Southern Eight Conference

The Southern Eight Conference is a former high school athletic conference in southwestern Wisconsin, operating from 1971 to 1987. All member schools belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

History

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Location of Original Southern Eight Conference Members

The Southern Eight Conference was formed as the result of a split of member schools in the Southwest Wisconsin Athletic League. In 1970, Richland Center High School was accepted as the fifteenth member of the SWAL (effective 1971) and was added to the seven-member North Section.[1] Soon after their acceptance, the other eight schools in the South Section voted to split the conference along geographic lines[2][3] to maintain traditional rivalries and cut transportation expenses.[4] The Southern Eight began competition in 1971, and its membership roster was remarkably stable over the course of its history. The only changes happened in 1983 with Mount Horeb's exit to the Capitol Conference[5] and the addition of Southwestern High School in Hazel Green.[6] The end of the Southern Eight Conference came in 1987, when the conference remerged with the Southwest Wisconsin Athletic League to create a new fourteen-member conference subdivided by enrollment size.[7]

Conference membership history

School Location Affiliation Enrollment Mascot Colors Joined Left Conference Joined Current Conference
Cuba City Cuba City, WI Public 273 Cubans     1971[3] 1987[7] Southwest Wisconsin Activities League
Darlington Darlington, WI Public 280 Redbirds     1971[3] 1987[7] Southwest Wisconsin Activities League
Dodgeville Dodgeville, WI Public 375 Dodgers     1971[3] 1987[7] SWAL Southwest Wisconsin
Iowa-Grant Livingston, WI Public 204 Panthers     1971[3] 1987[7] Southwest Wisconsin Activities League
Lancaster Lancaster, WI Public 295 Flying Arrows     1971[3] 1987[7] SWAL Southwest Wisconsin
Mineral Point Mineral Point, WI Public 245 Pointers     1971[3] 1987[7] Southwest Wisconsin Activities League
Mount Horeb Mount Horeb, WI Public 792 Vikings     1971[3] 1983[5] Capitol Badger
Platteville Platteville, WI Public 513 Hillmen     1971[3] 1987[7] SWAL Southwest Wisconsin
Southwestern Hazel Green, WI Public 162 Wildcats     1983[6] 1987[7] Southwest Wisconsin Activities League

Membership timeline

List of state champions

Fall sports

Boys Cross Country
School Year Division
Dodgeville 1972 Small Schools
Platteville 1979 Class B
Platteville 1980 Class B
Mount Horeb 1981 Class B
Platteville 1984 Class B
Darlington 1985 Class C
Darlington 1986 Class C
Football
School Year Division
Iowa-Grant 1977 Division 3
Platteville 1984 Division 4
Girls Volleyball
School Year Division
Platteville 1977 Class B
Iowa-Grant 1978 Class C
Platteville 1979 Class B

Winter sports

Boys Basketball
School Year Division
Cuba City 1981 Class B
Iowa-Grant 1981 Class C
Girls Basketball
School Year Division
Lancaster 1976 Class B
Cuba City 1977 Class B
Lancaster 1979 Class B
Cuba City 1980 Class B
Platteville 1984 Class B
Gymnastics
School Year Division
Mount Horeb 1978 Class B
Mount Horeb 1983 Class B
Boys Wrestling
School Year Division
Mineral Point 1980 Class C
Mineral Point 1981 Class C
Mineral Point 1982 Class C
Mineral Point 1983 Class C
Mineral Point 1985 Class C
Mineral Point 1986 Class C

Spring sports

None

List of conference champions

Boys Basketball

School Quantity Years
Cuba City 10 1972, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987
Platteville 4 1979, 1984, 1985, 1986
Dodgeville 2 1973, 1978
Iowa-Grant 1 1982
Mineral Point 1 1974
Darlington 0
Lancaster 0
Mount Horeb 0
Southwestern 0

Girls Basketball

School Quantity Years
Cuba City 6 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985
Lancaster 3 1976, 1979, 1983
Platteville 1 1984
Southwestern 1 1986
Darlington 0
Dodgeville 0
Iowa-Grant 0
Mineral Point 0
Mount Horeb 0
Champions from 1987 unknown

Football

School Quantity Years
Platteville 7 1971, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985
Iowa-Grant 5 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979
Cuba City 2 1975, 1981
Darlington 1 1973
Dodgeville 1 1986
Lancaster 1 1971
Mount Horeb 1 1978
Mineral Point 0
Southwestern 0

References

  1. ^ "Richland Center Joins Big SWAL". The La Crosse Tribune. March 24, 1970. p. 12. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  2. ^ "Six Schools Bolt SWAL To Form Own Conference". The Boscobel Dial. p. 1. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "New Conference Is Southern Eight". Wisconsin State Journal. December 18, 1970. p. 22. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  4. ^ "Darlington OKs New Sports Link". The Capital Times. February 17, 1970. p. 5. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Mount Horeb prepares for a new group of foes". Wisconsin State Journal. August 28, 1983. pp. 49 (Football '83 insert). Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Realignment plan approved". Racine Journal Times. pp. 2C. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i "SWAL, Southern Eight combined as one league". The Boscobel Dial. p. 17. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
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