CWC Football (Wisconsin)
The CWC is a former high school football conference with its catchment in north central Wisconsin. Consisting of eight-player football teams from various conferences over two divisions, the conference was active from 2020 through the 2023 football season and was affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
[edit]The CWC was founded in 2020 after a comprehensive realignment of Wisconsin's high school football conferences by the WIAA, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association.[1] Four of its original members previously competed in the eight-player division of the Central Wisconsin Conference (Bowler/Gresham, Marion/Tigerton, Port Edwards and Tri-County), three were part of the Lakeland Conference's eight-player division (Alma Center Lincoln, Bruce and New Auburn) and two previously competed in eleven-player football as part of the Cloverwood Conference (Gilman and Greenwood). The other three schools (McDonell Central Catholic, Newman Catholic and Phillips) competed as independents in the WIAA's eight-player football division. The twelve original members were partitioned into East and West divisions:[2][3]
| CWC East | CWC West |
|---|---|
| Bowler/Gresham | Alma Center Lincoln |
| Greenwood | Bruce |
| Marion/Tigerton | Gilman |
| Newman Catholic | McDonell Central Catholic |
| Port Edwards | New Auburn |
| Tri-County | Phillips |
For the 2022-2023 competition cycle, the CWC lost half of its membership roster. Five schools (Bowler/Gresham, Marion/Tigerton, Newman Catholic, Port Edwards and Tri-County) formed a reconstituted eight-player football division in the Central Wisconsin Conference, and Phillips became members of the Lakeland Conference. The exiting schools were replaced by former members of the Lakeland Conference (Cornell, Lake Holcombe and Prairie Farm), Cloverbelt Conference (Owen-Withee and Thorp) and Marawood Conference (Athens). Alma Center Lincoln and Gilman were shifted to the CWC East to accommodate the new arrivals:[4][5][6]
| CWC East | CWC West |
|---|---|
| Alma Center Lincoln | Bruce |
| Athens | Cornell |
| Gilman | Lake Holcombe |
| Greenwood | McDonell Central Catholic |
| Owen-Withee | New Auburn |
| Thorp | Prairie Farm |
The CWC was realigned out of existence by the WIAA and WFCA for the 2024-2025 cycle. All former members were dispersed to newly-created conferences: nine schools (Alma Center Lincoln, Cornell, Gilman, Lake Holcombe, McDonell Central Catholic, New Auburn, Owen-Withee, Prairie Farm and Thorp) went to the North Central Conference and two (Athens and Bruce) joined the eight-player division of the Northwoods Football Conference.[7] The twelfth displaced member (Greenwood) entered into a eleven-player cooperative with Loyal in the Cloverbelt Conference.[8]
Conference membership history
[edit]| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Seasons | Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alma Center Lincoln | Alma Center, WI | Public | 164 | Hornets | 2020-2023 | Dairyland | |
| Bowler/Gresham | Bowler, WI | Public | 182 | Cats | 2020-2021 | Central Wisconsin | |
| Bruce | Bruce, WI | Public | 131 | Red Raiders | 2020-2023 | Lakeland | |
| Gilman | Gilman, WI | Public | 97 | Pirates | 2020-2023 | Cloverbelt | |
| Greenwood | Greenwood, WI | Public | 112 | Indians | 2020-2023 | Cloverbelt | |
| Marion/Tigerton | Marion, WI | Public | 209 | Thundercatz | 2020-2021 | Central Wisconsin | |
| McDonell Central Catholic | Chippewa Falls, WI | Private (Catholic) | 206 | Macks | 2020-2023 | Cloverbelt | |
| New Auburn | New Auburn, WI | Public | 95 | Trojans | 2020-2023 | Lakeland | |
| Newman Catholic | Wausau, WI | Private (Catholic) | 128 | Cardinals | 2020-2021 | Marawood | |
| Phillips | Phillips, WI | Public | 217 | Loggers | 2020-2021 | Marawood | |
| Port Edwards | Port Edwards, WI | Public | 133 | Blackhawks | 2020-2021 | Central Wisconsin | |
| Tri-County | Plainfield, WI | Public | 176 | Penguins | 2020-2021 | Central Wisconsin | |
| Athens | Athens, WI | Public | 127 | Bluejays | 2022-2023 | Marawood | |
| Cornell | Cornell, WI | Public | 111 | Chiefs | 2022-2023 | Lakeland | |
| Lake Holcombe | Lake Holcombe, WI | Public | 90 | Chieftains | 2022-2023 | Lakeland | |
| Owen-Withee | Owen, WI | Public | 126 | Blackhawks | 2022-2023 | Cloverbelt | |
| Prairie Farm | Prairie Farm, WI | Public | 129 | Panthers | 2022-2023 | Lakeland | |
| Thorp | Thorp, WI | Public | 170 | Cardinals | 2022-2023 | Cloverbelt |
Membership timeline
[edit]
CWC East CWC West
List of state champions
[edit]| School | Year |
|---|---|
| Newman Catholic | 2021 |
| Owen-Withee | 2024 |
List of conference champions
[edit]| School | Quantity | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Gilman | 3 | 2020, 2021, 2023 |
| McDonell Central Catholic | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
| Newman Catholic | 2 | 2020, 2021 |
| Owen-Withee | 1 | 2022 |
| Alma Center Lincoln | 0 | |
| Athens | 0 | |
| Bowler/Gresham | 0 | |
| Bruce | 0 | |
| Cornell | 0 | |
| Greenwood | 0 | |
| Lake Holcombe | 0 | |
| Marion/Tigerton | 0 | |
| New Auburn | 0 | |
| Phillips | 0 | |
| Port Edwards | 0 | |
| Prairie Farm | 0 | |
| Thorp | 0 | |
| Tri-County | 0 |
References
[edit]- ^ "WFCA/WIAA Football-Only Realignment Proposal" (PDF). Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. 6 February 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ "WFCA Eight Player Conference Alignment" (PDF). Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ Berg, Brandon (22 July 2020). "Ready for a new chapter". Chippewa Herald. pp. A7 – A8. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ "Proposed Football Only Conference Alignment - 8-Player" (PDF). Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ "Area Roundup (see "Football plans advanced")". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 8 January 2021. pp. B2. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ Flaten, Spencer; Goods, Jack (19 August 2021). "8-man departures gives Lakeland new look". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. pp. B14. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ "2024-25 Conference Realignment Plan – 8-Player Football" (PDF). Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ "Greenwood/Loyal Football Programs will Merge". Clark County History. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2025.