Southeastern Wisconsin Conference
The Southeastern Wisconsin Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, operating from 1928 to 1963. All but one of its member schools belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
[edit]1929-1953
[edit]
The Southeastern Wisconsin Conference was formed for the 1928-29 school year by six high schools in southeastern Wisconsin: Clinton, Genoa City, Palmyra, Waterford, Williams Bay and Wilmot Union.[1] These were smaller schools than those in the Southern Five Conference, which covered roughly the same geographical area. In 1930, Union Grove and Walworth joined the conference, and with Palmyra's departure the conference now had seven members.[2] Palmyra rejoined the conference in 1932, and overall membership expanded to ten with the addition of Darien and Norris Foundation in Mukwonago.[3] Mukwonago and Racine County Agricultural in Rochester joined the Southeastern in 1934, and the league subdivided into Eastern and Western Sections of six schools each:[4]
| Eastern Section | Western Section |
|---|---|
| Mukwonago | Clinton |
| Norris Foundation | Darien |
| Rochester Aggies | Genoa City |
| Union Grove | Palmyra |
| Waterford | Walworth |
| Wilmot Union | Williams Bay |
Walworth left to join the Southern Five Conference in 1935, with Palmyra leaving a year later[5] and Wilmot moving to the conference's Western Section. In 1937, Clinton, Darien, Genoa City and Williams Bay would leave the Southeastern to form the Southern Regional Conference along with Capron (now North Boone) High School in Illinois.[6] East Troy joined the remaining six schools in the Southeastern to create a seven-member circuit for the 1937-38 school year.[7] The Southeastern Wisconsin Conference began sponsorship of football that season, with six of the seven members coming over from the disbanded Lower Fox Conference, a football-only circuit that had been in existence since 1933.[8][9] Membership would continue in this configuration for sixteen years (with Walworth joining as a football-only member in 1947)[10] before East Troy, Mukwonago and Wilmot left to join the new Southern Lakes Conference in 1953.[11] They were replaced by Hartland, Pewaukee and Slinger, who were left without a conference after the dissolution of the 4-C Conference.[12]
1953-1963
[edit]
The far-flung geographic footprint of conference membership ushered in a volatile period of changes during the Southeastern Wisconsin Conference's final decade. Hartland High School was closed in 1956 and replaced by Arrowhead High School,[13] who took Hartland's place in the conference.[14] Slinger left to join the new Scenic Moraine Conference in 1958,[15] and they were replaced by three returning members and one newcomer. Big Foot, Clinton and Palmyra were left without a conference after consolidation and closings whittled away membership of the Southern Regional Conference, and they rejoined the Southeastern in 1958.[16] That same year, Salem Central (now Westosha Central) High School joined the Southeastern after dealing with their own issues with long travel distances as members of the Braveland Conference.[17] In 1959, the Southeastern lost three schools: Arrowhead to the Little Ten, Pewaukee to the Scenic Moraine, and Racine County Agricultural to the school's closing. Pewaukee remained in the Southeastern as a football-only member for the 1959 season before their full membership in the Scenic Moraine started with the winter sports season.[18] Williams Bay rejoined the conference that year after leaving the Southern Wisconsin Private Schools (SWAPS) Conference to bring membership to eight schools.[19] Two years later, Big Foot left to join the Southern Lakes Conference, and their place was taken by St. Mary's (now Catholic Central) High School in Burlington, the only private school ever to play in the conference.[20]
Epilogue
[edit]The Southeastern Conference ended operations in 1963. Four of its members (Salem Central, St. Mary's, Union Grove and Waterford) formed the new Southeastern Badger Conference,[21] while the other four (Clinton, Norris Foundation, Palmyra and Williams Bay) joined with Northwestern Military and Naval Academy in Lake Geneva and Wisconsin School for the Deaf in Delavan to form the Indian Trails Conference.[22]
Conference membership history
[edit]Full members
[edit]Football-only members
[edit]| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Seasons | Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walworth | Walworth, WI | Public | N/A | Warriors | 1947-1957[10][16] | Southern Regional | |
| Pewaukee | Pewaukee, WI | Public | 874 | Pirates | 1959[18] | Scenic Moraine |
Membership timeline
[edit]Full members
[edit]
Eastern Section Western Section
Football members
[edit]
List of conference champions
[edit]Boys Basketball
