# Cloverbelt Conference

The Cloverbelt Conference is a high school athletic conference with its membership base concentrated in west central Wisconsin. Founded in 1927, the conference and its member schools are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

## History
### Origins (1927-1945)

The Cloverbelt Conference, originally known as the Wisconsin Clover Belt Interscholastic League, was formed in 1927 by five small high schools in west central Wisconsin: Boyd, Cadott, Owen, Stanley and Thorp. Original member schools were located in Chippewa County and Clark County. Cornell joined the Cloverbelt Conference in 1928, bringing the loop to six members. In 1933, the conference added Gilman and Lake Holcombe to its membership roster, and subdivided into Eastern and Western divisions:
| Eastern Cloverbelt | Western Cloverbelt |
| Gilman | Boyd |
| Owen | Cadott |
| Stanley | Cornell |
| Thorp | Lake Holcombe |
Withee became the ninth member of the Cloverbelt Conference in 1938 and were assigned to the Eastern Cloverbelt. Gilman moved to the Western Cloverbelt that same year. Neillsville accepted conference membership in 1945 and joined the Eastern Cloverbelt, giving each division five member schools:
| Eastern Cloverbelt | Western Cloverbelt |
| Neillsville | Boyd |
| Owen | Cadott |
| Stanley | Cornell |
| Thorp | Gilman |
| Withee | Lake Holcombe |

### Post-war realignment (1945-1964)

After World War II, rural school district consolidation began to affect members of the Cloverbelt Conference. Lake Holcombe left the Western Cloverbelt to join the new Flambeauland Conference in 1946, with Altoona replacing them after having previously competed in the Little Eight Conference. In 1948, Boyd was consolidated into Stanley (though the school wouldn't be renamed until 1965), and another former Little Eight member (Fall Creek) took their place in the Western Cloverbelt. The Cloverbelt Conference remained a ten-school league until 1955, when Owen and Withee merged, with the new school inheriting Owen's membership in the Eastern Cloverbelt. Elk Mound joined the next year from the Dunn-St. Croix Conference as the Cloverbelt's tenth school, becoming members of the Western Cloverbelt with Gilman shifting back to the Eastern Cloverbelt:
| Eastern Cloverbelt | Western Cloverbelt |
| Gilman | Altoona |
| Neillsville | Cadott |
| Owen-Withee | Cornell |
| Stanley | Elk Mound |
| Thorp | Fall Creek |
Elk Mound's stay in the Cloverbelt would be brief, as they returned to the Dunn-St. Croix Conference in 1961. In 1962, the Cloverbelt Conference accepted four new members who were displaced by the dissolution of the nearby 3-C Conference: Colby, Dor-Abby, Greenwood and Loyal. All four schools joined the Eastern Cloverbelt with Gilman and Stanley moving over to the Western Cloverbelt:
| Eastern Cloverbelt | Western Cloverbelt |
| Colby | Altoona |
| Dor-Abby | Cadott |
| Greenwood | Cornell |
| Loyal | Fall Creek |
| Neillsville | Gilman |
| Owen-Withee | Stanley |
| Thorp | |

### Conference expansion (1964-1982)

Dor-Abby would become the new Abbotsford High School in 1964 after the merger between Dorchester and Abbotsford that had taken place three years earlier was ended. Lake Holcombe rejoined the Western Cloverbelt in 1965, giving each division seven schools. This alignment would be short-lived, as Abbotsford left in 1966 to join the Marawood Conference. Lake Holcombe exited in 1970 to become a member of the Lakeland Conference, and the conference competed as a twelve-member league for the first half of the 1970s:
| Eastern Cloverbelt | Western Cloverbelt |
| Colby | Altoona |
| Greenwood | Cadott |
| Loyal | Cornell |
| Neillsville | Fall Creek |
| Owen-Withee | Gilman |
| Thorp | Stanley-Boyd |
Colby left the Cloverbelt Conference in 1976 to join an expanded Lumberjack Conference, but their membership only lasted for two seasons. They returned in 1978, bringing three former Lumberjack members with them: Auburndale, Mosinee and Nekoosa. All four schools took up residence in the Eastern Cloverbelt with Thorp moving to the Western Cloverbelt to accommodate the expansion:
| Eastern Cloverbelt | Western Cloverbelt |
| Auburndale | Altoona |
| Colby | Cadott |
| Greenwood | Cornell |
| Loyal | Fall Creek |
| Mosinee | Gilman |
| Neillsville | Stanley-Boyd |
| Nekoosa | Thorp |
| Owen-Withee | |

