SHENANDOAH, Iowa (KMTV) — Population changes in Southwest Iowa are reshaping decades-old athletic traditions as the Shenandoah school district prepares to leave the Hawkeye 10 Conference after nearly a century.
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The district will join the Western Iowa Conference (WIC), which includes smaller schools such as Tri-Center and Treynor.
"If you looked at numbers along it just makes a lot of sense to join a conference in which schools have similar sized enrollments," said Jon Weinrich, Shenandoah activities director.
Weinrich explained that competing against larger schools in the current conference has been challenging for Shenandoah athletes.
"We have some long nights when we've gone to a Lewis Central or a Glenwood, and played three games, and none of them were particularly close," Weinrich said.
Derek Martin, who covers local sports for KMA and has children in the district, explained the classification differences within the Hawkeye 10 Conference are about more than just enrollment numbers.
"And after that, the Iowa High School Athletic Association adds a socio-economic factor into how they class teams and so Shenandoah then drops from class 2A down to 1A," Martin said.
For context, state champs Lewis Central is considered a 4A team, but currently competes in the same conference as smaller districts like Shenandoah and Red Oak.
Local parent Matt Sells has two teenage boys and coaches youth sports. He has witnessed the enrollment disparity firsthand.
"It was obvious early on when we're scheduling Lewis Central for a sixth grade game and they show up with 40 kids and we have eight," Sells said.
Adam Wright, a Shenandoah graduate and father of four, also supports the conference switch.
"I played in the Hawkeye 10, and I kind of watched the Hawkeye 10 outgrow Shenandoah, and I think it's just important that we give our kids the best chance to be successful and still compete at a high level," Wright said.
Meanwhile, some larger schools in the Hawkeye 10, including Lewis Central, could potentially move to the Missouri River Conference and play larger schools.
"It's just common sense looking at the numbers," Martin said of the planned shift to WIC.
The conference realignment won't happen immediately and the state will have the final say in approving the changes.
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