Coulee Conference
| Conference | WIAA |
|---|---|
| Commissioner | Louie Ferguson |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Divisions 2-3 (Baseball, Cross Country, Softball, Track and Field, Wrestling)
Divisions 3-4 (Basketball) Divisions 4-6 (Football) |
| No. of teams | 7 |
| Official website | Coulee Conference |
The Coulee Conference is a high school athletic conference of medium-sized schools based in west central Wisconsin. Founded in 1926, it is one of Wisconsin's oldest athletic conferences and its member schools are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
[edit]1926-1977
[edit]
The Coulee Conference was formed in 1926 by six small high schools in west central Wisconsin: Bangor, Galesville, Holmen, Mindoro, Onalaska and West Salem.[1] The original member schools were located in La Crosse and Trempealeau Counties, and the conference was named after the Coulee Region in the southwestern part of Wisconsin's Driftless Area. Membership increased to seven schools in 1936 when Trempealeau joined the Coulee Conference[2] and eight in 1942 when Melrose became members.[3] After Galesville's merger with Ettrick in 1949,[4] the Coulee Conference's roster remained consistent for sixteen years until Melrose and Mindoro merged in 1965,[5] with the new school (Melrose-Mindoro) taking on the membership of its two predecessors.[6] Arcadia moved over from the original Mississippi Valley Conference to keep membership at eight schools.[7] In 1971, Gale-Ettrick merged with Trempealeau to create the new Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School,[8] with the new school remaining in the Coulee Conference. As in the previous consolidation of conference members, the ledger was kept at eight schools by adding Cochrane-Fountain City from the Dairyland Conference.[9]
1977-1987
[edit]In 1977, the Coulee Conference lost three members to conference realignment in the region: two to the Dairyland Conference: (Cochrane-Fountain City and Melrose-Mindoro)[10] and one to the Scenic Central Conference (Bangor)[11] Replacing the three exiting schools were Black River Falls from the South Central Conference[12] and two schools from the Scenic Central Conference (Royall and Westby).[11] Royall was strongly opposed to being placed in the Coulee Conference for a multitude of reasons including small size compared to other Coulee schools, increased travel distances, and loss of traditional Scenic Central rivalries.[13] After the WIAA's two-year freeze on conference realignment expired in 1979, Royall joined with their former Scenic Central brethren to form the new Scenic Bluffs Conference.[14] The next year, the Coulee Conference accepted its first (and to date, only) out-of-state member, adding La Crescent from Minnesota (located across the Mississippi River from La Crosse) as Royall's replacement.[15]
1987-present
[edit]Membership in the Coulee Conference remained consistent for most of the 1980s, with Viroqua moving over from the Southwest Wisconsin Athletic League as the conference's ninth member in 1987.[16] This would turn out to be the high water mark for the conference, as Holmen and Onalaska were growing in enrollment beyond the size their conference rivals and wanted to explore other options.[17] Both schools left to become charter members of the new Mississippi Valley Conference in 1989 with former members of the Big Rivers (La Crosse Central and La Crosse Logan) and South Central (Sparta and Tomah) Conferences.[18] In 1996, Luther High School in Onalaska was invited to join the Coulee Conference after being expelled from their former home in the Dairyland Conference.[19] They began conference play the next year,[20] and the Coulee Conference's roster remained consistent for the next decade. In 2007, La Crescent-Hokah returned to a Minnesota-based conference as they left to become members of the Hiawatha Valley League,[21] bringing the Coulee Conference to its current alignment of seven schools. In 2020, Aquinas High School joined the Coulee Conference for football only.
