The Central Wisconsin Conference is a high school athletic conference comprising twenty-one high schools in three divisions in central Wisconsin. Founded in 1926, the conference and its member schools are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
1926-1950
The Central Wisconsin Conference was formed in 1926 by six small high schools in two counties (Portage and Waupaca) in central Wisconsin: Amherst, Iola, Little Wolf (later renamed Manawa), Marion, Waupaca and Weyauwega. Tigerton and Wittenberg joined the conference in 1927 to create an eight-member circuit. The conference expanded to ten with the entrance of Birnamwood and Rosholt in 1929, and the conference split into Northern and Southern sections: Northern SectionSouthern SectionBirnamwoodAmherstMarionIolaRosholtLittle WolfTigertonWaupacaWittenbergWeyauwega This alignment lasted for three years before going back to the original six member schools in 1932, when Birnamwood, Rosholt, Tigerton and Wittenberg joined with Mattoon High School to form the Wolf River Valley Conference. Football was first sponsored as an interscholastic sport by the Central Wisconsin Conference in 1945, and four schools (Manawa, Marion, Waupaca and Weyauwega) participated in the first season. Wittenberg joined as a football-only member from the Wolf River Valley Conference in 1947 and continued until they gained full membership three years later.
1950-1970 In 1950, the Central Wisconsin Conference experienced its first changes to membership in nearly two decades, with the entrance of Mosinee and the return of Wittenberg from the Wolf River Valley Conference. Mosinee left the Marathon County League in 1949, shortly before the creation of the Marawood Conference with former members of the Wood County League. Their stay in the CWC would be brief, lasting only a single season. Mosinee's spot in the CWC would be taken in 1951 by Bonduel, who joined after the Mid-Valley Conference disbanded the year prior. The conference would continue with eight members until the early 1960s. Iola High School merged with Scandinavia High School in 1960, and the new Iola-Scandinavia High School took Iola's place in the conference. A ninth school would be added in 1962, as Wautoma joined after the 7-C Conference dissolved. Bonduel left to join the Northeastern Wisconsin Conference in 1964, and Wautoma did the same two years later to become a charter member of the short-lived Vacationland Conference. The recently opened high school in Little Chute joined the CWC in 1969, bringing the loop back up to eight members, but significant changes would be coming in the 1970s.
1970-1984 Major changes came to Central Wisconsin Conference membership in 1970. Four schools left the conference that year: Waupaca and Weyauwega became charter members of the East Central Conference, and Amherst and Iola-Scandinavia joined the Central State Conference. Wittenberg and Birnamwood also consolidated into Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School while retaining Wittenberg's CWC affiliation. Bonduel and Wautoma rejoined the CWC; Bonduel from the NEW Conference and Wautoma from the shuttered Vacationland Conference. A third new member (Shiocton) made their CWC debut, joining from the recently dissolved Little Nine Conference. The seven-member group would remain for three seasons before Weyauwega rejoined the CWC in 1973 after leaving the East Central Conference. They traded affiliations with Little Chute, who experienced a bump in enrollment after the closing of St. John High School and outgrew the CWC. Little Chute entered the Eastern Wisconsin Conference in 1974. Shiocton would leave to join the Central State Conference in 1977, and Wautoma would follow them out two years later for membership in the East Central Conference. Oconto and Oconto Falls moved over from the Bay Conference in 1979 to put the league at seven members, which it would remain at for the next five years.
1984-2008 In 1984, Oconto and Oconto Falls both left the Central Wisconsin Conference to join the Packerland Conference, leaving the CWC at five schools. That same year, the twelve-member Central State Conference, another conference of small schools with a similar geographic footprint, was absorbed by the CWC. To accommodate the expansion and facilitate scheduling, the conference divided into Large and Small School divisions that year: Large SchoolsSmall SchoolsAmherstAlmond-BancroftBonduelBowlerManawaGreshamMarionIola-ScandinaviaRosholtMenominee IndianShioctonPort EdwardsWeyauwega-FremontTigertonWittenberg-BirnamwoodTri-CountyWild Rose Menominee Indian and Rosholt swapped divisions in 1986, and the alignment remained stable for fourteen years. In 2000, Pacelli High School in Stevens Point joined the conference's Large Schools division after the breakup of the Central Wisconsin Catholic Conference and the merger of the WIAA and WISAA became final, bringing membership to eighteen schools. Two years later, Marion and Shiocton switched divisions with Rosholt (making their return to the Large Schools division) and Tri-County before further changes came a few years later.
