War Eagle Conference
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The War Eagle Conference is a 11-team high school athletic conference in Northwest Iowa. The schools are classified as 1A and 2A, the two smallest classes in Iowa. The conference is widely recognized as one of the best small school baseball conferences in the state, often sending multiple teams to the state tournament. The WEC has also been successful in boys basketball housing multiple state champions, the most recent being South O’Brien boys in 2015–16 as Class 1A state champions at a record of 25–3. Remsen St. Mary’s has been the most recent qualifiers the past two seasons (2016 and 2017)
{{Infobox sports league
| name = War Eagle Conference
| division = 1A and 2A
| teams = 11
| sports = 13
| mens = 7
| womens = 6
| region = Northwest Iowa
| website = {{URL|http://www.wareagleconference.org}}
}}
List of member schools
| class="wikitable" border="1" |
| School
! Location ! Affiliation ! Mascot ! Colors ! 2024-2025 BEDS{{cite web | url=https://www.iahsaa.org/classifications/ | title=IHSAA: Classifications }} |
|---|
| Akron–Westfield
| Akron | Public | Westerners | {{Color box|#FF2400|border=silver}} {{Color box|black|border=silver}} | 142 |
| Gehlen Catholic
| Le Mars | Private | Jays | {{Color box|Green|border=silver}} {{Color box|Gold|border=silver}} | 102 |
| George–Little Rock
| George | Public | Mustangs | {{Color box|#FF2400|border=silver}} {{Color box|black|border=silver}} | 81 |
| Harris–Lake Park
| Public | Wolves | {{Color box|royalblue|border=silver}} {{Color box|white|border=silver}} | 75 |
| Hartley–Melvin–Sanborn
| Hartley | Public | Hawks | {{Color box|maroon|border=silver}} {{Color box|gold|border=silver}} | 154 |
| Hinton
| Hinton | Public | Blackhawks | {{Color box|black|border=silver}} {{Color box|gold|border=silver}} | 184 |
| MMCRU
| Marcus | Public | Royals | {{Color box|royalblue|border=silver}} {{Color box|white|border=silver}} | 160 |
| South O'Brien
| Paullina | Public | Wolverines | {{Color box|black|border=silver}} {{Color box|silver|border=silver}} | 124 |
| St. Mary's Catholic
| Remsen | Private | Hawks | {{Color box|royalblue|border=silver}} {{Color box|white|border=silver}} | 36 |
| Trinity Christian
| Hull | Private | Tigers | {{Color box|#006400|border=silver}} {{Color box|white|border=silver}} | 52 |
| West Sioux
| Hawarden | Public | Falcons | {{Color box|red|border=silver}} {{Color box|white|border=silver}} {{Color box|blue|border=silver}} | 181 |
History
After years of stability as a ten-team league, 2009 saw the league add Remsen-Union (formerly of the Western Valley Activities Conference) and Hartley–Melvin–Sanborn (formerly a Siouxland Conference member).{{cite web|url=http://www.lemarssentinel.com/story/1470157.html |title=Remsen-Union to join War Eagle Conference next fall |publisher=Le Mars Daily Sentinel |date=October 16, 2008 |access-date=January 3, 2014 |author=Kroeze, Bethany |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314234400/http://www.lemarssentinel.com/story/1470157.html |archive-date=March 14, 2014 }} In 2010, Sergeant Bluff-Luton, the lone 3A school in the conference, left the conference to join the Missouri River Activities Conference, which contains four large schools in nearby Sioux City and two Council Bluffs schools.{{cite web | url=http://www.ask4direct.com/InfoRead.asp?id=KQEN&InfoID=519380 | title=Sergeant Bluff Luton To Join MRAC In 2010 | work=KQEN News radio 1240 | date=March 31, 2009 | access-date=January 3, 2014}} Spalding Catholic merged with Gehlen Catholic before the 2013–14 school year.