List of member schools
[edit]Current members
[edit]| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment[22] | Mascot | Colors | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcadia | Arcadia, WI | Public | 417 | Raiders | 1965[7] | |
| Black River Falls | Black River Falls, WI | Public | 481 | Tigers | 1977[12] | |
| Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau | Galesville, WI | Public | 400 | Red Hawks | 1971[8] | |
| Luther | Onalaska, WI | Private (Lutheran, WELS) | 228 | Knights | 1997[20] | |
| Viroqua | Viroqua, WI | Public | 339 | Blackhawks | 1987[16] | |
| West Salem | West Salem, WI | Public | 607 | Panthers | 1926[1] | |
| Westby | Westby, WI | Public | 305 | Norsemen | 1977[11] |
Former members
[edit]| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangor | Bangor, WI | Public | 203 | Cardinals | 1926[1] | 1977[11] | Scenic Central | Scenic Bluffs | |
| Galesville | Galesville, WI | Public | N/A | Gales | 1926[1] | 1949[4] | Closed (merged into Gale-Ettrick) | ||
| Holmen | Holmen, WI | Public | 1,215 | Vikings | 1926[1] | 1989[18] | Mississippi Valley | ||
| Mindoro | Mindoro, WI | Public | N/A | Tigers | 1926[1] | 1965[5] | Closed (merged into Melrose-Mindoro) | ||
| Onalaska | Onalaska, WI | Public | 923 | Hilltoppers | 1926[1] | 1989[18] | Mississippi Valley | ||
| Trempeleau | Trempeleau, WI | Public | N/A | Bears | 1936[2] | 1971[8] | Closed (merged into G-E-T) | ||
| Melrose | Melrose, WI | Public | N/A | Eagles | 1942[3] | 1965[5] | Closed (merged into Melrose-Mindoro) | ||
| Gale-Ettrick | Galesville, WI | Public | N/A | Redmen | 1949[4] | 1971[8] | Closed (merged into G-E-T) | ||
| Melrose-Mindoro | Melrose, WI | Public | 223 | Mustangs | 1965[6] | 1977[10] | Dairyland | ||
| Cochrane-Fountain City | Fountain City, WI | Public | 175 | Pirates | 1971[9] | 1977[10] | Dairyland | ||
| Royall | Elroy, WI | Public | 154 | Panthers | 1977[11] | 1979[14] | Scenic Bluffs | ||
| La Crescent-Hokah | La Crescent, MN | Public | 347 | Lancers | 1980[15] | 2007[21] | Hiawatha Valley (MSHSL) | Three Rivers (MSHSL) | |
Membership timeline
[edit]
Membership map
[edit]
Sports
[edit]The Coulee Conference sponsors 20 varsity sports. They are:
- Fall - Football, boys' soccer, girls' tennis, volleyball, boys' cross country, girls' cross country and girls' golf
- Winter - Boys' basketball, girls' basketball, gymnastics, wrestling boys' hockey and girls' hockey.
- Spring - Boys' track, girls' track, boys' golf, boys' tennis, girls' soccer, baseball and softball.
State championships
[edit]Football
[edit]- 1978 - Westby[23]
- 1985 - Westby[23]
- 1986 - Westby[23]
- 2007 - West Salem[23]
- 2021 - Aquinas
- 2022 - Aquinas
- 2023 - Aquinas
Boys' basketball
[edit]- 1988 - Onalaska
Boys' golf
[edit]Softball
[edit]- 2014 - Arcadia[23]
Boys' Track & Field
[edit]- 1991 - Arcadia[23]
- 1992 - Arcadia
- 1994 - Arcadia
- 1995 - Arcadia
- 1998 - Arcadia
- 1999 - Arcadia
- 2004 - Arcadia
Girls' Track & Field
[edit]- 1979 - West Salem[23]
- 1998 - Arcadia
- 2003 - Arcadia
- 2004 - Arcadia
- 2007 - West Salem
- 2008 - Arcadia
- 2009 - Arcadia
Spring Baseball
[edit]- 2017 - West Salem
State championship runners-up
[edit]Football
[edit]- 1989 - Westby[23]
- 1999 - Black River Falls[23]
- 2002 - West Salem[23]
- 2005 - West Salem[23]
- 2009 - Arcadia[23]
- 2022 - West Salem
Boys' basketball
[edit]Girls' basketball
[edit]- 1999 - Viroqua[26]
Spring baseball
[edit]Summer baseball
[edit]- 1984 - Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau[28]
Boys' cross country
[edit]- 1994 - West Salem[29]
Girls' golf
[edit]- 2008 - Arcadia/Cochrane-Fountain City[30]
Boys' golf
[edit]Gymnastics
[edit]- 1979 - Viroqua[32]
- 2004 - Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro/Cochrane-Fountain City[32]
- 2005 - Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro/Cochrane-Fountain City[32]
Girls' hockey
[edit]- 2002 - Viroqua/Cornerstone/Westby/Youth Initiative[33]
Boys' Track & Field
[edit]Girls' Track & Field
[edit]Softball
[edit]Wrestling
[edit]- 1995 - Arcadia[37]
The Vernon County Mega Bowl
[edit]Beginning in 2019, the Westby Norsemen and the Viroqua Blackhawks have played for the Vernon County Mega Bowl in their yearly football contest. The Norsemen won the first Mega Bowl game 21-8 in 2019. There was no Mega Bowl Game in 2020.[38]
Mega Bowl Game results
