FOOTBALL REALIGNMENT - Proposal in new two-year cycle includes some league changes for Pirates, Redmen

FOOTBALL REALIGNMENT

The constantly-changing world of eight-player football in Wisconsin could lead to changes for the Gilman Pirates and Rib Lake Redmen in the next two-year cycle of conference realignment.

Following the WIAA’s Conference Realignment Task Force first meeting of the football and lacrosse conference realignment process on Dec. 10, a proposal for 2026-27 alignments keeps the two local squads in their current conferences, but some teams within those conferences would change. The changes are due to area teams like Wisconsin Rapids Assumption and Rosholt moving to eight-player football and McDonell Central leaving the eight-man game to return to 11-player football. A split in the current Chequamegon Co-op also creates an additional eight-player team in northern Wisconsin.

The proposed North Central East Conference, where Gilman currently resides, would bump up to eight teams under the proposal, eliminating the need for a crossover game with North Central West. McDonell Central would depart for n-man and Lake Holcombe would be shifted to the North Central West, while Wisconsin Rapids Assumption, Athens and Newman Catholic would join the conference. Alma Center Lincoln, Cornell, Thorp and 2024 state champion Owen-Withee would stay in the conference.

Gilman was with Assumption, Athens and Newman for several years in the 11player Cloverwood Conference before the Pirates made the move to eight-player football in 2020. Gilman and Athens also were together in the Central Wisconsin East Conference in 2022 and 2023.

Rib Lake, which just completed its first season of eight-player football, remains in the Northwoods East Conference in this proposal. The plan expands the league from seven to eight teams, avoiding the need for a crossover game with the Northwoods West.

Hurley, Phillips and Prentice would join Rib Lake as the holdovers from the current conference alignment. Chequamegon would stay too, but Mellen, Butternut and Mercer are planning to break away from the Park Falls-based school to create their own co-op in 2026. The proposal places the new co-op in the Northwoods West.

Flambeau would be moved from the East to the West side of the conference as well and Athens would depart for the North Central East.

The three new teams in the Northwoods East would be Elcho-White Lake, Three Lakes-Phelps and Wabeno-Laona if the plan is approved. Those three programs are currently part of the Northeast Conference. Three Lakes-Phelps and Wabeno-Laona have had playoff teams in recent years.

Forty-six schools requested a change from their current conference affiliation, including 28 in 11-player football, 16 in 8player football and two in boys and girls lacrosse.

Most of the football conference realignment requests were modified by the Task Force. The requests by Bay Port, Sheboygan Falls, Two Rivers and Webster were denied. The details of the denied plans, as well as the complete configuration of the modified conference affiliation recommendations for football and lacrosse, are available for review by accessing the “Requests and Proposals” option on the WIAA’s Conference Realignment web page (https://www. wiaawi. org/ Schools/ Conferences/ Conference-Realignment).

There are no changes proposed for the 11-player Great Northern Conference, which includes the Medford Raiders Member schools that had their applications denied or any schools impacted by a proposed realignment solution may appeal the decision and appear in-person or virtually at the Task Force meeting on Thursday, Jan. 16.

Any modification to plans made by the Task Force at its Jan. 16 meeting may require an additional meeting on Thursday, Feb. 6. At that time, all schools affected by any additional modifications of the football or lacrosse alignment solutions may provide written feedback or appear virtually before the Task Force finalizes the modified solutions.

Plans that are advanced from the Task Force will be reviewed by the Board of Control to make a final determination on each of the proposals at its March 11, 2025 meeting.