Badger Conference


The Badger Conference is a high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in south central Wisconsin. Established in 1952, the Badger Conference is a member of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

History

1952-1977

The Badger Conference was formed in 1952, and most of its members came from two conferences that disbanded the year prior: Edgerton, Fort Atkinson, Monroe, Stoughton and Wisconsin High School|Wisconsin High] from the Southern Ten Conference, and Evansville, Jefferson, Lake Mills and Milton from the Rock River Valley League. Middleton, formerly of the Madison Suburban Conference, rounded out the original membership roster at ten schools. Three years after joining the conference, three schools left for the Madison Suburban Conference: Evansville, Lake Mills and Milton. They were replaced by the recently opened Monona Grove High School, who joined the conference in 1956. Sun Prairie moved over from the Madison Suburban Conference in 1963, and University of Wisconsin High was closed the next year, with its students being moved to Madison Central High School. The Badger Conference's membership roster would stay consistent until major realignment in the late 1970s.

1977–2001

In 1977, the Badger Conference underwent a significant realignment. Three schools left the conference: Edgerton and Jefferson for the Rock Valley Conference and Sun Prairie for the Big Eight Conference. They were replaced that same year by Oregon from the Central Suburban Conference and Sauk Prairie from the South [Central Conference (Wisconsin)|South Central Conference]. Ten years later, DeForest and Waunakee joined from the Capitol Conference. Middleton left to join the Big Eight in 1994, and their place was taken by Verona from the Capitol Conference. Fort Atkinson left for the Southern Lakes Conference in 1997, and Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart in Madison joined in 1999 after competing independently as a WISAA member for most of their athletic history.

2001–present

In 2001, the Badger Conference expanded from nine to fourteen schools, adding three schools formerly in the South Central Conference and two who joined from the Capitol Conference. In order to accommodate this, the conference split its members into North and South Divisions:
North DivisionSouth Division
BarabooEdgewood
DeForestMcFarland
Mount HorebMonona Grove
PortageMonroe
ReedsburgOregon
Sauk PrairieStoughton
WaunakeeVerona

In 2008, McFarland and Verona left the Badger Conference to join the Rock Valley and Big Eight Conferences, respectively. Their place in the South Division was taken by Fort Atkinson and Milton, who rejoined the Badger Conference from the Southern Lakes Conference. Beaver Dam and Watertown joined from the dissolved Wisconsin Little Ten Conference in 2017 and were placed in separate divisions. In 2021, the Badger Conference realigned its divisions by East and West for most sports:
East DivisionWest Division
Beaver DamBaraboo
DeForestEdgewood
Fort AtkinsonMonroe
MiltonMount Horeb
Monona GroveOregon
StoughtonPortage
WatertownReedsburg
WaunakeeSauk Prairie

This alignment only remained in place for two years, as it was replaced by Large School and Small School divisions in 2023. During this same year, McFarland and Monroe swapped conference affiliations: McFarland rejoined the Badger Conference and Monroe went to the Rock Valley Conference. Monroe's departure left Stoughton as the only school to have been a member of the conference for its entire history.

Football-only alignment

In February 2019, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association, the WIAA released a sweeping football-only realignment for Wisconsin to commence with the 2020 football season and run on a two-year cycle. The Badger Conference remained at sixteen schools and adopted the large/small school divisional alignment three years before doing so for all sports, but with some changes to membership. Janesville Craig and Janesville Parker moved over as football-only members from the Big Eight Conference and were placed in the large-school division, with Edgewood and Monroe moving over to the Rock Valley Conference. The two Janesville schools returned to the Big Eight Conference for the 2022 football season, exchanging affiliations with Sun Prairie East and Sun Prairie West. Baraboo and Reedsburg moved over to the Mississippi Valley Conference and DeForest took their place in the small-schools division to give the Badger Conference fourteen members in two seven-team divisions for football. In 2024, Edgewood made their return to the Badger Conference as a football member, joining from the Capitol Conference along with Lakeside Lutheran in Lake Mills. They replaced Beaver Dam and Watertown, who left to join the East Central Conference as football-only members. Three schools moved over from the small-school division to give the large-school division eight members and the small-school division six members. The Badger Conference will be expanding to sixteen football members for the 2026-2027 cycle, welcoming back Beaver Dam and Watertown from the shuttered East Central Conference. Portage will also be swapping affiliations with McFarland, with the former joining the Rock Valley Conference.

