The Trailways Conference is a high school athletic conference in Wisconsin. Formed in 2001, its membership consists of smaller public and private high schools in east central and south central Wisconsin. All member schools belong to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
editThe Trailways Conference was formed in 2001 with most of the members coming from two recently disbanded conferences for small schools in south central Wisconsin: the Dual County Conference (Cambria-Friesland, Fall River, Green Lake, Montello, Pardeeville, Princeton, Randolph, Rio) and the Eastern Suburban Conference (Deerfield, Dodgeland, Hustisford, Johnson Creek and Williams Bay). Two private schools who had recently joined the WIAA as part of the WIAA/WISAA merger (Abundant Life Christian in Madison and Valley Christian in Oshkosh) rounded out the initial membership roster of the Trailways Conference.[1] The fifteen schools were initially subdivided into North and South Divisions:
| North Division | South Division |
|---|---|
| Cambria-Friesland | Abundant Life Christian |
| Green Lake | Deerfield |
| Montello | Dodgeland |
| Pardeeville | Fall River |
| Princeton | Hustisford |
| Randolph | Johnson Creek |
| Valley Christian | Rio |
| Williams Bay |
Central Wisconsin Christian joined the conference after leaving the East Central Flyway Conference in 2004, and two years later the Trailways Conference took three more former East Central Flyway schools into the fold: Lourdes Academy, Markesan and Oakfield. All three schools joined the North Division with Pardeeville moving over to the South Division to accommodate the expansion:[2]
| North Division | South Division |
|---|---|
| Cambria-Friesland | Abundant Life Christian |
| Central Wisconsin Christian | Deerfield |
| Green Lake | Dodgeland |
| Lourdes Academy | Fall River |
| Markesan | Hustisford |
| Montello | Johnson Creek |
| Oakfield | Pardeeville |
| Princeton | Rio |
| Randolph | Williams Bay |
| Valley Christian |
This alignment would only last for two years, as the Trailways split into Central, North and South Divisions in 2008:[3]
| Central Division | North Division | South Division |
|---|---|---|
| Cambria-Friesland | Green Lake | Abundant Life Christian |
| Central Wisconsin Christian | Lourdes Academy | Deerfield |
| Markesan | Montello | Dodgeland |
| Pardeeville | Oakfield | Fall River |
| Randolph | Princeton | Hustisford |
| Valley Christian | Johnson Creek | |
| Rio | ||
| Williams Bay |
In 2012, Green Lake and Princeton High Schools entered into a cooperative agreement for their schools' athletics, and the newly created program remained in the North Division.[4] That same year, Horicon[5] and Madison Country Day School[6] in Waunakee joined the Trailways, and Rio moved to the North Division to keep membership at six schools. The Trailways Conference was realigned to a two-division format in 2013:
| North Division | South Division |
|---|---|
| Cambria-Friesland | Abundant Life Christian |
| Central Wisconsin Christian | Deerfield |
| Green Lake/Princeton | Dodgeland |
| Lourdes Academy | Fall River |
| Markesan | Horicon |
| Montello | Hustisford |
| Oakfield | Johnson Creek |
| Pardeeville | Madison Country Day |
| Randolph | Rio |
| Valley Christian | Williams Bay |
In 2014, Wayland Academy in Beaver Dam joined the Trailways South Division,[7] and St. Ambrose Academy in Madison joined with Abundant Life Christian School for most sponsored sports (they would move to their own stand-alone programs in 2023).[8] The North/South divisional alignment would last for two more years before the Trailways realigned to three divisions in 2016:
| Central Division | North Division | South Division |
|---|---|---|
| Cambria-Friesland | Green Lake/Princeton | Abundant Life Christian |
| Central Wisconsin Christian | Lourdes Academy | Deerfield |
| Horicon | Markesan | Dodgeland |
| Pardeeville | Montello | Fall River |
| Randolph | Oakfield | Hustisford |
| Wayland Academy | Valley Christian | Johnson Creek |
| Madison Country Day | ||
| Rio | ||
| St. Ambrose Academy | ||
| Williams Bay |
This alignment would only last a single season, as Palmyra-Eagle and Parkview joined the Trailways as all-sport members in 2017 after leaving the Rock Valley Conference,[9] bringing conference membership to the current twenty-four schools and the current East/South/West divisional alignment.
