Only a day after the WIAA passed statewide football-only conference realignment, a handful of high school football games appeared on conference schedules for 2020-21, highlighted by a full Big 8 slate for the first two years of realignment and a Waunakee-Middleton non-conference match-up in 2020.
For 2020, in the Big 8, only Middleton and Verona had listed their non-conference schedules as of 9 p.m. Wednesday, but there are already some very interesting games there. Middleton will face Bay Port and Waunakee to open up the season. Bay Port has made it to Level 3 for four of the past five years, while Waunakee won state in 2017. Verona, meanwhile, will play Kenosha Tremper and Oshkosh West to start the season.
The full Big 8 conference schedule for 2020-21 is also available on their conference site. The 2020 season features one week of Thursday games in observance of Rosh Hashana as well.
In the new Badger Large/Badger Small Conferences, the league schedule is not out yet. However, a couple of non-conference games are listed for 2020. Fort Atkinson and Milton keep their rivalry going despite being in different halves of the Badger Conference for at least the first two years of the new setup. It also appears Fort Atkinson will play West Bend West in the second week of the season in 2020 and 2021.
The Rock Valley is adding in Edgewood, and while their schedule is listed on the Badger Conference page, it shows the Crusaders playing River Valley and Lake Mills in 2020, with another game against Lake Mills in 2021. While the league games haven't been put out there yet, some of the other intriguing match-ups include a home-and-home for Jefferson and Lakeside Lutheran (of the Capitol) for week 1 and Elkhorn for week 2 in 2020-2021.
The new Capitol Large/Small Conferences, in addition to the match-ups listed above (Lake Mills-Edgewood home-and-home the next two years and Lakeside Lutheran home-and-home with Jefferson in 2020-21), have a handful of matchups listed for future games. Cambridge and Belleville kick off the 2020 season, keeping the rivalry running between the schools even though Belleville is now a member of the SWAL. Cambridge will play the Benton/Shullsburg/Scales Mound co-op in week 2 of 2020. Marshall and Fall River will play in week 2 of 2020 as well. League games aren't listed yet.
You can see the new conferences by going here.
WIAA gives final approval for football-only conference realignment in 2020
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