2008-present In 2008, the Central Wisconsin Conference moved Rosholt to the Small Schools division of the conference, and renamed their divisions the Central Wisconsin 8 (formerly the Large Schools division) and the Central Wisconsin 10 (Small Schools): Central Wisconsin EightCentral Wisconsin TenAmherstAlmond-BancroftBonduelBowlerIola-ScandinaviaGreshamManawaMarionPacelliMenominee IndianShioctonPort EdwardsWeyauwega-FremontRosholtWittenberg-BirnamwoodTigertonTri-CountyWild Rose This arrangement lasted for nearly a decade before the next major realignment. In 2017, the CWC added three schools: Northland Lutheran in Kronenwetter, Pittsville and Wisconsin Valley Lutheran in Mosinee. Northland Lutheran and Pittsville joined from the Marawood Conference while Wisconsin Valley Lutheran previously competed as an independent. The CWC also dropped the numerical designator from their divisions and split into three seven-member divisions to accommodate the expansion: East DivisionNorth DivisionSouth DivisionAmherstBowlerAlmond-BancroftBonduelGreshamPacelliIola-ScandinaviaManawaPittsvilleMenominee IndianMarionPort EdwardsShioctonNorthland LutheranRosholtWeyauwega-FremontTigertonTri-CountyWittenberg-BirnamwoodWisconsin Valley LutheranWild Rose White Lake joined the CWC North Division in 2021, moving over from the Northern Lakes Conference. The next year, Manawa shifted to the Eastern Division, rejoining old rivals in the Central Wisconsin Eight. The conference lost a member in 2023 when Wisconsin Valley Lutheran closed its doors, bringing the North Division down to six schools and the Central Wisconsin Conference to its current alignment.
List of member schools
Current full members SchoolLocationAffiliationEnrollmentMascotColorsJoinedDivisionAlmond-BancroftAlmond, WIPublic98Eagles 1984SouthAmherstAmherst, WIPublic320Falcons 1926, 1984EastBonduelBonduel, WIPublic269Bears 1951, 1970EastBowlerBowler, WIPublic87Panthers 1984NorthGreshamGresham, WIPublic86Wildcats 1984NorthIola-ScandinaviaIola, WIPublic191Thunderbirds 1960, 1984EastManawaManawa, WIPublic190Wolves 1926EastMarionMarion, WIPublic147Mustangs 1926NorthMenominee NationKesīqnæh, WIFederal (Tribal)372Eagles 1984EastNorthland LutheranKronenwetter, WIPrivate (Lutheran, WELS)115Wildcats 2017NorthPacelliStevens Point, WIPrivate (Catholic)173Cardinals 2000SouthPittsvillePittsville, WIPublic164Panthers 2017SouthPort EdwardsPort Edwards, WIPublic139Blackhawks 1984SouthRosholtRosholt, WIPublic144Hornets 1929, 1984SouthShioctonShiocton, WIPublic208Chiefs 1970, 1984EastTigertonTigerton, WIPublic62Tigers 1927, 1984NorthTri-CountyPlainfield, WIPublic159Penguins 1984SouthWeyauwega-FremontWeyauwega, WIPublic257Warhawks 1926, 1973EastWhite LakeWhite Lake, WIPublic40Lakers 2021NorthWild RoseWild Rose, WIPublic155Wildcats 1984SouthWittenberg-BirnamwoodWittenberg, WIPublic336Chargers 1970East
Notes
Current associate members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsPrimary ConferenceSport(s)ColbyColby, WIPublicHornets CloverbeltFootballColumbus CatholicMarshfield, WIPrivate (Catholic)Dons CloverbeltBoys SoccerMarathonMarathon, WIPublicRed Raiders MarawoodFootballNewman CatholicWausau, WIPrivate (Catholic)Cardinals MarawoodFootball (8-player), Boys SoccerSpencer/Columbus CatholicSpencer, WIPublic/Private (Catholic)Rockets Marawood/CloverbeltFootballStratfordStratford, WIPublicTigers MarawoodFootball
