Charles City looking to form new conference after racial issues

[2speedy1]

As long as I can remember Crestwood was more of a peer to Waukon and New Hampton than Decorah.

I was born in the 80's and that's when the big population drain in north Iowa was happening. Since the mid 90's, these schools have been in the same relative position to what they are today. So it's kind of amazing that they all put up with this gap for nearly (checks notes) 30 damn years.

I agree that it sucks for Decorah. I figured that Cresco, Waukon, and Decorah would always play each other. Hell, Cresco beat Decorah in football in 2022. It's more competitive than any of those schools have been with WSR.

Keep in mind that Football doesnt play in the conferences.

Since the early 90s Iowa has used a district system that redraws by size every 2 years.

Honestly, the model works, and with the way the schools all around the state have changed, would probably be a good system to just make for all sports. Just make the football district the district for all sports.

I know this would get rid of some history, but over the last few decades schools have consolidated, grown and shrunk, and changed conferences so much that it isnt much of an issue anymore. People worried about this when they first did it for football, but it quickly was accepted and became the norm, it also made for much more fair competition.

 

[2speedy1]

Riceville… barf. Riceville can eat my shorts.

Them's fightin words!

 

[JM4CY]

Them's fightin words!

You must be from there. Tell me: how much does a lb of meth cost now a days?

 

[2speedy1]

You must be from there. Tell me: how much does a lb of meth cost now a days?

 

[AuH2O]

Keep in mind that Football doesnt play in the conferences.

Since the early 90s Iowa has used a district system that redraws by size every 2 years.

Honestly, the model works, and with the way the schools all around the state have changed, would probably be a good system to just make for all sports. Just make the football district the district for all sports.

I know this would get rid of some history, but over the last few decades schools have consolidated, grown and shrunk, and changed conferences so much that it isnt much of an issue anymore. People worried about this when they first did it for football, but it quickly was accepted and became the norm, it also made for much more fair competition.

I suppose, but the football districts still have a lot of conference overlap and have the benefit of matching enrollment. NW IA has had a couple districts dissolve just because they were so spread out, and there wasn’t a single partner that made sense. With open enrollment it doesn’t matter as much.

 

[BCClone]

Riceville… barf. Riceville can eat my shorts.

Haake kid from there might be willing. Once he gets out of jail for kiddie corn.

 

[Al_4_State]

Future of NEIC on Shaky Ground - KCHA News

The future of Iowa’s oldest high school athletic conference appears to be on its shakiest ground eve

kchanews.com

Sounds like Charles City will apply to the North Central Conference (Clear Lake, Hampton, Algona) and Waukon and New Hampton will follow Cresco to the UIC. Makes sense for all, still sucks for Decorah.

 

[BCClone]

Future of NEIC on Shaky Ground - KCHA News

The future of Iowa’s oldest high school athletic conference appears to be on its shakiest ground eve

kchanews.com

Sounds like Charles City will apply to the North Central Conference (Clear Lake, Hampton, Algona) and Waukon and New Hampton will follow Cresco to the UIC. Makes sense for all, still sucks for Decorah.

Would be nice if the NCC would take back Eagle Grove. I hate going to that town because the games are screwed up, the student section is the nastiest of any school I've ever been around, and it's non stop b'ing about everything from that school. Please take them back NCC!!

 

[CloneLawman]

New Hampton and Waukon to UIC. Cresco destroying the NEIC is pretty on point for them.

Support that statement. I smell (at a minimum) bias. I'm guessing the Cadets once stole your SO or despoiled your dog or something.

 

[BCClone]

I just hope that none of the NEIC schools that join other conferences are the biggest school in their conference. They kicked Waverly out (I'm far from a Waverly supporter) for being too big and winning too much so if they are bigger than the rest they should vote to remove themselves and be consistent.

 

[Al_4_State]

I just hope that none of the NEIC schools that join other conferences are the biggest school in their conference. They kicked Waverly out (I'm far from a Waverly supporter) for being too big and winning too much so if they are bigger than the rest they should vote to remove themselves and be consistent.

Cresco will be the biggest school in the UIC and by a similar margin to Waverly in the NEIC. It's quite hypocritical. New Hampton and Waukon joining would make that less ridiculous, because they aren't a lot smaller than Cresco, and you would then have a group of 2A football schools in Cresco, New Hampton, Waukon, and North Fayette Valley, a few 1A schools, and then the couple of 8 mans rolling around at the bottom.

Maybe they'd do divisions or something where the larger schools primarily played each other or something like that.

I do kinda wonder why the UIC would welcome this pack of larger schools.

 

[BCClone]

Cresco will be the biggest school in the UIC and by a similar margin to Waverly in the NEIC. It's quite hypocritical. New Hampton and Waukon joining would make that less ridiculous, because they aren't a lot smaller than Cresco, and you would then have a group of 2A football schools in Cresco, New Hampton, Waukon, and North Fayette Valley, a few 1A schools, and then the couple of 8 mans rolling around at the bottom.

Maybe they'd do divisions or something where the larger schools primarily played each other or something like that.

I do kinda wonder why the UIC would welcome this pack of larger schools.

Is this the conference that Rockford is going to?

