Great Northern Conference


The Great Northern Conference is a high school athletic conference based in north central Wisconsin. Founded in 2008, the conference and its member schools belong to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

History

The Great Northern Conference was formed in 2008 by seven medium-sized high schools in north central Wisconsin. Four of its original members were previously members of the Lumberjack Conference, which had disbanded the year prior. Two schools joined from the Wisconsin Valley Conference and Mosinee moved over from the Cloverbelt Conference. For Antigo and Merrill, this move grouped them with schools more in line with their enrollment size instead of being two of the smallest schools in their former conference. Two years after the Great Northern Conference was formed, Merrill swapped affiliations with Wisconsin Valley Conference member Rhinelander. They rejoined in 2025 from the Wisconsin Valley Conference, bringing the Great Northern Conference's membership group to eight schools.

List of member schools

Current full members

Current associate members

Current co-operative members

Former associate members

Membership timeline

Full members


DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:2008 till:2030
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id:line value:black
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width:15 textcolor:black shift: anchor:from fontsize:m
bar:1 color:tan1 from:2008 till:2030 text:Antigo
bar:2 color:tan1 from:2008 till:2030 text:Lakeland Union
bar:3 color:tan1 from:2008 till:2030 text:Medford
bar:4 color:tan1 from:2008 till:2010 text:Merrill
bar:4 color:tan1 from:2025 till:2030 text:
bar:5 color:tan1 from:2008 till:2030 text:Mosinee
bar:6 color:tan1 from:2008 till:2030 text:Northland Pines
bar:7 color:tan1 from:2008 till:2030 text:Tomahawk
bar:8 color:tan1 from:2010 till:2030 text:Rhinelander

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:2008

Football members


DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:2008 till:2030
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:30 left:0 bottom:50 top:5
Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
PlotData=
width:15 textcolor:black shift: anchor:from fontsize:m
bar:1 color:lavender from:2008 till:2030 text:Antigo
bar:2 color:lavender from:2008 till:2030 text:Lakeland Union
bar:3 color:lavender from:2008 till:2030 text:Medford
bar:4 color:lavender from:2008 till:2010 text:Merrill
bar:4 color:lavender from:2011 till:2030 text:
bar:5 color:lavender from:2008 till:2030 text:Mosinee
bar:6 color:lavender from:2008 till:2010 text:Tomahawk
bar:6 color:lavender from:2024 till:2030 text:
bar:7 color:lavender from:2010 till:2030 text:Rhinelander
bar:8 color:lavender from:2011 till:2024 text:Ashland
bar:9 color:lavender from:2020 till:2024 text:Hayward
bar:10 color:lavender from:2024 till:2030 text:Wausau East
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:2008

Membership map

Sanctioned sports

List of state champions

Fall sports

SchoolYearDivision
Medford2018Division 2

Winter sports

SchoolYearDivision
Rhinelander2023Division 2

Spring sports

SchoolYearDivision
Lakeland Union2024Division 2

List of conference champions

Source:

Boys Basketball

Girls Basketball

Football