Northern Lakes Conference (Wisconsin)

The Northern Lakes Conference is a high school athletic conference with its membership base in northern Wisconsin. It was founded in 1926 and all members belong to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

History

1926–1937

The Northern Lakes Conference was originally formed in 1926 as the Northeastern High School Athletic Conference, a basketball-only conference with ten members in northern Wisconsin: Argonne, Crandon, Eagle River, Elcho, Goodman, Hiles, Laona, Three Lakes, Wabeno and White Lake. Suring was added after the conference's first season of competition, and it was rechristened the Land O'Lakes Conference after the region of northern Wisconsin in which its members were located. Football was sponsored from the conference's inception, with five schools (Argonne, Crandon, Elcho, Goodman and Wabeno) forming the initial roster. Phelps joined the conference after the first season, and in 1929, Mountain entered the league as its thirteenth member. Minocqua became a member of the Land O' Lakes Conference in 1932, but membership stayed at thirteen schools due to Crandon's departure. That number was decreased to eleven the next year, as Mountain and Suring left to join the Marinette & Oconto Conference. Crandon reinstated full membership in the Land O'Lakes in 1934 to put the roster at twelve schools, and the conference subdivided into Northern and Southern Divisions: Northern DivisionSouthern DivisionEagle RiverArgonneElchoCrandonHilesGoodmanMinocquaLaonaPhelpsWabenoThree LakesWhite Lake

1937–1972 In 1937, the Land O'Lakes Conference changed its name to the Northern Lakes Conference in order to avoid confusion with another conference of the same name. Membership stayed at twelve schools until the start of World War II, when both Argonne and Hiles closed, with students for both schools being redistricted to Crandon. After World War II, the Northern Lakes began sponsorship of six-player football, and three of the conference's smaller schools (Elcho, Phelps and Three Lakes) participated along with associate members Woodruff-Arbor Vitae. Their entry into the conference as full members in 1950 brought the membership roster to eleven schools. The conference's six-player football division was also ended that year, as all four participants transitioned to eleven-player football. In 1951, Goodman accepted an invitation to join the Marinette & Oconto Conference, and Elcho shifted to the Southern Division to create two five-member divisions: Northern DivisionSouthern DivisionEagle RiverCrandonMinocquaElchoPhelpsLaonaThree LakesWabenoWoodruff-Arbor VitaeWhite Lake Divisional play was ended in 1954, and in 1957, the number of schools in the Northern Lakes Conference decreased to eight as White Lake left for membership in the Wolf River Valley Conference and Lakeland Union High School was created from the consolidation of Minocqua and Woodruff-Arbor Vitae. Lakeland Union's tenure in the Northern Lakes Conference turned out to be short-lived, as they only spent one season in the conference before joining with larger schools in the Lumberjack Conference in 1958. Goodman rejoined the conference in 1960 after spending the previous few seasons as members of the disbanded Granite Valley Conference. In 1964, the Northern Lakes Conference added Florence as a new member, who joined after exiting the Big Six Conference in Michigan's upper peninsula.

1972–present In 1972, Pembine entered the Northern Lakes from the Michigan-based Skyline Conference and White Lake rejoined after displacement from the defunct Wolf River Valley Conference two years prior. Eagle River High School changed its name to Northland Pines High School in 1974 when they built a new facility to relieve overcrowding, and they would leave the conference two years later for membership in the newly expanded Lumberjack Conference. The Northern Lakes Conference remained a stable ten-school circuit for the next three decades before welcoming the Conserve School in Land o' Lakes into the fold in 2005. Their stay would be relatively short, as they left the conference in 2009. The Northern Lakes Conference would see four programs consolidate into two at the beginning of the 2010s, first with Goodman and Pembine in 2011 and then with Laona and Wabeno the next year. Sponsorship of football was ended after the 2016 season, and Northern Lakes joined with the Marinette & Oconto Conference and Packerland Conference to create the MONLPC Football Conference. White Lake left the conference for a second time to join the Central Wisconsin Conference in 2021, bringing the membership roster to its current total of nine schools, four of which are part of cooperative programs due to size.

List of conference members

Current full members SchoolLocationAffiliationEnrollmentMascotColorsJoinedCrandonCrandon, WIPublic226Cardinals 1926, 1934ElchoElcho, WIPublic66Hornets 1926FlorenceFlorence, WIPublic121Bobcats 1964Pembine/GoodmanGoodman, WI/Pembine, WIPublic73Patriots 2011PhelpsPhelps, WIPublic34Fighting Knights 1928Three LakesThree Lakes, WIPublic156Bluejays 1926Wabeno/LaonaLaona, WI/Wabeno, WIPublic176Rebels 2012

Current co-operative members TeamColorsHost SchoolCo-operative MembersSport(s)Northwoods Storm FlorenceNiagaraCross Country, Track & Field, Wrestling

