Central Wisconsin Conference
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 in central Wisconsin: Amherst [High School (Wisconsin)|Amherst], Iola, Little Wolf, 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 Section | Southern Section |
| Birnamwood | Amherst |
| Marion | Iola |
| Rosholt | Little Wolf |
| Tigerton | Waupaca |
| Wittenberg | Weyauwega |
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 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 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 Schools | Small Schools |
| Amherst | Almond-Bancroft |
| Bonduel | Bowler |
| Manawa | Gresham |
| Marion | Iola-Scandinavia |
| Rosholt | Menominee Indian |
| Shiocton | Port Edwards |
| Weyauwega-Fremont | Tigerton |
| Wittenberg-Birnamwood | Tri-County |
| Wild 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 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 and the Central Wisconsin 10 :| Central Wisconsin Eight | Central Wisconsin Ten |
| Amherst | Almond-Bancroft |
| Bonduel | Bowler |
| Iola-Scandinavia | Gresham |
| Manawa | Marion |
| Pacelli | Menominee Indian |
| Shiocton | Port Edwards |
| Weyauwega-Fremont | Rosholt |
| Wittenberg-Birnamwood | Tigerton |
| Tri-County | |
| Wild 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 Division | North Division | South Division |
| Amherst | Bowler | Almond-Bancroft |
| Bonduel | Gresham | Pacelli |
| Iola-Scandinavia | Manawa | Pittsville |
| Menominee Indian | Marion | Port Edwards |
| Shiocton | Northland Lutheran | Rosholt |
| Weyauwega-Fremont | Tigerton | Tri-County |
| Wittenberg-Birnamwood | Wisconsin Valley Lutheran | Wild 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.
Membership timeline
Full members
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bar:14 color:tan1 from:1962 till:1966 text:Wautoma
bar:14 color:tan1 from:1970 till:1979 text:
bar:15 color:tan1 from:1969 till:1974 text:Little Chute
bar:16 color:tan1 from:1970 till:1977 text:Shiocton
bar:16 color:red from:1984 till:2002 text:
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bar:18 color:tan1 from:1979 till:1984 text:Oconto
bar:19 color:tan1 from:1979 till:1984 text:Oconto Falls
bar:20 color:coral from:1984 till:2008 text:Almond-Bancroft
bar:20 color:yellowgreen from:2008 till:2017 text:
bar:20 color:yelloworange from:2017 till:2030 text:
bar:21 color:coral from:1984 till:2008 text:Bowler
bar:21 color:yellowgreen from:2008 till:2017 text:
bar:21 color:dullyellow from:2017 till:2030 text:
bar:22 color:coral from:1984 till:2008 text:Gresham
bar:22 color:yellowgreen from:2008 till:2017 text:
bar:22 color:dullyellow from:2017 till:2030 text:
bar:23 color:coral from:1984 till:1986 text:Menominee Indian
bar:23 color:red from:1986 till:2008 text:
bar:23 color:yellowgreen from:2008 till:2017 text:
bar:23 color:yellow from:2017 till:2030 text:
bar:24 color:coral from:1984 till:2008 text:Port Edwards
bar:24 color:yellowgreen from:2008 till:2017 text:
bar:24 color:yelloworange from:2017 till:2030 text:
bar:25 color:coral from:1984 till:2002 text:Tri-County
bar:25 color:red from:2002 till:2008 text:
bar:25 color:yellowgreen from:2008 till:2017 text:
bar:25 color:yelloworange from:2017 till:2030 text:
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bar:26 color:yellowgreen from:2008 till:2017 text:
bar:26 color:yelloworange from:2017 till:2030 text:
bar:27 color:red from:2000 till:2008 text:Pacelli
bar:27 color:green from:2008 till:2017 text:
bar:27 color:yelloworange from:2017 till:2030 text:
bar:28 color:dullyellow from:2017 till:2030 text:Northland Lutheran
bar:29 color:yelloworange from:2017 till:2030 text:Pittsville
bar:30 color:dullyellow from:2017 till:2023 text:Wisconsin Valley Lutheran
bar:31 color:dullyellow from:2021 till:2030 text:White Lake
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Football members
11-Player
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bar:3 color:lavender from:1945 till:1970 text:Waupaca
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8-Player
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List of state champions
Fall sports
| School | Year | Division |
| Iola-Scandinavia | 2000 | Division 3 |
| School | Year |
| Newman Catholic | 2022 |
| Newman Catholic | 2023 |
Winter sports
| School | Year | Division |
| Amherst | 1999 | Division 3 |
| Amherst | 2009 | Division 3 |
| School | Year | Division |
| Bonduel | 1998 | Division 3 |
| Iola-Scandinavia | 2004 | Division 3 |
Spring sports
| School | Year | Division |
| Amherst | 2001 | Division 3 |
| Pacelli | 2007 | Division 3 |
| School | Year | Division |
| Weyauwega | 1940 | Class C |
| Amherst | 2003 | Division 3 |
| Rosholt | 2011 | Division 3 |
| Wild Rose | 2016 | Division 3 |
| Shiocton | 2023 | Division 3 |