{{cite web|url=http://www.ktiv.com/story/23234109/2013/08/22/first-day-at-gehlen-spalding-merger|title=First bell rings for merged Gehlen, Spalding school|first=Kayah|last=Gausman|date=August 22, 2013|access-date=October 8, 2013|archive-date=October 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021234504/http://www.ktiv.com/story/23234109/2013/08/22/first-day-at-gehlen-spalding-merger|url-status=dead}} Trinity Christian of Hull took Spalding Catholic's spot in the schedule.{{cite web|url=http://www.dickinsoncountynews.com/story/1948686.html|title=War Eagle Conference accepts Harris-Lake Park|date=March 11, 2013|access-date=October 21, 2013|publisher=Dickinson County News|first=Ryan |last=Christoffel}}{{cite news|url=http://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/high-school/trinity-christian-finds-conference-home-in-war-eagle/article_573ce152-fb14-581a-83b2-579a7a90bc97.html|title=Trinity Christian finds conference home in War Eagle|first=Jason|last=Cowley|date=June 19, 2013 |access-date=October 8, 2013|newspaper=Sioux City Journal}} The War Eagle Conference accepted Harris–Lake Park and Clay Central–Everly at the beginning of the 2014–15 and 2015–16 school years, respectively, after the dissolution of the Cornbelt Conference.{{cite news|last1=Christoffel|first1=Ryan|title=War Eagle Conference accepts Harris-Lake Park|url=http://www.dickinsoncountynews.com/story/1948686.html|access-date=December 28, 2016|work=Dickinson County News|date=March 11, 2013}}{{cite news|title=More 2014 Highlights - Area high school and Iowa Lakes athletes shine|url=http://www.esthervilledailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/520563/More-2014-Highlights----Area-high-school-and-Iowa-Lakes-athletes-shine.html|access-date=December 28, 2016|work=Estherville Daily News|date=January 2, 2015}} Starting with the 2016–17 school year, Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn merged with Remsen-Union to form the MMCRU Royals.{{cite news |last1=Forbes |first1=Greg |title=Open enrollment losses loom as two Northwest Iowa school districts prepare to combine |url=https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/a1/open-enrollment-losses-loom-as-two-northwest-iowa-school-districts/article_28998069-270d-53f3-9750-ba4341a9d51f.html |access-date=November 25, 2018 |work=Sioux City Journal |date=March 19, 2016}}
On March 11, 2019, Clay Central–Everly announced it would be closing its high school at the end of that school year, effectively ceasing all athletics.
On 20 September 2022, current Siouxland Conference member George-Little Rock applied for membership to the War Eagle Conference.{{cite web | url=https://www.nwestiowa.com/sports/byers-george-little-rock-officially-applies-to-war-eagle/article_e927c760-4321-11ed-8d23-5b8be4da69b9.html | title=Byers: George-Little Rock officially applies to War Eagle | date=3 October 2022 }} The War Eagle Conference accepted the Mustangs on October 20, 2022.{{cite web | url=https://www.lyoncountyreporter.com/george-little-rock-is-officially-accepted-into-war-eagle-conference/ | title=George-Little Rock is officially accepted into War Eagle Conference | date=November 2022 }}
In October 2022, Unity Christian announced that their membership application to the Siouxland Conference had been accepted for the 2023-2024 school year, and therefore would no longer be members of the War Eagle Conference.{{cite web | url=https://www.nwestiowa.com/sports/byers-siouxland-conference-accepts-unity-christian-on-fifth-attempt/article_80d8d712-53a7-11ed-b709-cb1c36519ab3.html | title=Byers: Siouxland Conference accepts Unity Christian on fifth attempt | date=24 October 2022 }}
Sports
The conference offers the following sports:
- Fall — Volleyball, boys' cross-country, and girls' cross-country.
- Winter — Boys' basketball, girls' basketball, and wrestling.
- Spring — Boys' track and field, girls' track and field, boys' golf, and girls' golf.
- Summer — Baseball and softball.
External links
- [http://www.wareagleconference.org/g5-bin/client.cgi?G5genie=94 Official site]