COLUMN: This conference alignment plan better stick

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)

Published: Dec. 12, 2015

 

This conference alignment plan better stick

We may finally have the conference alignment for southeastern Wisconsin that will move forward. If it doesn’t, we’re never going to get the matter resolved.

The latest proposal, which was presented Dec. 4 at the WIAA Board of Control meeting in Stevens Point, calls for four conferences. And it’s a good configuration — the best that’s been presented in the two-year merry-go-round of realignment discussion in this region.

Here is the plan, in case you missed it:

■ Conference A: The Classic 8 of Arrowhead, Catholic Memorial, Kettle Moraine, Mukwonago, Muskego, Waukesha North, Waukesha South and Waukesha West would add Oconomowoc from the Wisconsin Little Ten.

■ Conference B: The Greater Metro of Brookfield Central, Brookfield East, DSHA, Hamilton, Marquette, Menomonee Falls, Wauwatosa East and West Allis Nathan Hale would add Germantown and Wauwatosa West.

■ Conference C: The North Shore of Cedarburg, Grafton, Homestead, Nicolet, Port Washington and Whitefish Bay would add Hartford Union, Slinger, West Bend East and West Bend West.

■ Conference D: The Woodland of Brown Deer, Cudahy, Greendale, Greenfield, New Berlin Eisenhower, New Berlin West, Pewaukee, Pius, Shorewood, South Milwaukee and Whitnall would add Milwaukee Lutheran, West Allis Central and Wisconsin Lutheran.

The one certainty is Beaver Dam and Watertown leaving the Wisconsin Little Ten for the Badger with other Madison-area schools.

A couple things stand out from this proposal, which I’d be stunned if it’s not approved to go forward at the WIAA’s Board of Control meeting Jan. 27:

■ The West Allis schools (Central and Hale) would split, with Hale sticking in the Greater Metro group and Central going to the Woodland group.

■ Keeping the four county Wisconsin Little Ten teams together and put them with six of eight members of the North Shore.

■ Speaking of the North Shore, Germantown and Homestead would split. However, Germantown would join a conference with another rival — Menomonee Falls.

■ The Wisconsin Little Ten’s future is in jeopardy. Or is the North Shore’s future in jeopardy? Will Conference C be called North Shore or Little Ten? I foresee it being the North Shore.

■ The new Woodland is loaded with rivalries.

During the last two years of conference discussion with these schools and conferences, two factors have been the center of the debate: location and competitiveness.

This proposal fulfills both. In addition, it introduces some intriguing matchups in several sports.

When Oconomowoc and Arrowhead met in the football playoffs this season, it was the third time the schools separated by 9 miles met since 1964.

Germantown and Menomonee Falls — separated by less than 5 miles — haven’t played in football since 2003 and it was a playoff game. You have to go back more than 15 years to find the last regular- season meeting. Yes, we’d lose the Germantown-Homestead rivalry, but the Menomonee Falls substitute would be refreshing for the region.

Then you have the West Bend schools with the short drives to Slinger, Hartford, Port Washington, Grafton and Cedarburg.

Across the board, this is a great proposal. I have a good feeling about Jan. 27. This is the right plan going forward for the region.