or not to meet these requests, the task force in charge of the realignment stated that there were a number of factors that were taken into account, such as keeping teams within a reasonable geographic region with similar enrollment, average number of athletes and how many levels of football are offered within that school’s system, and keeping in mind the flow of teams potentially leaving or entering conferences due to forming coops or changing from 11-man to 8-man leagues or vice versa.
The results of this realignment will affect more than just the requesting schools, as 105 teams are slated to change conferences and even those who are not changing conferences will see their opponents within their own conference change. Of the 49 current 11-man conferences, 32 would see changes, including some, like the Marawood, being removed altogether.
Schools whose programs would be affected by the proposed changes were welcomed to provide their opinions of the changes to the task force before or during their Jan. 12, 2023 meeting, after which the task force expects to make their plans final. The Board of Control will then make a final decision on the proposed plan at their March meeting.
These changes would only apply to schools’ football programs. The conferences in regards to other sports would remain unchanged by the proposal.
