The Classic 8 Conference, also known as the C8C, is a high school athletic conference made up of 9 teams in southeastern Wisconsin. The Classic 8 Conference is a member of the WIAA. The conference has schools that participate in such sports as lacrosse, field hockey, alpine skiing, boys ice hockey, girls ice hockey, and cross-country skiing.

Classic 8 Conference
AssociationWIAA
Founded1997; 24 years ago
CommissionerDave Sternig
Sports fielded
  • 15
    • men's: 15
    • women's: 14
DivisionDivisions 1-2
No. of teams9 (see list)
HeadquartersWaukesha, Wisconsin
Region
Official websiteClassic8Conference.org

Member schools

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Current Members

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The Classic 8 Conference consists of 9 full-member institutions from 6 locations, listed in alphabetical order, these 6 locations span within the Classic 8's geographic footprint, mostly suburban and rural schools. The geographic domain of the Conference is predominantly in Southeast Wisconsin in Waukesha County spanning from Oconomowoc and Hartland in the Northwest to Mukwonago and Wales in the Southwest, with Waukesha and Muskego in the Southeast. Mukwonago being in Walworth County.

Catholic Memorial is in the Classic 8 for all other boys/girls sponsored sports except football, as they are a member in the football-only Parkland Conference which formed in 2020, all other C8C schools are full-time in all sponsored sports.

Since 2020, the 9 members of the Classic 8 are as listed below:

School Location County Founded Joined Type of School Enrollment Athletics Nickname Colors
Arrowhead High School Hartland, Wisconsin Waukesha 1956 1997 Public 2,076 All Warhawks      
Catholic Memorial High School Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha 1949 1997 Private, Catholic 576 All; except Football Crusaders    
Kettle Moraine High School Wales, Wisconsin Waukesha 1965 1997 Public 1,251 All Lasers    
Mukwonago High School Mukwonago, Wisconsin Waukesha Walworth 1971 1997 Public 1,619 All Indians    
Muskego High School Muskego, Wisconsin Waukesha 1956 2012 Public 1,683 All Warriors      
Oconomowoc High School Oconomowoc, Wisconsin Waukesha 1923 2017 Public 1,657 All Racoons    
Waukesha North High School Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha 1974 1997 Public 1,018 All Northstars    
Waukesha South High School Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha 1957 1997 Public 1,179 All Blackshirts    
Waukesha West High School Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha 1993 1997 Public 1,194 All Wolverines    
  • Waukesha North and South will be leaving the Classic 8 for the Woodland Conference after the 2023-2024 School Year
  • Pewaukee will be joining the Classic 8 for football only starting in the 2024-2025 School Year, they are primarily in the Woodland Conference

Membership Map

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Former Members

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  • Pius XI left the Classic 8 in 2012, the school was one of the original 8 schools that formed the conference, as the conference became more competitive and Pius enrollment began to decline. Pius decided to leave to compete with other schools in the same size. In the WIAA realignment, Muskego would join the conference as the replacement. In return, Pius switched to the Woodland Conference but the school remains as majority Division 2 after they left the Classic 8.
School Location County Founded Joined Left Type of School Enrollment Athletics Nickname Colors Current Conference
Pius XI High School Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee 1929 1997 2012 Private, Catholic 900 All; except Gymnastics Popes       Woodland

History

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Founding

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In 1994, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association implemented a realignment of conferences in the southeastern portion of the state with review of the alignment beginning in 1995. In this proposal, 2 new conferences would be formed [Classic 8] [Greater Metro]. Hearings and meetings were held between May 1995 to April 1996. Most schools objected to the WIAA's realignment plan with appeals being in July 1996. On September 12th, 1996, the WIAA gave final approval to the realignment, set to be effective in the 1997-1998 academic year.

When the C8C first formed, Pius XI and Catholic Memorial at the time were both in the WISAA (Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletics Association) but continued to play WIAA conference games. In 2000, the WISAA and the tournament dissolved which forced both CMH and Pius to participate in all WIAA-sponsored events.

2012 Realignment

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The Muskego Warriors from the Southeast Conference joined the Classic 8 Conference in the 2012-2013 Academic Year; replacing the Pius XI Popes who left for the Woodland Conference

2017 Realignment

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In April 2016, the WIAA approved a conference realignment in Southeast Wisconsin, as a result, the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference was disbanded. The Oconomowoc Racoons from the WLT joined the Classic 8 Conference in the 2017-2018 Academic Year.

Membership timeline

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Oconomowoc High SchoolWisconsin Little Ten ConferenceMuskego High SchoolSoutheast Conference (Wisconsin)Waukesha West High SchoolWaukesha South High SchoolWaukesha North High SchoolMukwonago High SchoolKettle Moraine High SchoolCatholic Memorial High SchoolArrowhead High SchoolWoodland ConferencePius XI High School

Full members  Full members (non-football)  Other Conference  Other Conference 

Classic 8 football

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Current members of the Classic 8 Conference have accounted for a total of 26 state appearances, including 15 WIAA State Champions.

Of the fifteen state championships, Muskego has two (2018, 2019), Arrowhead has won six (1993, 1994, 1996, 2007, 2012, 2013), Kettle Moraine has won two (1988, 2022), Mukwonago has won one (2004), Catholic Memorial has won four (2012, 2016, 2018, 2019) and Waukesha West has won two (2004, 2010).

The conference put its football talents on display especially in 2004, when it had two WIAA state champions in Mukwonago (Division 1) and Waukesha West (Division 2), next in 2012 when it had Arrowhead (Division 1) and Catholic Memorial (Division 3), and most recently in 2018, Muskego (Division 1) and Catholic Memorial (Division 3). Since 2000, the conference has sent 18 teams to the state championships in Madison at Camp Randall (9 state runners-up, 9 championships).

Classic 8 Teams in WIAA State Football Championship Games
Year Winning Team Losing Team Location (all in Wisconsin) Division
1983 D.C. Everest 28 Waukesha North 14 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
1988 Kettle Moraine 20 New Berlin West 7 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 2
1989 D.C. Everest 20 Waukesha South 7 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
1993 Arrowhead 21 Appleton West 7 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
1994 Arrowhead 19 Muskego 16 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
1996 Arrowhead 24 D.C. Everest 21 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
2000 Oshkosh North 28 Arrowhead 0 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
2001 Ashwaubenon 27 Catholic Memorial 7 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 2
2002 Marshfield 21 Arrowhead 14 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
2003 D.C. Everest 42 Arrowhead 7 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
2004 Mukwonago 17 Marshfield 6 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
2004 Waukesha West 24 Monona Grove 7 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 2
2006 Homestead 35 Arrowhead 0 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
2007 Arrowhead 31 Homestead 7 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
2008 Homestead 13 Arrowhead 11 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
2010 West De Pere 35 Catholic Memorial 7 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 3
2010 Waukesha West 45 Stevens Point Area 26 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
2012 Catholic Memorial 42 Waupaca 7 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 3
2015 Notre Dame Academy 19 Catholic Memorial 17 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 3
2016 Catholic Memorial 24 Notre Dame Academy 14 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 3
2018 Muskego 24 Kimberly 21 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
2018 Catholic Memorial 37 West De Pere 24 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 3
2019 Muskego 21 Bay Port 10 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
2019 Catholic Memorial 35 Kiel 0 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 4
2022 Kimberly 34 Mukwonago 30 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 1
2022 Kettle Moraine 27 West De Pere 10 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison 2
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