SPORTS

Wausau East football seeks independent status

Tim Johnson
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Wausau East is moving forward with a plan of fielding an independent football program next season

WAUSAU - Wausau East should leave the Valley Football Association and field the only independent high school football team in Wisconsin, beginning next season.

That was the consensus on the future of the beleaguered program at a Monday night meeting for Wausau East football parents at the school’s auditorium.

Going with an independent schedule would mean the end of all-conference honors and a four-year playoff ban for the Lumberjacks. But East tight end/defensive end Reggie Brown, speaking during the meeting, said he was more focused on the larger picture.

"Bringing pride back to the program means more than playoff games or all-conference honors," the senior said.

Brown was part of a crowd of roughly 100 Wausau East football parents, players and coaches discussed the direction of the program for more than an hour with East principal Brad Peck and athletic director Greg Harvey. The meeting followed a denial by the WIAA to consider Wausau East's request that its football team be moved from the VFA to the Great Northern Conference, which consists of programs that are more similar in size.

RELATED: East football seeks options after WIAA denial 

RELATED: Valley Football Association may face changes 

RELATED:Wausau East football wants conference change

More than one parent brought up concern for player safety if East remains in the VFA. One parent even asked whether school leaders could pull the Lumberjacks from the conference in the midst of the current season. Harvey said that would not be considered, however.

"It was quite clear that parents care deeply about the Wausau East football program and they want to do what's best to maintain a strong program here at the school," Peck said in a phone interview Wednesday morning.

The proposal for East to operate an independent program will be presented to a school district committee Sept. 26. The Wausau School Board could give its formal approval during its regular meeting Oct. 2.

East, the smallest program in the Valley Football Association-North Division with 33 players, requested the move to the GNC in both 2014 and 2015 as it felt it is at a competitive disadvantage in the VFA. The Lumberjacks (0-4) have not won a game in the conference since Sept. 12, 2014.

Deb Hauser, the associate director of the WIAA, stated in an Aug. 15 letter addressed to Peck and Harvey that the move, “(would) place the remaining members of the Valley Football Conference in an unfavorable position — including scheduling on bye weeks,"

The independent program was one of four options presented in Monday’s meeting. The others included maintaining the status quo in the VFA-North, or remaining in the conference while forming a cooperative program either with Wausau West or Newman Catholic high school.

Harvey told the crowd that a co-op with Wausau West would likely be rejected by both the VFA and the WIAA, and a co-op with Newman Catholic would only result in the addition of roughly 20 players to the roster.

Peck said if East were to go independent, the school would continue to petition the WIAA for the football program to be placed in the GNC.

"I'll send (the WIAA) a letter twice a month" requesting the change, Peck said during the meeting.

East would not need WIAA approval to run an independent program. But the move would not come without  consequences either.  An independent move would leave East ineligible for playoff consideration for four years, and the WIAA could punish East's other athletic programs as a result of  the football team leaving the conference. The other programs could lose conference schedules and postseason play for two seasons.

Harvey told the crowd East's position on that issue of the football team is independent from the other athletic programs at the school, since the football team competes in the VFA while other athletic programs are members of the Wisconsin Valley Conference.

Harvey and Peck both said if the other athletic programs are ultimately at risk of being penalized, the school would pull back on the declaration of going independent for football.

Tim Johnson: 715-845-0731, or timothy.johnson@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter@timmyjo11