Glenwood To Remain In Hawkeye 10 Conference

As high school athletic conference realignment rumors swirl, Glenwood has solidified its place in the Hawkeye 10 Conference - just as that conference announces its desire to expand.

According to multiple published reports, Glenwood was invited to join the Missouri River Conference last month. In an interview last week, Glenwood Activities Director Jeff Bissen said Glenwood has declined that invitation and will remain in the Hawkeye 10 Conference, the athletic league it has called home since the 1950s.

Bissen said there was little interest among varsity coaches in leaving the conference in addition to concerns about the potential for increased travel and minimal middle school opportunities due to proximity.

“Rivalries in high school athletics are what makes high school what it is today,” Bissen said. “You’ll never see the same crowd for a Glenwood vs. Lewis Central game as you will for an AAU or club event. Rivalries are good for the sport.”

In a press release last week, the Hawkeye 10 Conference announced it has extended invitations to Carroll and Treynor to join the conference.

Following a meeting July 7, the conference announced both districts have been formally invited to join and have until Sept. 1 to formally indicate their interest in becoming members of the Hawkeye 10. Carroll currently competes in the Racoon RiverConference while Treynor is a part of the Western Iowa Conference.

According to the press release, the Hawkeye 10 Conference considered several schools for expansion, but no other invitations have been sent out at this time.

“This decision aligns with the conference’s previously announced plan to restructure the league into large and small school divisions,” read the release. “The addition of Carroll and Treynor would support this effort and help foster a more balanced and sustainable competitive environment for all member schools.”

Neither school district has yet to formally announce a decision.

Bissen said Treynor and Carroll were previously invited to join the conference 13 years ago along with Council Bluffs St. Albert. St. Albert joined the league at the time but both Carroll and Treynor declined.

This time around, the Hawkeye 10 Conference is facing contraction with both Shenandoah and Red Oak considering moves to the Western Iowa Conference.

Potentially adding Carroll and Treynor makes sense, Bissen said.

“Many factors go into what makes the best addition including current and future school enrollment, the levels of seventh through 12th grade programs they can play and travel distance to name a few,” Bissen said. “Ultimately, having an even number in the conference is best for conference scheduling purposes.”

Conference realignment isn’t likely done and that timing can be tricky.

The Western Iowa Conference has invited nearly a dozen schools to join and has put an Aug. 1 deadline on those invitations.

Glenwood was also among a group of schools that also included Council Bluffs Lewis Central, Harlan and Denison invited to join the Missouri River Conference. That conference is currently comprised of Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, Council Bluffs

Thomas Jefferson, Sioux City East, Sioux City North, Sioux City West, Bishop Heelan Catholic, Sergeant Bluff-Luton and LeMars.

However, Bissen added, change is inevitable.

“We have to try to stay ahead of it and be prepared to adjust when it does. At the end of the day, each school has to do what is in their best interest for their school, kids, programs and community.” 

If Glenwood were to have accepted the invitation, according to Bissen, they would have gone from the third largest school in Hawkeye 10 Conference to the third smallest in the Missouri River Conference. The top four MRC schools also double Glenwood’s enrollment and with the top six in the conference pulling from populations of 85,000 (Sioux City) and 62,000 (Council Bluffs).

“I have been associated with the H-10 my whole life and it’s hard to imagine change,” said Bissen, a Harlan graduate. “However, I think you’ll see more of this moving forward as the schools outside of the metro continue to decline in enrollment.”