# East Central Conference

The East Central Conference is a high school athletic conference in Wisconsin. Originally founded in 1970, it was disbanded in 2001 and remained defunct until its reconstitution in 2015. It will be disbanded after 2024-25 school year, and all members in both incarnations belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

## History
### 1970–2001

The East Central Conference was founded in 1970 by eight medium-sized high schools in east central Wisconsin: Berlin, Hortonville, New London, Omro, Ripon, Waupaca, Weyauwega and Winneconne. In 1973, Weyauwega left the ECC to rejoin the Central Wisconsin Conference, and Little Chute joined from the CWC as their replacement the following year. In 1979, New London exited for membership in the Bay Conference with Wautoma moving over from the CWC to maintain an eight-member conference. The all-sport membership roster would remain intact for the next twenty years, until in 1999, Hortonville, Little Chute and Waupaca became charter members of the Valley 8 Conference. Laconia and Markesan joined the ECC from the neighboring Flyway Conference to take the vacated members' place. Two years later, the seven schools of the East Central Conference merged with the nine members of the Flyway Conference to form the East Central Flyway Conference.

### 2015–2025

During the realignment of several conferences within northeastern Wisconsin, eight schools (Berlin, Campbellsport, Kewaskum, Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Plymouth, Ripon, Waupun and Winneconne) joined together to form a new East Central Conference. Three of the members of the new ECC were members of the original conference (Berlin, Ripon and Winneconne). In 2021, Campbellsport left the East Central Conference to join the Wisconsin Flyway Conference, leaving the ECC with seven members. That same year, Berlin and Ripon requested a move to the nearby South Central Conference due to declining enrollment and competitive disparity. It was also requested by Winneconne to move the growing school to the Bay Conference as long as West De Pere left as it requested to leave. Both request were denied by the WIAA Task force due to no solution to move Plymouth, Kewaskum, Kettle Moraine Lutheran and Waupun. In December 2023 a similar request was filed on the likes of Berlin, Ripon and Winneconne, however Kettle Moraine Lutheran requested to move the growing school to the Metro Classic and Kewaskum and Plymouth to the North Shore and sending Waupun to the Capitol Conference. After some deliberation the final decision was moving Berlin and Ripon to the South Central, Waupun to the Capitol and Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Kewaskum and Plymouth would form the Glacier Trails Conference with Sheboygan South, Port Washington, West Bend East and West Bend West once again disbanding the East Central Conference.

## Conference membership history
### 1970-2001

| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
| Berlin | Berlin, WI | Public | 474 | Indians | 1970 | 2001 | East Central Flyway | South Central (2025) |
| Hortonville | Hortonville, WI | Public | 1,232 | Polar Bears | 1970 | 1999 | Valley 8 | Fox Valley Association |
| New London | New London, WI | Public | 712 | Bulldogs | 1970 | 1979 | Bay | Bay |
| Omro | Omro, WI | Public | 333 | Foxes | 1970 | 2001 | East Central Flyway | Wisconsin Flyway |
| Ripon | Ripon, WI | Public | 484 | Tigers | 1970 | 2001 | East Central Flyway | South Central (2025) |
| Waupaca | Waupaca, WI | Public | 589 | Comets | 1970 | 1999 | Valley 8 | North Eastern |
| Weyauwega | Weyauwega, WI | Public | 291 | Indians | 1970 | 1973 | Central Wisconsin | Central Wisconsin |
| Winneconne | Winneconne, WI | Public | 551 | Wolves | 1970 | 2001 | East Central Flyway | Bay (2025) |
| Little Chute | Little Chute, WI | Public | 514 | Mustangs | 1974 | 1999 | Valley 8 | North Eastern |
| Wautoma | Wautoma, WI | Public | 381 | Hornets | 1979 | 2001 | East Central Flyway | South Central |
| Laconia | Rosendale, WI | Public | 317 | Spartans | 1999 | 2001 | East Central Flyway | Wisconsin Flyway |
| Markesan | Markesan, WI | Public | 254 | Hornets | 1999 | 2001 | East Central Flyway | Trailways |

### 2015-2025

| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Joined | Left | Conference Joined |
| Berlin | Berlin, WI | Public | 474 | Indians | 2015 | 2025 | South Central (2025) |
| Campbellsport | Campbellsport, WI | Public | 470 | Cougars | 2015 | 2021 | Wisconsin Flyway |
| Kettle Moraine Lutheran | Jackson, WI | Private (Lutheran, WELS) | 553 | Chargers | 2015 | 2025 | Glacier Trails (2025) |
| Kewaskum | Kewaskum, WI | Public | 572 | Indians | 2015 | 2025 | Glacier Trails (2025) |
| Plymouth | Plymouth, WI | Public | 746 | Panthers | 2015 | 2025 | Glacier Trails (2025) |
| Ripon | Ripon, WI | Public | 484 | Tigers | 2015 | 2025 | South Central (2025) |
| Waupun | Waupun, WI | Public | 573 | Warriors | 2015 | 2025 | Capitol (2025) |
| Winneconne | Winneconne, WI | Public | 551 | Wolves | 2015 | 2025 | Bay (2025) |