### Minor adjustments and WISAA merger (1982-2008)

Nekoosa was only a Cloverbelt member for four years before they left to join the South Central Conference in 1982, leaving the conference with fourteen member schools. Osseo-Fairchild would move over from the Dairyland Conference in 1986 with Thorp returning to their former home in the Eastern Cloverbelt. Augusta's entry to the Western Cloverbelt from the Dairyland in 1990 gave the conference sixteen members:
| Eastern Cloverbelt | Western Cloverbelt |
| Auburndale | Altoona |
| Colby | Augusta |
| Greenwood | Cadott |
| Loyal | Cornell |
| Mosinee | Fall Creek |
| Neillsville | Gilman |
| Owen-Withee | Osseo-Fairchild |
| Thorp | Stanley-Boyd |
This alignment would remain in place for most of the 1990s, the first change was Cornell's exit in 1998 to join the Lakeland Conference. In 2000, Auburndale left to rejoin the Marawood Conference, and two schools who were former members of WISAA and the Central Wisconsin Catholic Conference joined the Cloverbelt: McDonell Central Catholic in Chippewa Falls and Regis in Eau Claire. Both schools took up residence in the Western Cloverbelt with Stanley-Boyd shifting to the Eastern Cloverbelt:
| Eastern Cloverbelt | Western Cloverbelt |
| Colby | Altoona |
| Greenwood | Augusta |
| Loyal | Cadott |
| Mosinee | Fall Creek |
| Neillsville | Gilman |
| Owen-Withee | McDonell Central Catholic |
| Stanley-Boyd | Osseo-Fairchild |
| Thorp | Regis |

### Present day (2008-present)

In 2008, the Cloverbelt Conference added three former Marawood Conference members to its stable: Columbus Catholic in Marshfield, Granton and Spencer. All three schools joined the Eastern Cloverbelt, with Stanley-Boyd and Thorp moving to the Western Cloverbelt and Augusta shifting to the Eastern Cloverbelt. With the loss of Mosinee to the new Great Northern Conference, the Cloverbelt Conference now had eighteen member schools on its roster:
| Eastern Cloverbelt | Western Cloverbelt |
| Augusta | Altoona |
| Colby | Cadott |
| Columbus Catholic | Fall Creek |
| Granton | Gilman |
| Greenwood | McDonell Central Catholic |
| Loyal | Osseo-Fairchild |
| Neillsville | Regis |
| Owen-Withee | Stanley-Boyd |
| Spencer | Thorp |
Augusta would make its return to the Dairyland Conference in 2014, and Gilman shifted to the Eastern Cloverbelt after six decades as Western Cloverbelt members. In 2021, Altoona accepted an invitation to join larger schools in the Middle Border Conference, with Bloomer moving over from the Heart O' North Conference to replace them. Currently, the Cloverbelt Conference has seventeen member schools, with Elk Mound planning to rejoin the Cloverbelt Conference in 2025 to replace Osseo-Fairchild after they leave to reenter the Dairyland Conference:
| Eastern Cloverbelt | Western Cloverbelt |
| Colby | Bloomer |
| Columbus Catholic | Cadott |
| Gilman | Fall Creek |
| Granton | McDonell Central Catholic |
| Greenwood | Osseo-Fairchild |
| Loyal | Regis |
| Neillsville | Stanley-Boyd |
| Owen-Withee | Thorp |
| Spencer | |