Former members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceArgonneArgonne, WIPublicWolverines 19261942Closed in 1942 (consolidated into Crandon)Conserve SchoolLand o' Lakes, WIPrivate (Nonsectarian)Steelers 20052009IndependentClosed in 2020GoodmanGoodman, WIPublicFalcons 1926, 19601951, 2011Marinette & OcontoNorthern Lakes (coop with Pembine)HilesHiles, WIPublicPurgolds 19261943Closed in 1943 (consolidated into Crandon)Lakeland UnionMinocqua, WIPublicThunderbirds 19571958LumberjackGreat NorthernLaonaLaona, WIPublicFighting Kellys 19262012Northern Lakes (coop with Wabeno)MinocquaMinocqua, WIPublicIslanders 19321957Closed (merged into Lakeland Union)MountainMountain, WIPublicMountaineers 19291933Marinette & OcontoClosed in 1948 (consolidated into Suring)Northland PinesEagle River, WIPublicEagles 19261976LumberjackGreat NorthernPembinePembine, WIPublicPanthers 19722011Northern Lakes (coop with Goodman)SuringSuring, WIPublicEagles 19271933Marinette & OcontoWabenoWabeno, WIPublicLogrollers 19262012Northern Lakes (coop with Laona)White LakeWhite Lake, WIPublicLakers 1926, 19721957, 2021Independent, Central WisconsinCentral WisconsinWoodruff-Arbor VitaeArbror Vitae, WIPublicMuskies 19501957Closed (merged into Lakeland Union)

Former football-only members

11-player SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsSeasonsPrimary ConferenceCrandonCrandon, WIPublicCardinals 1932-1933IndependentElcho/White LakeElcho, WIPublicWolverines 1996-2016Northern LakesFlorenceFlorence, WIPublicBobcats 1963Little Seven (MHSAA)Pembine/GoodmanPembine, WIPublicPatriots 1986, 1988-1991, 1994, 2004Northern LakesHurleyHurley, WIPublicMidgets 1992-1999IndianheadMarinette Catholic CentralMarinette, WIPrivate (Catholic)Cavaliers 1999-2002Marinette & OcontoMenominee NationKeshena, WIFederal (Tribal)Eagles 2005-2014Central WisconsinNorthern EliteNiagara, WIPublicPredators 2005-2016Marinette & Oconto, Northern LakesThree Lakes/PhelpsThree Lakes, WIPublicBluejays 1998-2002, 2004Northern LakesWabeno/LaonaWabeno, WIPublicRebels 1988-2011Northern LakesWhite Lake/Menominee IndianWhite Lake, WIPublic, Federal (Tribal)Lakers 1992-1995Northern Lakes, Central Wisconsin

6-player SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsSeasonsPrimary ConferenceWoodruff-Arbor VitaeArbror Vitae, WIPublicMuskies 1947-1949Independent

Notes

Membership timeline

Full members

Football members

11-player

6-player

Membership map

Sponsored sports +Crandon●●●●●●●●●●●●Elcho●●●●●●●●●●Florence●●●●●●●●●●●●Pembine/Goodman●●●●●●●●Phelps●●Three Lakes●●●●●●●●●●Wabeno/Laona●●●●●●●●●●●●

Notes

List of state champions

Fall sports None

Winter sports +Boys BasketballSchoolYearDivisionFlorence1989Class C

Spring sports +Girls Track & FieldSchoolYearDivisionFlorence1996Division 3

List of conference champions

Boys Basketball SchoolQuantityYearsThree Lakes211941, 1945, 1951, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1965, 1980, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2024Crandon191929, 1931, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2025Wabeno141947, 1954, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1976, 1979, 2005, 2006Laona101930, 1932, 1935, 1942, 1953, 1977, 1978, 1993, 1994, 1995Phelps101938, 1946, 1950, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2018, 2019Florence91987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2023White Lake91937, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1952, 1983Goodman81945, 1947, 1949, 1961, 1964, 1981, 1994, 1996(Eagle River)Northland Pines81927, 1935, 1936, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1947, 1966Wabeno/Laona82015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2025, 2026Minocqua61935, 1937, 1938, 1948, 1949, 1955Woodruff-Arbor Vitae41952, 1953, 1954, 1957Argonne21928, 1940Hiles21933, 1934Elcho11990Pembine/Goodman12014Conserve School0Lakeland Union0Mountain0Pembine0Suring0

Girls Basketball SchoolQuantityYearsFlorence221976, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007Crandon191978, 1979, 1982, 1987, 2002, 2003, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025Wabeno81982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 2009, 2010Three Lakes51984, 1986, 1997, 1999, 2008Wabeno/Laona52015, 2016, 2022, 2023, 2026Elcho41976, 1983, 2017, 2018Laona31974, 1976, 1977Goodman12002(Eagle River)Northland Pines11975Three Lakes/Phelps12022Goodman/Pembine0Pembine0Phelps0White Lake0

Football

11-player SchoolQuantityYearsFlorence231963, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2009, 2010(Eagle River)Northland Pines141937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1946, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1964, 1965, 1969Wabeno121928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1960, 1961, 1971, 1979Elcho101927, 1934, 1955, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1973, 1977Northern Elite92005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016Crandon81942, 1943, 1944, 1950, 1972, 1980, 1984, 2012Wabeno/Laona71994, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009Goodman51945, 1948, 1962, 1968, 1978Minocqua51935, 1947, 1949, 1954, 1956Laona41952, 1954, 1958, 1976Hurley31994, 1996, 1998Three Lakes31975, 1982, 1993Argonne0Elcho/White Lake0Lakeland Union0Marinette Catholic Central0Menominee Nation0Pembine0Pembine/Goodman0Phelps0Three Lakes/Phelps0White Lake0White Lake/Menominee Nation0Woodruff-Arbor Vitae0

6-player SchoolQuantityYearsWoodruff-Arbor Vitae21947, 1948Phelps11949Elcho0Three Lakes0

References

External links

Northern Lakes Conference (official website)