GHV to join Top of Iowa Conference fall of 2015-16

A new super-conference combining the current North Iowa and Corn Bowl conferences has been finalized.  The new super-conference will be known as the Top of Iowa Conference.   At a joint meeting held Wednesday, April 30, at the AEA office in Clear Lake, superintendents from both conferences reached an agreement and approved the name of the 18 schools uniting in the fall of the 2015-16 school year. 

The new conference will eventually be the combination of eight current North Iowa Conference schools, Belmond-Klemme, Forest City, Garner-Hayfield/Ventura, Lake Mills, Newman, North Iowa, Osage and West Hancock; three new North Iowa Conference members starting next fall, Bishop Garrigan, Eagle Grove and North Union; and seven of the current eight schools of the Corn Bowl, Central Springs, Nashua-Plainfield, North Butler, Northwood-Kensett, Rockford, St. Ansgar, and West Fork. Riceville is leaving the Corn Bowl after this school year. 

“GHV is excited because it brings long-term viability to the conference,” said GHV Athletic Director Matt Graham.  “By getting up to 18 teams, our conference can sustain if a school district would have to close due to low student enrollment.”

Graham said athletic directors from the schools have had many meetings and have set the schedule for all of the sports to offer the most competitive, but yet fan friendly, schedule as possible with the large geographic conference.  Each school will play every team in their division twice and have some ‘crossover’ games with the other division.  Due to date and schedule limitations, sports will have a divisional champ, not one conference champion.