Tri-County League

The Tri-County League is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, operational from 1923 to 1963 with its membership concentrated in south central Wisconsin. All members belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

History

30km
19miles
Location of Tri-County League Members (1954-1962)

The Tri-County League began in 1923 as an oratorical and forensics conference between five small high schools in south central Wisconsin: Arena, Black Earth, Mazomanie, Prairie du Sac and Sauk City.[1] These five schools were concentrated in the lower Wisconsin River Valley across three counties: Dane, Iowa and Sauk. The loop began sponsorship of athletic competition in 1926,[2] and in 1928 added two new members: Spring Green and Waunakee.[3] The Tri-County League started sponsorship of eleven-man football in 1930 with four members: Arena, Mazomanie, Sauk City and Spring Green.[4][5] Lodi joined the Tri-County League in 1932 from the Madison Suburban Conference,[6][7] and the conference maintained a steady eight-school roster for the next two decades. Poynette and Verona joined from the Dual County and Madison Suburban Conferences in 1954,[8] bringing conference membership to ten schools.

Over the next decade, consolidation of rural school districts in south central Wisconsin hit Tri-County League membership hard, leading to its eventual demise. In 1962, River Valley High School was created from the consolidation of high schools in Spring Green, Arena and Lone Rock.[9] They took the place of Arena and Spring Green in the conference. The next year, two new school districts affecting Tri-County League membership were created: Sauk Prairie (from Prairie du Sac and Sauk City) and Wisconsin Heights (from Black Earth and Mazomanie).[10] The new Sauk Prairie High School joined the South Central Conference in the same year it was created,[11] leaving only six schools in the conference for the 1963-64 school year. Because of the decline in member schools, the Tri-County League merged with the Madison Suburban Conference, with all six schools (Lodi, Poynette, River Valley, Verona, Waunakee, and Wisconsin Heights) comprising the Western Section of the conference.[12]

Conference membership history

School Location Affiliation Enrollment Mascot Colors Joined Left Conference Joined Current Conference
Arena Arena, WI Public N/A Purple Knights     1923[1] 1962[9] Closed (consolidated into River Valley)
Black Earth Black Earth, WI Public N/A Earthmen     1923[1] 1963[10] Closed (consolidated into Wisconsin Heights)[12]
Mazomanie Mazomanie, WI Public N/A Midgets     1923[1] 1963[10] Closed (consolidated into Wisconsin Heights)[12]
Prairie du Sac Prairie du Sac, WI Public N/A Indians     1923[1] 1963[11] Closed (consolidated into Sauk Prairie)
Sauk City Sauk City, WI Public N/A Cardinals     1923[1] 1963[11] Closed (consolidated into Sauk Prairie)
Spring Green Spring Green, WI Public N/A Shamrocks     1928[3] 1962[9] Closed (consolidated into River Valley)
Waunakee Waunakee, WI Public 1,309 Warriors     1928[3] 1963[12] Madison Suburban Badger
Lodi Lodi, WI Public 451 Blue Devils     1932[6][7] 1963[12] Madison Suburban Capitol
Poynette Poynette, WI Public 310 Indians     1954[8] 1963[12] Madison Suburban CYTBN (2025)
Verona Verona, WI Public 1,801 Indians     1954[8] 1963[12] Madison Suburban Big Eight
River Valley Spring Green, WI Public 389 Blackhawks     1962[9] 1963[12] Madison Suburban Southwest Wisconsin

Membership timeline

Full members

Football members

List of state champions

Fall sports

None

Winter sports

Curling
School Year Division
Lodi 1962 Single Division
Poynette 1963 Single Division

Spring sports

Boys Track & Field
School Year Division
Prairie du Sac 1929 Class C
Prairie du Sac 1930 Class C
Prairie du Sac 1931 Class C

List of conference champions

Boys Basketball

School Quantity Years
Spring Green 10 1932, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1943, 1944, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1958
Prairie du Sac 8 1935, 1940, 1941, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1959
Lodi 7 1933, 1934, 1937, 1938, 1942, 1950, 1963
Mazomanie 6 1932, 1934, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948
Sauk City 5 1949, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960
Waunakee 3 1931, 1961, 1962
Black Earth 1 1954
Verona 1 1963
Arena 0
Poynette 0
River Valley 0
Champions from 1929-1931 unknown

Football

School Quantity Years
Prairie du Sac 9 1939, 1940, 1941, 1944, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1957
Sauk City 7 1936, 1944, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1956
Spring Green 7 1930, 1931, 1933, 1935, 1938, 1942, 1943
Waunakee 6 1953, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962
Arena 2 1945, 1946
Mazomanie 2 1934, 1937
Lodi 1 1939
Verona 1 1955
Black Earth 0
Poynette 0
River Valley 0
Champions from 1932 unknown

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Madison Relatives at Mazomanie Sunday". The Capital Times. May 3, 1923. p. 10. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  2. ^ "Mazomanie Wins Second on Track". Wisconsin State Journal. May 18, 1926. p. 13. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Prairie du Sac Wins Tri-County Track Meet". The Capital Times. May 15, 1929. p. 14. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  4. ^ "Spring Green Grid Champs are Guests at Special Event". The Capital Times. December 27, 1930. p. 26. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  5. ^ "Spring Green Seeks to Keep Grid Title". Wisconsin State Journal. September 13, 1931. pp. 10!. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Wisconsin Valley Cage Loop Plays Openers". Wisconsin State Journal. November 30, 1932. p. 19. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Lodi Has 6 Wins to Hold Lead in Tri-County Loop". The Capital Times. January 27, 1933. p. 15. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c "High School Gridders Open Season Today". Wisconsin State Journal. September 10, 1954. p. 30. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d Hopkins, Steven E. (August 12, 1962). "Area School Building Near $30 Million Total". Wisconsin State Journal. pp. 1 (Section 2). Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "Model High School in Wisconsin". Wisconsin State Journal. August 29, 1963. p. 20. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c "Sauk-Prairie Joins S. Central". The Capital Times. July 6, 1962. p. 18. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h "Tri-County Prep Loop Combines With Suburban". Wisconsin State Journal. August 1, 1962. p. 11. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
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