Little Hawkeye Conference seeks expansion, invites seven schools for membership

The Little Hawkeye Conference wants to expand. And Newton High School has no plans to go anywhere any time soon.

The seven-team conference announced on Monday it has extended invitations to seven other schools with hopes of giving the league a strong presence for years to come.

“After Grinnell decided to leave a couple of years ago, we did not want to be in a position where if another school or two left, that the conference sustainability could be in question,” Newton Activities Director Ryan Rump said. “By adding more schools which are the right fit, we can ensure the Little Hawkeye Conference will remain intact for years to come.”

The seven schools invited to the join the LHC were Ames, Urbandale, Des Moines Christian, Nevada, Van Meter, PCM and Knoxville.

The final three already have said they won’t be coming. Van Meter told KCCI Sports Director Scott Reister that it declined the offer and Knoxville used a press release to say no to the league.

PCM appreciates the invitation and consideration, but it’s not interested in leaving the Heart of Iowa Athletic Conference.

“We are not interested in joining the Little Hawkeye Conference at this present time,” PCM Activities Director Jeremy Swink said. “PCM will continue to evaluate and have conversations regarding what is best for our students, programs and communities.”

Knoxville is currently in the South Central Conference. It left the LHC several years back to join that league. Van Meter and Des Moines Christian are part of the West Central Activities Conference and PCM and Nevada are both in the Heart of Iowa Athletic Conference.

Urbandale recently discussed at its board meeting the possibility of leaving the Central Iowa Metropolitan League. Ames left the CIML recently to join the Iowa Alliance but could be looking for better competition elsewhere.

“We invited schools we thought would be a good fit for our league and that might have mutual interest; we are hoping as a result we will have some positive movement,” Rump said. “The schools invited came about as a result of collaboration between conference and local school administrators and stakeholders. The thought of expansion is not a new idea and has been talked about many times over. Ultimately, we landed on the invited schools as being potentially good fits for our league both competitive and geographically.”

The Little Hawkeye Conference said in its joint statement that the invitation reflects their collective commitment to fostering growth, strengthening community bonds and enhancing opportunities for their students across academic, athletic and fine arts programs.

“As we explore the possibility of expanding our conference, we recognize that each of the invited schools would bring unique strengths and shared values that would contribute to the continued success of the Little Hawkeye Conference,” the league said through a joint statement. “By joining our conference, these schools would be part of an exceptional network dedicated to collaboration, competition and the development of the whole student.

“We look forward to the continued conversations with these schools and to the exciting potential this expansion brings for all involved. Together, we can continue our tradition of excellence while creating new opportunities for growth and success for every student, athlete and community member.”

With the recent loss of Grinnell, the LHC is currently at an odd number of seven schools with Newton, Dallas Center-Grimes, Indianola, Norwalk, Pella, Pella Christian and Oskaloosa.

The ideal plan would be to add at least one school to get to eight, but the league could move to divisions if it grows to at least 10.

With DCG, Indianola and Norwalk competing in the largest class for almost every sport, adding Ames and Urbandale to that side of a large-school division makes some sense.

Des Moines Christian, which is now playing in 3A for most of its athletics, is growing out of the smaller West Central Activities Conference, which includes mostly 1A and 2A programs.

There also are constant rumors about Norwalk and DCG potentially leaving the LHC eventually to join the CIML. But Norwalk rejected an invitation to the CIML a few months ago.

Rump said Newton is a happy and proud member of the LHC and has no interest in moving to another league at this time.

“I believe the Little Hawkeye Conference is the best fit for Newton, just as it has been for many years,” Rump said. “If the Little Hawkeye Conference were to go away, Newton would have options, but none of them would be as viable as our current conference affiliation in my opinion.

“Our main goal through all of this is to help the conference remain on solid ground. I think we would be pleased to see any school that has been invited join the league. Whether or not that comes to pass, we feel confident that lines of communication have been opened and the ground work has been put down for the potential to see future growth.”

Newton is part of the Little Hawkeye Conference for all sports except football. The Iowa High School Athletic Association determines football schedules and districts every two years.

Will the Iowa High School Athletic Association or the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union ever step in and be responsible for what schools compete in each conference? Rump does not think it’s going to get to that any time soon.

“The athletic associations will continue to be progressive in their thinking and that idea has come up in some conversations,” Rump said. “It’s hard to say how likely something like that would be. The model has worked well for football. I do not believe we are close to anything like that, but I would not rule it out further down the road.”