Notes
Former members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceBirnamwoodBirnamwood, WIPublicOrioles 19291932Wolf River ValleyClosed (consolidated into Wittenberg-Birnamwood)IolaIola, WIPublicHilltoppers 19261960Closed (consolidated into Iola-Scandinavia)Little ChuteLittle Chute, WIPublicMustangs 19691974East CentralNorth EasternMosineeMosinee, WIPublicIndians 19501951IndependentGreat NorthernOcontoOconto, WIPublicBlue Devils 19791984PackerlandOconto FallsOconto Falls, WIPublicPanthers 19791984PackerlandNorth EasternWaupacaWaupaca, WIPublicComets 19261970East CentralNorth EasternWautomaWautoma, WIPublicHornets 1962, 19701966, 1979Vacationland, East CentralSouth CentralWisconsin Valley LutheranMosinee, WIPrivate (Lutheran, LCMS)Wolves 20172023Closed in 2023WittenbergWittenberg, WIPublicWildcats 1927, 19501932, 1970Wolf River ValleyClosed (consolidated into Wittenberg-Birnamwood)
Former football-only members
11-Player SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsSeasonsPrimary ConferenceAssumptionWisconsin Rapids, WIPrivate (Catholic)Royals 2020-2023MarawoodLoyalLoyal, WIPublicGreyhounds 2020-2023CloverbeltLoyal/GreenwoodLoyal, WIPublicGreyhounds 2024-2025CloverbeltNekoosaNekoosa, WIPublicPapermakers 2020-2023South CentralWittenbergWittenberg, WIPublicWildcats 1947-1949Wolf River Valley
Membership timeline Full members
Football members
11-Player
8-Player
Membership map
Sanctioned sports +Almond-Bancroft●●●●●●●●●● Amherst●●●●●●●●●●●●●●Bonduel●●●●●●●●●●●● Bowler●●●●●● Gresham●●●●●●●●●Iola-Scandinavia●●●●●●●●●●Manawa●●●●●●●●●●●●Marion●●●●●●●●●●● Menominee Nation●●●●●●●●●●●●●Northland Lutheran●●●●●●●●●●●Pacelli●●●●●●●●●●●Pittsville●●●●●●●●●●●Port Edwards●●●●●●●●●●● Rosholt●●●●●●●●●●●● Shiocton●●●●●●●●●●●● Tigerton●●●● Tri-County●●●●●●●●●●●●●Weyauwega-Fremont●●●●●●●●●●●●●White Lake●●●●● Wild Rose●●●●●●●●Wittenberg-Birnamwood●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Notes
List of state champions
Fall sports +Boys Cross CountrySchoolYearDivision Amherst1959Small SchoolsWaupaca1962Small Schools +Girls Cross CountrySchoolYearDivisionIola-Scandinavia2000Division 3 +FootballSchoolYearDivisionManawa1985Division 5Wittenberg-Birnamwood1997Division 4Pacelli2005Division 7 Amherst2012Division 5 Shiocton2013Division 6 Amherst2015Division 5 Amherst2016Division 5 Amherst2017Division 5Iola-Scandinavia2018Division 5Stratford2022Division 6Stratford2023Division 6Stratford2024Division 5 + 8-Player FootballSchoolYearNewman Catholic2022Newman Catholic2023 + Girls VolleyballSchoolYearDivisionIola-Scandinavia1989Class CIola-Scandinavia1997Division 3Weyauwega-Fremont2005Division 3
Winter sports +Boys BasketballSchoolYearDivisionMarion1938Class C +Girls BasketballSchoolYearDivision Amherst1999Division 3 Amherst2009Division 3Pacelli2026Division 5 +CurlingSchoolYearDivisionWaupaca1961Single DivisionWaupaca1965Single DivisionWaupaca1969Single Division +Boys WrestlingSchoolYearDivisionBonduel1998Division 3Iola-Scandinavia2004Division 3
Spring sports +BaseballSchoolYearDivisionManawa1983Class CPacelli2003Division 3Marion2009Division 4 +Boys GolfSchoolYearDivision Amherst2001Division 3Pacelli2007Division 3