The Missouri River Conference will feature some of the top Iowa high school athletic programs starting with the 2026-27 school year.
According to a report by Peter Burtnett, Lewis Central High School has voted unanimously to join the league. The invite is for the 2026-27 academic year.
The Titans will be joined by Sioux City Bishop Heelan, Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson, Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, Le Mars, Sergeant Bluff-Luton, Sioux City East, Sioux City North and Sioux City West in the conference alignment.
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All sports outside of football will use the league, as the football schedule is based on districts set by the Iowa High School Athletic Association.
Sioux City Bishop Heelan, Sioux City East, Sioux City North, Sioux City West, Council Blufs Thomas Jefferson, Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, Le Mars and Sergeant Bluff-Luton are all part of the current version of the Missouri River Conference while Lewis Central is currently part of the Hawkeye 10.
Conference realignment has become the norm around Iowa high school athletics in recent years. Several schools first departed from the Central Iowa Metropolitan League to form the Iowa Alliance Conference as a way to separate themselves from the bigger Des Moines-area programs.
Since that time, more high schools have sought out different leagues to compete within as a way to try and even the playing field with growing communities.
The Western Iowa Conference has pushed out several invites to new schools in hopes to grow from the current nine-team field. That includes to the likes of ACGC, Earlham, Nodaway Valley and Shenandoah among others.
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