## List of conference members
### Current members

| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Joined |
| Bloomer | Bloomer, WI | Public | 429 | Blackhawks | 2021 |
| Cadott | Cadott, WI | Public | 260 | Hornets | 1927 |
| Colby | Colby, WI | Public | 309 | Hornets | 1962, 1978 |
| Columbus Catholic | Marshfield, WI | Private (Catholic) | 146 | Dons | 2008 |
| Fall Creek | Fall Creek, WI | Public | 243 | Crickets | 1948 |
| Gilman | Gilman, WI | Public | 97 | Pirates | 1933 |
| Granton | Granton, WI | Public | 62 | Bulldogs | 2008 |
| Greenwood | Greenwood, WI | Public | 112 | Indians | 1962 |
| Loyal | Loyal, WI | Public | 163 | Greyhounds | 1962 |
| McDonell Central Catholic | Chippewa Falls, WI | Private (Catholic) | 206 | Macks | 2000 |
| Neillsville | Neillsville, WI | Public | 269 | Warriors | 1945 |
| Osseo-Fairchild | Osseo, WI | Public | 255 | Thunder | 1986 |
| Owen-Withee | Owen, WI | Public | 126 | Blackhawks | 1955 |
| Regis | Eau Claire, WI | Private (Catholic) | 210 | Ramblers | 2000 |
| Spencer | Spencer, WI | Public | 220 | Rockets | 2008 |
| Stanley-Boyd | Stanley, WI | Public | 337 | Orioles | 1927 |
| Thorp | Thorp, WI | Public | 170 | Cardinals | 1927 |

### Former members

| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
| Boyd | Boyd, WI | Public | N/A | Bees | 1927 | 1948 | Closed (consolidated into Stanley) | Closed (consolidated into Stanley) |
| Owen | Owen, WI | Public | N/A | Eagles | 1927 | 1955 | Closed (merged into Owen-Withee) | Closed (merged into Owen-Withee) |
| Cornell | Cornell, WI | Public | 111 | Chiefs | 1928 | 1998 | Lakeland | Lakeland |
| Lake Holcombe | Lake Holcombe, WI | Public | 90 | Chieftains | 1933, 1965 | 1946, 1970 | Flambeauland, Lakeland | Lakeland |
| Withee | Withee, WI | Public | N/A | Bluejays | 1938 | 1955 | Closed (merged into Owen-Withee) | Closed (merged into Owen-Withee) |
| Altoona | Altoona, WI | Public | 560 | Railroaders | 1946 | 2021 | Middle Border | Middle Border |
| Elk Mound | Elk Mound, WI | Public | 344 | Mounders | 1956 | 1961 | Dunn-St. Croix | Dunn-St. Croix |
| Dor-Abby | Abbotsford, WI | Public | N/A | Falcons | 1962 | 1964 | Merger dissolved, became Abbotsford | Merger dissolved, became Abbotsford |
| Abbotsford | Abbotsford, WI | Public | 244 | Falcons | 1964 | 1966 | Marawood | Marawood |
| Auburndale | Auburndale, WI | Public | 229 | Eagles | 1978 | 2000 | Marawood | Marawood |
| Mosinee | Mosinee, WI | Public | 621 | Indians | 1978 | 2008 | Great Northern | Great Northern |
| Nekoosa | Nekoosa, WI | Public | 295 | Papermakers | 1978 | 1982 | South Central | South Central |
| Augusta | Augusta, WI | Public | 226 | Beavers | 1990 | 2014 | Dairyland | Dairyland |

### Future members

| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joining | Former Conference |
| Elk Mound | Elk Mound, WI | Public | 344 | Mounders | | 2025 | Dunn-St. Croix |

## Membership timeline

Eastern Cloverbelt Western Cloverbelt

## Fall sports
### Football

In 1939, Cadott, Cornell, Thorp and Withee start playing 6 man football as the Cloverbelt Conference. In 1964, the Cloverbelt Conference was separated into two divisions, East and West. This was changed to Large and Small Divisions in 1978 when Auburndale, Colby, Mosinee, and Nekoosa joined the conference. At the end of the 2007-08 athletic season, the area underwent a major conference realignment. Some of the schools in the Cloverbelt Conference merged with some of the schools from the Marawood Conference to form the CloverWood Conference (football only). In 2016, McDonell Central opted to go to an 8 man football team that should start play in the 2018 season.
Pre-realignment:
* Large Cloverbelt: Altoona, Cadott, Colby, Fall Creek, Neillsville, Osseo-Fairchild, Stanley-Boyd, Mosinee
* Small Cloverbelt: Augusta, Gilman, Greenwood, Loyal, McDonell, Owen-Withee, Regis, Thorp
Post-realignment:
* Cloverbelt: Colby, Stanley-Boyd, Eau Claire Regis, Altoona, Osseo-Fairchild, Fall Creek, Spencer/Columbus Catholic, Neillsville/Granton, Cadott.
* CloverWood: Abbotsford, Assumption, Athens, Gilman, Greenwood, Loyal, Owen-Withee, Thorp
State champions
* Cadott 1999(D-4); Colby 1998(D-4), 2008(D-5), 2011(D-5); Fall Creek 1993(D-5), 1994(D-5); Greenwood 1990(D-6); Mosinee 1980(D-4), 1981(D-4); Osseo-Fairchild 1996(D-5), 2000(D-5); Owen-Withee 1992(D-6), 1999(D-6), Regis 2003(D-7), 2016 (D-6); Stanley-Boyd 1991(D-5), 1995(D-5), 2013(D-5); Thorp 1993(D-6)

