Wisconsin Christian Football Conference

The Wisconsin Christian Football Conference is a former high school football conference in Wisconsin. Composed entirely of private schools, the conference lasted for only two seasons (1997–1998) and all of its member schools belonged to the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association.

History

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Location of Wisconsin Christian Football Conference members

The Wisconsin Christian Football Conference was formed in 1997 by seven private high schools in Wisconsin: Edgewood, Fox Valley Lutheran, Luther Prep, Manitowoc Lutheran, St. Mary's Springs, Winnebago Lutheran and Xavier.^[1] All seven schools previously belonged to the Wisconsin Independent Football Association, a football-only conference associated with WISAA and were preparing to transition into Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association membership by the 2000-01 school year.^[2] Four schools were affiliated with the Fox Valley Christian Division (Fox Valley Lutheran, Manitowoc Lutheran, St. Mary's Springs and Xavier) and three were members of the WIFA Midwest Division (Edgewood, Luther Prep and Winnebago Lutheran). The conference was expected to be a stopgap before its members found affiliations with existing WIAA-member conferences^[3] and only lasted for two seasons. Luther Prep joined the Parkland Conference after the 1997 season^[4] and the remaining six schools disbanded the conference at the conclusion of the 1998 season. Most of the schools' new affiliations were for all sports: Fox Valley Lutheran and Xavier became members of the new Valley 8 Conference,^[5] Edgewood joined the Badger Conference,^[6][7] Manitowoc Lutheran entered the Olympian Conference^[8] and Winnebago Lutheran was accepted into the Flyway Conference.^[9] St. Mary's Springs also joined the Flyway Conference but became football-only members of the original East Central Conference^[10] before its merger with the Flyway Conference in 2001.^[11]

Conference membership history

School	Location	Affiliation	Enrollment	Mascot	Colors	Seasons	Primary Conference
Edgewood	Madison, WI	Private (Catholic)	569	Crusaders		1997–1998	Independent
Fox Valley Lutheran	Appleton, WI	Private (Lutheran, WELS)	742	Foxes		1997–1998	Fox Valley Christian
Luther Prep	Watertown, WI	Private (Lutheran, WELS)	406	Phoenix		1997	Midwest Classic
Manitowoc Lutheran	Manitowoc, WI	Private (Lutheran, WELS)	227	Lancers		1997–1998	Fox Valley Christian
St. Mary's Springs	Fond du Lac, WI	Private (Catholic)	263	Ledgers		1997–1998	Fox Valley Christian
Winnebago Lutheran	Fond du Lac, WI	Private (Lutheran, WELS)	319	Vikings		1997–1998	Midwest Classic
Xavier	Appleton, WI	Private (Catholic)	468	Hawks		1997–1998	Fox Valley Christian

Membership timeline

List of state champions

School	Year	Organization	Division
St. Mary's Springs	1997[12]	WISAA	Division 3
St. Mary's Springs	1998[13]	WISAA	Division 2

List of conference champions

School	Quantity	Years
Luther Prep	1	1997
St. Mary's Springs	1	1998
Edgewood	0
Fox Valley Lutheran	0
Manitowoc Lutheran	0
Winnebago Lutheran	0
Xavier	0

References

1. "Lutheran to join special conference for football". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. 13 September 1996. pp. A-8. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
2. Anderson, Eric (24 April 1997). "WIAA easily approves merger with WISAA". Racine Journal Times. p. 27. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
3. VanderPas, Dan (12 September 1996). "Headed for a new league". Appleton Post-Crescent. pp. C-3. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
4. Harlow, Judy (14 April 1997). "KML gets Parkland Conference nod". West Bend Daily News. p. 1. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
5. "Conference gets name". Appleton Post-Crescent. 15 October 1998. pp. E-8. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
6. "Notes". The La Crosse Tribune. 23 April 1998. p. 21. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
7. Hernandez, Rob (5 May 1998). "Middleton duo stick together". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 12. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
8. Lichterman, Dean (17 April 1998). "Area school officials generally pleased with latest proposals". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. p. 8. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
9. "Dawn of the three 'new' leagues". Fond du Lac Reporter. 28 November 1999. pp. D1. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
10. Zenner, Michael J. (27 August 1999). "New Kids on the Block". Fond du Lac Reporter. pp. 14 (Football '99 insert). Retrieved 14 October 2025.
11. Sommerfeldt, Todd (26 July 2001). "ECC, Flyway merge". Oshkosh Northwestern. pp. C1. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
12. "Grafton powers Springs past Luther". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. 17 November 1997. p. 23. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
13. "Roncalli rips Pacelli". Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune. 16 November 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 14 October 2025.