Approved conference realignment request will bring Durand to DSC
by Beth Kraft
At the WIAA Board of Control’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 21, final approval was given to a conference realignment request that will shift former Dunn-St. Croix Conference member St. Croix Central to the Middle Border Conference and bring Durand to the DSC.
The changes will be effective for all sports beginning this fall, a WIAA news release states.
Student enrollment sizes at both schools and travel distances were cited as the main reasons for the swap.
St. Croix Central’s enrollment is up to nearly 400 this year while Durand’s student numbers have fallen off to just over 300. Enrollment at the Middle Border schools trends toward the higher side while the largest enrollment at DSC-member schools will now be Elk Mound, which has 314 students this year.
Additionally, SCC is centrally-located to the other MBC schools and effectively removes the longest road trip for many of the DSC teams, especially Mondovi.
The Buffaloes travel about 120 miles round-trip when games are held at St. Croix Central.
Aside from the logistical arguments of comparable enrollments and windshield time, Durand’s move to the DSC will effectively renew a neighboring rivalry at the conference level that has been dormant since Mondovi left the Middle Border in the mid-90s.