### Boys' cross country

* Altoona, Cadott, Colby/Abbotsford, Columbus Catholic, Fall Creek, Loyal/Greenwood, McDonell Central, Neillsville/Granton, Osseo-Fairchild, Owen-Withee, Regis, Spencer, Stanley-Boyd, Thorp
State champion
* McDonell Central 2001(D-3)

### Girls' cross country

* Girls: Altoona, Cadott, Colby/Abbotsford, Columbus Catholic, Fall Creek, Loyal/Greenwood, McDonell Central, Neillsville/Granton, Osseo-Fairchild, Owen-Withee, Regis, Spencer, Stanley-Boyd, Thorp
State champions
* Fall Creek 1997(D-3)

### Volleyball

* East Division: Colby, Columbus Catholic, Gilman, Greenwood, Loyal, Neillsville/Granton, Owen-Withee, Spencer
* West Division: Altoona, Cadott, Fall Creek, McDonell Central, Osseo-Fairchild, Regis, Stanley-Boyd, Thorp
State champions
* Loyal 1979(C), McDonell Central 2009(D-4), Regis 2013(D-3), Stanley-Boyd 2006(D-3)

## Winter sports
### Basketball

* East Division: Colby, Columbus Catholic, Gilman, Granton, Greenwood, Loyal, Neillsville, Owen-Withee, Spencer
* West Division: Altoona, Cadott, Fall Creek, McDonell Central, Osseo-Fairchild, Regis, Stanley-Boyd, Thorp
State champions-boys
* Altoona 1939(C); Auburndale 1993(D-3), 2000(D-3); Fall Creek 1937(C), 1984(C), 1985(C); Greenwood 1988(C); McDonell Central 2015(D-5); Thorp 2014(D-5)
State champions-girls
* Altoona 2011(D-3); Augusta 1996(D-4); Fall Creek 1985(C), 1987(C), 1988(C), 1996(D-3); Loyal 2017(D-5); Neillsville 2012(D-4); Regis 2011(D-4)

### Wrestling

For wrestling, although there are three divisions in the WIAA, some small schools have merged programs to have enough students to compete. The Conference consists of Abbotsford/Colby, Cadott, Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal, Osseo-Fairchild/Augusta/Fall Creek, Altoona/Regis, Spencer/Columbus Catholic, Stanley-Boyd/Owen-Withee, Thorp
State champions
* Cadott 2001(D-3), 2007(D-3)

## Spring sports
### Baseball

* East Division: Colby, Columbus Catholic, Gilman, Granton, Greenwood, Loyal, Neillsville, Owen-Withee, Spencer
* West Division: Altoona, Cadott, Fall Creek, McDonell Central, Osseo-Fairchild, Regis, Stanley-Boyd, Thorp
State champions
* Greenwood 1988(C), 1990(C), 2013(D-4)

### Golf

* Altoona, Cadott, Colby, Fall Creek, McDonell Central/Regis, Neillsville/Loyal, Osseo-Fairchild, Spencer/Columbus Catholic, Stanley-Boyd, Thorp
State champions
* Mosinee 1995(D-2), Osseo-Fairchild 1994(D-3), 1995(D-3), 1996(D-3), 1999(D-3), 2000(D-3), 2003(D-3), 2004(D-3), 2006(D-3), 2013(D-3)

### Softball

* East Division: Colby/Abbotsford, Columbus Catholic, Gilman, Greenwood, Loyal, Neillsville/Granton, Owen-Withee, Spencer
* West Division: Altoona, Cadott, Fall Creek, McDonell Central, Osseo-Fairchild, Regis, Stanley-Boyd, Thorp
State champions
* Altoona 2001 (D-2); Loyal 1978(B), 1979(B), 1980(B); McDonell Central 2008 (D-4), 2017 (D-5); Thorp 2016(D-5), Fall Creek 2024 (D-4)