[edit]| Westby victories | Viroqua victories | Tie games |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Basketball League Formed Among Prep Schools In Coulee". La Crosse Tribune. December 7, 1926. p. 9. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b "Trempealeau". La Crosse Tribune. October 21, 1936. p. 9. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b "Ready For Cage Play in Coulee". La Crosse Tribune. November 12, 1942. p. 11. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Gale School Gets Repairs". La Crosse Tribune. August 18, 1949. p. 15. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Melrose-Mindoro Take Site Option". La Crosse Tribune. November 18, 1964. p. 1. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b "Bob Anderson Rambles for 211 Holmen Yards". La Crosse Tribune. September 18, 1965. p. 5. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Gunderson, Jim (February 24, 1965). "Arcadia To Join Coulee Conference". La Crosse Tribune. p. 10. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Carl, Pauline (September 9, 1971). "Long Battle Ends, Tremplo Merges With G-E District". La Crosse Tribune. p. 21. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Pickett, Jim (September 3, 1971). "Alma Center Lincoln Eyes End of Long Grid Drought". La Crosse Tribune. p. 18. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b c Lisser, Bill (August 30, 1977). "Mel-Min, C-FC switch to Dairyland". La Crosse Tribune. p. 37. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Whitehorn, Dave (August 25, 1977). "New Look for Area Preps". La Crosse Tribune. p. 12. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b "Keeping Up With The Events - Conference Realignment..." Wisconsin Dells Events. October 21, 1976. p. 17. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ Whitehorn, Dave (January 25, 1977). "Royall against joining Coulee". La Crosse Tribune. p. 12. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b "Wonewoc-Center is Scenic Bluffs pick". Wisconsin State Journal. August 26, 1979. pp. 55 (Football '79 insert). Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Miller, Pete (November 27, 1980). "Area conferences feature strong programs". La Crosse Tribune. p. 43. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Gardner, Charles (August 27, 1987). "Coulee welcomes Viroqua, new coaches". La Crosse Tribune. pp. F-27. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ Seering, Jeff (February 18, 1988). "New weights and realignment". Reedsburg Times-Press. p. 28. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b c "New league given a name". The La Crosse Tribune. November 20, 1988. p. 15. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ Kabelowsky, Art (January 13, 1996). "Move could affect Onalaska Luther". La Crosse Tribune. p. 7. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Cohen, Andrew (April 20, 1996). "Area leagues next on WIAA agenda". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 33. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Brown, Jeff (August 28, 2007). "Lancers bring high-octane offense to HVL". Winona Daily News. p. 12. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ "2017-2018 Enrollments" (PDF). www.wiaawi.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Football State_Records results" (PDF). www.wiaawi.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 10, 2024.
- ^ "State Boys Basketball Champions (1916-2019)" (PDF). www.wiaawi.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 28, 2020.
- ^ "Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau vs Brillion (03/17/12 at Kohl Center - Madison, Wisconsin)". www.wiaawi.org. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 28, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b c d "Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Baseball Champions 1948-2024" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 7, 2023.
- ^ "Summer Baseball Championship Game History (1965-2018)" (PDF). www.wiaawi.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 7, 2023.
- ^ "Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Cross Country Team Champions 1913-2023" (PDF). www.wiaawi.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2024.
- ^ "State Girls Golf Champions" (PDF). www.wiaawi.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c "WIAA State Boys Golf Champions (1923-2024)" (PDF). www.wiaawi.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 7, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Gymnastics Team Champions (1971-2024)" (PDF). www.wiaawi.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 7, 2023.
- ^ "Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Hockey State Champions (2002-24)" (PDF). www.wiaawi.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Boys Track & Field Team Champions (1895-2024)" (PDF). www.wiaawi.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 7, 2023.
- ^ a b "Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Track Champions 1971-2024" (PDF). www.wiaawi.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 7, 2023.
- ^ a b "WIAA State Softball Champions (1976-2023)" (PDF). www.wiaawi.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Wrestling Team Champions 1940-" (PDF). www.wiaawi.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Noah Benish on Instagram: ""When they look back in the anals of history, people are gonna be talking about three things: The discovery of fire, invention of the submarine, and the Flint, Michigan Mega Bowl."-Jackie Moon #megabowl"". Instagram. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023.