[edit]| School | Quantity | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Rochester Aggies | 11 | 1935, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957 |
| Wilmot Union | 8 | 1932, 1933, 1943, 1944, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951 |
| Waterford | 6 | 1929, 1930, 1932, 1944, 1945, 1963 |
| Salem Central | 4 | 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963 |
| Arrowhead | 3 | 1957, 1958, 1959 |
| Mukwonago | 3 | 1951, 1952, 1953 |
| Union Grove | 3 | 1934, 1935, 1945 |
| Big Foot | 2 | 1960, 1961 |
| Clinton | 2 | 1936, 1937 |
| East Troy | 1 | 1949 |
| Hartland | 1 | 1956 |
| Norris Foundation | 1 | 1935 |
| Walworth | 1 | 1935 |
| Darien | 0 | |
| Genoa City | 0 | |
| Palmyra | 0 | |
| Pewaukee | 0 | |
| Slinger | 0 | |
| St. Mary's | 0 | |
| Williams Bay | 0 | |
| Champions from 1931, 1936 (Eastern Section) and 1938 unknown | ||
Football
[edit]| School | Quantity | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Waterford | 9 | 1938, 1939, 1943, 1944, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1962 |
| Rochester Aggies | 7 | 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1953, 1956 |
| Wilmot Union | 4 | 1940, 1946, 1947, 1949 |
| Mukwonago | 3 | 1950, 1951, 1952 |
| Union Grove | 3 | 1948, 1954, 1961 |
| East Troy | 2 | 1945, 1948 |
| Arrowhead | 1 | 1958 |
| Big Foot | 0 | |
| Clinton | 0 | |
| Hartland | 0 | |
| Norris Foundation | 0 | |
| Pewaukee | 0 | |
| Salem Central | 0 | |
| Slinger | 0 | |
| St. Mary's | 0 | |
| Walworth | 0 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Wilmot Plays Waterford in Tourney Tilt". Kenosha News. March 13, 1929. p. 10. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Union Grove Joins Basketball League". Racine Journal Times. November 24, 1930. p. 16. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Wilmot Retains Cage Loop Lead". The Journal Times. January 31, 1933. p. 10. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Southeastern Wisconsin Conference Statistics". Wisconsin State Journal. January 31, 1935. p. 12. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Southeastern Cage League to Play 5 Games This Week". Racine Journal Times. January 11, 1937. p. 12. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Clinton to Play 6-Man Football". The Stoughton Courier. September 24, 1937. p. 6. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ a b "Aggies Eleven Plays East Troy in Title Quest". Racine Journal Times. October 26, 1937. p. 19. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ "Sport Briefs (see East Troy)". Stoughton Courier. September 18, 1933. p. 5. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ "Wilmot High in Football League". Kenosha News. September 21, 1937. p. 8. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ a b McKenna, Eddie (October 8, 1947). "Unlicked Wilmot High Gridders Set for Homecoming". Kenosha News. p. 12. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Southern Lakes League Announced". Lake Geneva Regional News. May 1, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Form New Athletic Conference To Replace Southeastern Loop". Racine Journal Times. December 8, 1952. p. 19. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Arrowhead Union School District Plans to Accommodate 550 Pupils". Waukesha County Freeman. June 17, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Aggies Nudge Arrowhead in Loop Play; Pewaukee Loses". Waukesha County Freeman. December 15, 1956. p. 8. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Indians Get Set to Open Play in New Scenic Moraine League". Kewaskum Statesman. August 22, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Dunn, Pat (January 12, 1958). "SEC Has Met Growing Pains by Expansion". Racine Journal Times. p. 35. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Sovitzky, George (January 9, 1958). "Central Quits Braveland, Joins Southeastern". Kenosha News. p. 19. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "7 Lettermen on Kewaskum High Football Squad". West Bend News. September 3, 1959. p. 4. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Conferences Make Changes". Racine Journal Times. March 15, 1959. pp. 5 (Section 3). Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c "St. Mary's Joins SEC Next Year". Racine Journal Times. March 23, 1960. p. 27. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Southern Lakes Is Not Affected as New League Forms". Lake Geneva Regional News. February 7, 1963. p. 13. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Associated Press. "Indian Trails Prep Conference Formed". Janesville Weekly Gazette. p. 16. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ "Norris School District". National Center for Education Statistics. December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 11, 2024.