 

[Al_4_State]

Is this the conference that Rockford is going to?

I would doubt that. They would be a severe geographic outlier and one of the smallest schools.

The Upper Iowa Conference is currently:
Central Elkader
Clayton Ridge
Kee of Lansing
MFL MarMac
North Fayette Valley
Postville
South Winneshiek
Turkey Valley
West Central Maynard

I just found where Rockford is going: https://northcedarreports.com/2022/08/16/r-r-mr-joining-iowa-star-conference-in-2024/

That conference is absurd geographically, but they'll have Riceville, Clarksville, and Janesville within an hour I guess. It's exclusively 8 man schools by the looks of it.

 

[Beernuts]

Good grief, this shouldn't be that hard. Just use common sense for these kids, parents, budgets, school size, etc. This is high school sports were are talking about.

 

[JM4CY]

I would doubt that. They would be a severe geographic outlier and one of the smallest schools.

The Upper Iowa Conference is currently:
Central Elkader
Clayton Ridge
Kee of Lansing
MFL MarMac
North Fayette Valley
Postville
South Winneshiek
Turkey Valley
West Central Maynard

I just found where Rockford is going: https://northcedarreports.com/2022/08/16/r-r-mr-joining-iowa-star-conference-in-2024/

That conference is absurd geographically, but they'll have Riceville, Clarksville, and Janesville within an hour I guess. It's exclusively 8 man schools by the looks of it.

The Iowa Star, geographically speaking, is absolutely insanity. I get why it exists for competitive reasons but good lord. From Riceville down to Colo-Nesco? That’s nuts.

 

[SWCy13]

Cresco will be the biggest school in the UIC and by a similar margin to Waverly in the NEIC. It's quite hypocritical. New Hampton and Waukon joining would make that less ridiculous, because they aren't a lot smaller than Cresco, and you would then have a group of 2A football schools in Cresco, New Hampton, Waukon, and North Fayette Valley, a few 1A schools, and then the couple of 8 mans rolling around at the bottom.

Maybe they'd do divisions or something where the larger schools primarily played each other or something like that.

I do kinda wonder why the UIC would welcome this pack of larger schools.

I think some of the UIC schools with more consistently solid athletic programs, enrollment numbers, socioeconomic factors, etc. like South Winn, MFL, NFV, Sumner-Fred, etc. will be fine with it. However, there's going to be a huge discrepancy in numbers of kids out when you compare Waukon, CC, & Cresco to Postville, Central, Turkey Valley, West Central, etc.

I'm a South Winn alum & my kids are just entering into the school system (oldest in Kindergarten). The consensus in talking to people around here is the school board, AD, etc. are more than OK with it as some of the competition in the conference has fallen off in recent years with dwindling numbers.

 

[Al_4_State]

The Iowa Star, geographically speaking, is absolutely insanity. I get why it exists for competitive reasons but good lord. From Riceville down to Colo-Nesco? That’s nuts.

Yeah, that's gotta be the craziest geography for a HS conference I've ever seen.

It's basically every 8 man school north of I-80, east of I-35, and outside of the Driftless Area.

 

[JP4CY]

The Iowa Star, geographically speaking, is absolutely insanity. I get why it exists for competitive reasons but good lord. From Riceville down to Colo-Nesco? That’s nuts.

Collins-Maxwell is even further. 150 miles one way.

 

[Al_4_State]

I think some of the UIC schools with more consistently solid athletic programs, enrollment numbers, socioeconomic factors, etc. like South Winn, MFL, NFV, Sumner-Fred, etc. will be fine with it. However, there's going to be a huge discrepancy in numbers of kids out when you compare Waukon, CC, & Cresco to Postville, Central, Turkey Valley, West Central, etc.

I'm a South Winn alum & my kids are just entering into the school system (oldest in Kindergarten). The consensus in talking to people around here is the school board, AD, etc. are more than OK with it as some of the competition in the conference has fallen off in recent years with dwindling numbers.

That makes sense. South Winn and MFL have been really competitive for quite awhile, and like you said, the socioeconomic situation in this area is a bit different than a lot of rural Iowa.

It's more the Turkey Valleys, Postvilles, and West Centrals that seem like they'd be in a rough spot.

 

[BCClone]

I would doubt that. They would be a severe geographic outlier and one of the smallest schools.

The Upper Iowa Conference is currently:
Central Elkader
Clayton Ridge
Kee of Lansing
MFL MarMac
North Fayette Valley
Postville
South Winneshiek
Turkey Valley
West Central Maynard

I just found where Rockford is going: https://northcedarreports.com/2022/08/16/r-r-mr-joining-iowa-star-conference-in-2024/

That conference is absurd geographically, but they'll have Riceville, Clarksville, and Janesville within an hour I guess. It's exclusively 8 man schools by the looks of it.

The Top of Iowa conference was a very stupid move for the North Iowa conference teams. Wrestling was the driver, but even that is falling apart with Belmond sending their wrestlers to Clarion, Garrigan lying about starting up a wrestling team and never having one so they could enter, Rockford leaving and the looks of others possibly joining or quitting wrestling. The NI conference was fine and the idiots who pushed for the top of Iowa should be taken behind the woodshed.