Southern Eight Conference

The Southern Eight Conference is a former high school athletic conference in southwestern Wisconsin, operating from 1971 to 1987. All member schools belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

History

The Southern Eight Conference was formed as the result of a split of member schools in the Southwest Wisconsin Athletic League. In 1970, Richland Center High School was accepted as the fifteenth member of the SWAL (effective 1971) and was added to the seven-member North Section. Soon after their acceptance, the other eight schools in the South Section voted to split the conference along geographic lines to maintain traditional rivalries and cut transportation expenses. The Southern Eight began competition in 1971, and its membership roster was remarkably stable over the course of its history. The only changes happened in 1983 with Mount Horeb's exit to the Capitol Conference and the addition of Southwestern High School in Hazel Green. The end of the Southern Eight Conference came in 1987, when the conference remerged with the Southwest Wisconsin Athletic League to create a new fourteen-member conference subdivided by enrollment size.

Conference membership history

Final members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceCuba CityCuba City, WIPublicCubans 19711987Southwest Wisconsin Activities LeagueDarlingtonDarlington, WIPublicRedbirds 19711987Southwest Wisconsin Activities LeagueDodgevilleDodgeville, WIPublicDodgers 19711987SWALSouthwest WisconsinIowa-GrantLivingston, WIPublicPanthers 19711987Southwest Wisconsin Activities LeagueLancasterLancaster, WIPublicFlying Arrows 19711987SWALSouthwest WisconsinMineral PointMineral Point, WIPublicPointers 19711987Southwest Wisconsin Activities LeaguePlattevillePlatteville, WIPublicHillmen 19711987SWALSouthwest WisconsinSouthwesternHazel Green, WIPublicWildcats 19831987Southwest Wisconsin Activities League

Previous members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceMount HorebMount Horeb, WIPublicVikings 19711983CapitolBadger

Membership timeline

List of state champions

Fall sports +Boys Cross CountrySchoolYearDivisionDodgeville1972Small SchoolsPlatteville1979Class BPlatteville1980Class BMount Horeb1981Class BPlatteville1984Class BDarlington1985Class CDarlington1986Class C +FootballSchoolYearDivisionIowa-Grant1977Division 3Platteville1984Division 4 +Girls VolleyballSchoolYearDivisionPlatteville1977Class BIowa-Grant1978Class CPlatteville1979Class B

Winter sports +Boys BasketballSchoolYearDivisionCuba City1981Class BIowa-Grant1981Class C +Girls BasketballSchoolYearDivisionLancaster1976Class BCuba City1977Class BLancaster1979Class BCuba City1980Class BPlatteville1984Class B +GymnasticsSchoolYearDivisionMount Horeb1978Class BMount Horeb1983Class B +Boys WrestlingSchoolYearDivisionMineral Point1980Class CMineral Point1981Class CMineral Point1982Class CMineral Point1983Class CMineral Point1985Class CMineral Point1986Class C

Spring sports None

List of conference champions Boys Basketball SchoolQuantityYearsCuba City101972, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987Platteville41979, 1984, 1985, 1986Dodgeville21973, 1978Iowa-Grant11982Mineral Point11974Darlington0Lancaster0Mount Horeb0Southwestern0

Girls Basketball SchoolQuantityYearsCuba City61977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985Lancaster31976, 1979, 1983Platteville11984Southwestern11986Darlington0Dodgeville0Iowa-Grant0Mineral Point0Mount Horeb0Champions from 1987 unknown

Football SchoolQuantityYearsPlatteville71971, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985Iowa-Grant51974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979Cuba City21975, 1981Darlington11973Dodgeville11986Lancaster11971Mount Horeb11978Mineral Point0Southwestern0

References