Membership timeline

Full members


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bar:3 color:red from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:3 color:green from:2023 till:2030 text:
bar:4 color:tan1 from:1952 till:1977 text:Jefferson
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bar:6 color:tan1 from:1952 till:1994 text:Middleton
bar:7 color:tan1 from:1952 till:1955 text:Milton
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bar:7 color:red from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:7 color:green from:2023 till:2030 text:
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bar:8 color:skyblue from:2001 till:2021 text:
bar:8 color:coral from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:9 color:tan1 from:1952 till:2001 text:Stoughton
bar:9 color:skyblue from:2001 till:2021 text:
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bar:11 color:red from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:11 color:green from:2023 till:2030 text:
bar:12 color:tan1 from:1963 till:1977 text:Sun Prairie
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bar:13 color:skyblue from:2001 till:2021 text:
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bar:13 color:green from:2023 till:2030 text:
bar:14 color:tan1 from:1977 till:2001 text:Sauk Prairie
bar:14 color:blue from:2001 till:2021 text:
bar:14 color:coral from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:14 color:yellowgreen from:2023 till:2030 text:
bar:15 color:tan1 from:1987 till:2001 text:DeForest
bar:15 color:blue from:2001 till:2021 text:
bar:15 color:red from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:15 color:green from:2023 till:2030 text:
bar:16 color:tan1 from:1987 till:2001 text:Waunakee
bar:16 color:blue from:2001 till:2021 text:
bar:16 color:red from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:16 color:green from:2023 till:2030 text:
bar:17 color:tan1 from:1994 till:2001 text:Verona
bar:17 color:skyblue from:2001 till:2008 text:
bar:18 color:tan1 from:1999 till:2001 text:Edgewood
bar:18 color:skyblue from:2001 till:2021 text:
bar:18 color:coral from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:18 color:yellowgreen from:2023 till:2030 text:
bar:19 color:blue from:2001 till:2021 text:Baraboo
bar:19 color:coral from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:19 color:yellowgreen from:2023 till:2030 text:
bar:20 color:skyblue from:2001 till:2008 text:McFarland
bar:20 color:yellowgreen from:2023 till:2030 text:
bar:21 color:blue from:2001 till:2021 text:Mount Horeb
bar:21 color:coral from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:21 color:yellowgreen from:2023 till:2030 text:
bar:22 color:blue from:2001 till:2021 text:Portage
bar:22 color:coral from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:22 color:yellowgreen from:2023 till:2030 text:
bar:23 color:blue from:2001 till:2021 text:Reedsburg
bar:23 color:coral from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:23 color:yellowgreen from:2023 till:2030 text:
bar:24 color:blue from:2017 till:2021 text:Beaver Dam
bar:24 color:red from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:24 color:green from:2023 till:2030 text:
bar:25 color:skyblue from:2017 till:2021 text:Watertown
bar:25 color:red from:2021 till:2023 text:
bar:25 color:green from:2023 till:2030 text:

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Football members (since 2020)


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bar:4 color:lavender from:2020 till:2024 text:Fort Atkinson
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bar:16 color:lightpurple from:2020 till:2030 text:Waunakee
bar:17 color:lightpurple from:2022 till:2030 text:Sun Prairie East
bar:18 color:lightpurple from:2022 till:2030 text:Sun Prairie West
bar:19 color:lavender from:2024 till:2030 text:Edgewood
bar:20 color:lavender from:2024 till:2030 text:Lakeside Lutheran
bar:21 color:lavender from:2026 till:2030 text:McFarland

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List of state champions

SchoolYearDivision
Monona Grove1959Medium Schools
Monroe1973Medium Schools
Monroe1974Class A
Monroe1979Class A
Oregon1988Class A
Middleton1992Division 1
McFarland2002Division 2
Edgewood2013Division 2

SchoolYearDivision
Monona Grove1977Division 2
Middleton1983Division 2
Monona Grove1984Division 3
Monroe1986Division 2
Middleton1987Division 2
Monroe1990Division 2
Monroe1991Division 2
Monroe1992Division 2
Monroe1994Division 3
Waunakee1999Division 3
Waunakee2002Division 3
Reedsburg2009Division 3
Waunakee2009Division 2
Waunakee2010Division 2
Waunakee2011Division 2
Monona Grove2013Division 3
Waunakee2017Division 2
DeForest2019Division 3
Waunakee2021Division 2
Monroe2022Division 3

SchoolYearDivision
Sauk Prairie1996Division 2
Oregon1998Division 2
Mount Horeb2011Division 2
Oregon2013Division 2
Mount Horeb2015Division 3
Mount Horeb2017Division 3
Oregon2018Division 2
Oregon2021Division 2
Oregon2022Division 2

SchoolYearDivision
Edgewood2013Division 2
Edgewood2015Division 2
Edgewood2016Division 2

Winter sports

SchoolYearDivision
Monroe1989Class A
Waunakee1993Division 2
Monroe2006Division 2
Monroe2008Division 2
Edgewood2017Division 3
Beaver Dam2018Division 2
Beaver Dam2019Division 2
Edgewood2024Division 3

SchoolYearDivision
Verona2000Division 2
McFarland2007Division 2
McFarland2008Division 2
Monona Grove2013Division 2
Edgewood2014Division 2
Monona Grove2015Division 2
Monona Grove2016Division 2
Monona Grove2017Division 2
Monona Grove2018Division 2
Edgewood2019Division 2
Edgewood2020Division 2
Edgewood2022Division 2

Spring sports

SchoolYearDivision
Wisconsin High1955Single Division
Monona Grove1989Class B
Middleton1993Division 1
McFarland2004Division 2
Edgewood2009Division 2
Edgewood2010Division 2
Edgewood2017Division 2
Edgewood2018Division 2
Edgewood2019Division 2
Edgewood2021Division 2
Edgewood2022Division 2
Edgewood2023Division 2

SchoolYearDivision
Middleton1989Class A
Monroe2003Division 2
Portage2005Division 2

SchoolYearDivision
Monroe1966Class B
Monona Grove1982Class A
Monona Grove1984Class B
Monona Grove1985Class B
Sauk Prairie1999Division 2
Verona1999Division 1
Monroe2014Division 2