List of Member Schools
editCurrent Members
editEast Division
edit| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Wisconsin Christian | Waupun, WI | Private (Reformed) | 119 | Crusaders | 2004[2] | |
| Dodgeland | Juneau, WI | Public | 278 | Trojans | 2001[1] | |
| Horicon | Horicon, WI | Public | 275 | Marshmen | 2012[5] | |
| Hustisford | Hustisford, WI | Public | 105 | Falcons | 2001[1] | |
| Lourdes Academy | Oshkosh, WI | Private (Catholic) | 178 | Knights | 2006[2] | |
| Oakfield | Oakfield, WI | Public | 158 | Oaks | 2006[2] | |
| Valley Christian | Oshkosh, WI | Private (Christian) | 144 | Warriors | 2001[1] | |
| Wayland Academy | Beaver Dam, WI | Private (Nonsectarian) | 159 | Big Red | 2014[7] |
South Division
edit| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abundant Life Christian | Madison, WI | Private (Christian) | 141 | Challengers | 2001[1] | |
| Deerfield | Deerfield, WI | Public | 216 | Demons | 2001[1] | |
| Johnson Creek | Johnson Creek, WI | Public | 181 | Bluejays | 2001[1] | |
| Madison Country Day | Waunakee, WI | Private (Nonsectarian) | 124 | Prairie Hawks | 2012[6] | |
| Palmyra-Eagle | Palmyra, WI | Public | 195 | Panthers | 2017[9] | |
| Parkview | Orfordville, WI | Public | 238 | Vikings | 2017[9] | |
| St. Ambrose Academy | Madison, WI | Private (Catholic) | 96 | Guardians | 2014[8] | |
| Williams Bay | Williams Bay, WI | Public | 178 | Bulldogs | 2001[1] |
West Division
edit| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambria-Friesland | Cambria, WI | Public | 100 | Hilltoppers | 2001[1] | |
| Fall River | Fall River, WI | Public | 157 | Pirates | 2001[1] | |
| Green Lake/Princeton | Green Lake, WI | Public
Public |
101
109 |
Tigersharks | 2012[4] | |
| Markesan | Markesan, WI | Public | 254 | Hornets | 2006[2] | |
| Montello | Montello, WI | Public | 251 | Hilltoppers | 2001[1] | |
| Pardeeville | Pardeeville, WI | Public | 263 | Bulldogs | 2001[1] | |
| Randolph | Randolph, WI | Public | 198 | Rockets | 2001[1] | |
| Rio | Rio, WI | Public | 111 | Vikings | 2001[1] |
Former Members
edit| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Lake | Green Lake, WI | Public | 101 | Lakers | 2001[1] | 2012[4] | Entered into athletics cooperative with Princeton | ||
| Princeton | Princeton, WI | Public | 109 | Tigers | 2001[1] | 2012[4] | Entered into athletics cooperative with Green Lake | ||
List of State Champions
editFall Sports
edit| School | Year | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Pardeeville | 2002 | Division 3 |
| School | Year | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Lourdes Academy | 2010 | Division 3 |
| Lourdes Academy | 2011 | Division 3 |
| Lourdes Academy | 2013 | Division 3 |
| Lourdes Academy | 2014 | Division 3 |
| Lourdes Academy | 2015 | Division 3 |
| Dodgeland | 2017 | Division 3 |
| Lourdes Academy | 2019 | Division 3 |
| School | Year | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Cambria-Friesland | 2002 | Division 7 |
| School | Year | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Williams Bay | 2003 | Division 4 |
| Williams Bay | 2004 | Division 4 |
| Williams Bay | 2005 | Division 4 |
Winter Sports
edit| School | Year | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Randolph | 2002 | Division 4 |
| Randolph | 2003 | Division 4 |
| Randolph | 2004 | Division 4 |
| Randolph | 2005 | Division 4 |
| Randolph | 2007 | Division 4 |
| Randolph | 2010 | Division 4 |
| Randolph | 2011 | Division 5 |
| Randolph | 2013 | Division 5 |
| Hustisford | 2021 | Division 5 |
| Lourdes Academy | 2021 | Division 4 |
| Randolph | 2022 | Division 5 |
Spring Sports
edit| School | Year | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson Creek | 2007 | Division 4 |
| Rio | 2015 | Division 4 |
| School | Year | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Horicon | 2002 | Division 3 |
| Horicon | 2003 | Division 3 |
| Williams Bay | 2007 | Division 4 |
| Oakfield | 2009 | Division 4 |
| Oakfield | 2011 | Division 4 |
| Oakfield | 2012 | Division 4 |
| Oakfield | 2014 | Division 4 |
| Horicon | 2018 | Division 4 |
| Horicon | 2019 | Division 4 |
| Oakfield | 2021 | Division 5 |
| School | Year | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Lourdes Academy | 2014 | Division 3 |
| Deerfield | 2024 | Division 3 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Hernandez, Rob (2 May 2000). "Realignment falls right into place". Wisconsin State Journal. pp. 4B. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Prepping for a new look?". Wisconsin State Journal. 30 July 2004. p. 12. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ "Markesan streaks into new season". Fond du Lac Reporter. 28 November 2008. pp. 23 (Basketball 2008-09 insert). Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Outlook: Prep Boys Basketball". Wisconsin State Hournal. 21 December 2012. pp. B7. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ a b Kahl, Tom (17 November 2012). "Walking the plank". Portage Daily Register. p. 8. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ a b Semrau, Dennis (20 October 2011). "Small enrollments with broad ambitions". Wisconsin State Journal. pp. B8. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Wayland's move makes geographic, common sense". Beaver Dam Daily Citizen. 30 January 2014. p. 13. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ a b Masson, Jon (17 December 2023). ""Cool being the start of something"". Wisconsin State Journal. pp. C1. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ a b c "Prep sports: WIAA board OKs moving Palmyra-Eagle, Orfordville Parkview from Rock Valley Conference to Trailways". Wisconsin State Journal. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2024.