The Big East Conference is a high school athletic conference comprising small high schools in east central Wisconsin. Formed in 2015, all members are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History The Big East Conference was formed in 2015 from the merger of two previously established conferences for small high schools in east central Wisconsin. Nine schools in the Central Lakeshore Conference (Cedar Grove-Belgium, Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah, Howards Grove, Kohler, Oostburg, Ozaukee, Random Lake, Sheboygan Christian and Sheboygan Lutheran) joined with five smallest schools in the former Olympian Conference (Hilbert, Manitowoc Lutheran, Mishicot, Reedsville and St. Mary Catholic) to form the current fourteen-member circuit. For most sports, the Big East Conference is subdivided into North and South Divisions: North DivisionSouth DivisionElkhart Lake-GlenbeulahCedar Grove-BelgiumHilbertKohlerHowards GroveOostburgManitowoc LutheranOzaukeeMishicotRandom LakeReedsvilleSheboygan ChristianSt. Mary CatholicSheboygan Lutheran
Football-only alignment The Big East Conference's initial football lineup featured two cooperative programs due to the small size of its member schools. Hilbert and Stockbridge joined forces for football until the 2017 season, and three programs (Kohler, Sheboygan Christian and Sheboygan Lutheran) combined to form KLC Football. The only full member to have never participated in football is Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah, who has sponsored eight-player football since 2012. When St. Mary Catholic entered into a cooperative with Valley Christian in Oshkosh in 2017, they transitioned into eight-player football and left the conference the year after.
In February 2019, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association, the WIAA released a sweeping football-only realignment for Wisconsin to commence with the 2020 football season and run on a two-year cycle. The Big East Conference lost two of its ten football members to realignment: KLC to the Eastern Wisconsin Conference and Mishicot to the Packerland Conference . The eight remaining schools (Cedar Grove-Belgium, Hilbert, Howards Grove, Manitowoc Lutheran, Oostburg, Ozaukee, Random Lake and Reedsville) continued on and maintained this alignment through the 2022-2023 realignment cycle. In 2024, Ozaukee and Random Lake entered into a cooperative agreement to run a joint football program, leaving the Big East Conference with seven football-playing members. That number will increase back to eight for the 2026-2027 cycle, with full members Mishicot rejoining from the Packerland Conference.
List of member schools
SchoolLocationAffiliationEnrollmentMascotColorsJoinedDivisionCedar Grove-BelgiumCedar Grove, WIPublic280Rockets 2015SouthElkhart Lake-GlenbeulahElkhart Lake, WIPublic146Resorters 2015NorthHilbertHilbert, WIPublic167Wolves 2015NorthHowards GroveHowards Grove, WIPublic291Tigers 2015NorthKohlerKohler, WIPublic231Blue Bombers 2015SouthManitowoc LutheranManitowoc, WIPrivate (Lutheran, WELS)303Lancers 2015NorthMishicotMishicot, WIPublic281Indians 2015NorthOostburgOostburg, WIPublic330Flying Dutchmen 2015SouthOzaukeeFredonia, WIPublic207Warriors 2015SouthRandom LakeRandom Lake, WIPublic190Rams 2015SouthReedsvilleReedsville, WIPublic177Panthers 2015NorthSheboygan ChristianSheboygan, WIPrivate (Non-denominational Christian)179Eagles 2015SouthSheboygan LutheranSheboygan, WIPrivate (Lutheran, LCMS)175Crusaders 2015SouthSt. Mary CatholicNeenah, WIPrivate (Catholic)290Zephyrs 2015North
Membership timeline
Football members
Membership map
Sponsored sports Cedar Grove-Belgium●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah●●●●●●●●●●●●●Hilbert●●●●●●●●●●Howards Grove●●●●●●●●●●●●●Kohler●●●●●●●●●●●Manitowoc Lutheran●●●●●●●●●●●●●Mishicot●●●●●●●●●●●●●Oostburg●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●Ozaukee●●●●●●●●●●●●●●Random Lake●●●●●●●●●●●●●Reedsville●●●●●●●●●●●●●Sheboygan Christian●●●●●●●●Sheboygan Lutheran●●●●●●●●●●●St. Mary Catholic●●●●●●●●●●●●
Notes
List of state champions
Fall sports +Boys Cross CountrySchoolYearDivisionKohler2022Division 3Kohler2023Division 3Cedar Grove-Belgium2024Division 3Kohler2024Division 2
+Girls Cross CountrySchoolYearDivisionKohler2024Division 3
+FootballSchoolYearDivisionReedsville2021Division 7
+Boys SoccerSchoolYearDivisionSheboygan Christian/Sheboygan Lutheran2021Division 4Oostburg2025Division 4
+Girls VolleyballSchoolYearDivisionHowards Grove2016Division 3Howards Grove2019Division 3Howards Grove2020Division 3Howards Grove2021Division 3Howards Grove2022Division 3Manitowoc Lutheran2024Division 4Manitowoc Lutheran2025Division 3
Winter sports +Boys BasketballSchoolYearDivisionSheboygan Lutheran2019Division 5Reedsville2026Division 5
+Girls BasketballSchoolYearDivisionHowards Grove2017Division 4Mishicot2021Division 4Oostburg2025Division 3Oostburg2026Division 3
Spring sports +BaseballSchoolYearDivisionSt. Mary Catholic2016Division 3Cedar Grove-Belgium2026Division 3
+Boys GolfSchoolYearDivisionKohler2021Division 3Kohler2022Division 3Kohler2026Division 3
+Girls SoccerSchoolYearDivisionCedar Grove-Belgium2024Division 4
List of conference champions
Boys Basketball SchoolQuantityYearsHowards Grove62016, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025Oostburg62019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2025, 2026Sheboygan Lutheran52019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025Kohler32023, 2024, 2025Hilbert22017, 2020Reedsville22022, 2026Manitowoc Lutheran12020St. Mary Catholic12021Cedar Grove-Belgium0Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah0Mishicot0Ozaukee0Random Lake0Sheboygan Christian0
Girls Basketball SchoolQuantityYearsOostburg92016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026St. Mary Catholic52022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026Howards Grove42017, 2019, 2020, 2021Mishicot22019, 2020Manitowoc Lutheran12025Cedar Grove-Belgium0Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah0Hilbert0Kohler0Ozaukee0Random Lake0Reedsville0Sheboygan Christian0Sheboygan Lutheran0
Football SchoolQuantityYearsCedar Grove-Belgium52017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2024Reedsville32020, 2021, 2023Hilbert22019, 2021Hilbert/Stockbridge22015, 2016Manitowoc Lutheran12025Howards Grove0KLC0Mishicot0Oostburg0Ozaukee0Random Lake0Random Lake/Ozaukee0St. Mary Catholic0
References
External links Big East Conference (official site)