Ames High School to join Little Hawkeye Conference, leaving Iowa Alliance Conference
Ames High School is making a move.
The central Iowa school will be transitioning from the Iowa Alliance Conference to join the Little Hawkeye Athletic Conference. The decision follows an invitation extended earlier this year after informal talks about expansion began about a year ago.
Greg Eberling, superintendent of Pella Community Schools and chairman of the Little Hawkeye Conference, shared the vision behind the expansion.
"We want to have a big school and small school division," Eberling said.
He emphasized the need for growth to ensure the conference's viability and competitiveness.
The addition of Ames High School and its 1,300 students has been well-received by current Little Hawkeye Conference members, including Dallas Center-Grimes, Grinnell, Indianola, Newton, Norwalk, Oskaloosa, Pella and Pella Christian.
"Growth is a good thing," said Mike Fisher, Oskaloosa Community School District superintendent.
The hope is that more schools, including smaller ones, will join in the future.
Students at Ames High, however, have mixed opinions about the switch.
“I think this is really positive for us. Switching conferences will help us succeed," Avery Wirth, a junior at Ames, said.
"Ames is a bigger school, and those schools are a little bit smaller. I think it would be a little bit. It wouldn't be beneficial to a lot of sports," said Marley Turk, an Ames senior.
Lyle Fedders, Ames High's activities director, addressed concerns about the motives behind the move, clarifying that it is not an attempt to dominate smaller schools.
"We already play many Little Hawkeye schools in regular-season competition, and those contests are very competitive," Fedders said.
Fedders emphasized that the decision was made in the best interest of Ames High's student-athletes, reflecting the school’s commitment to providing the best opportunities for their development. He also underlined that this move does not reflect negatively on the Iowa Alliance Conference.
With the transition expected to take effect in the fall of the 2026-27 school year, the school is looking forward to a fresh start in an environment they believe aligns better with their aspirations.
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