Western Valley Activities Conference
The Western Valley Activities Conference[1] is an athletic conference for small high schools in Western Iowa. Formed in 2008 from the merger of the longstanding Maple Valley Conference and Boyer Valley Conference, the league now consists of 9 schools from the old Maple Valley Conference and Siouxland Christian.
 | |
| Conference | IHSAA / IGHSAU |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Sports fielded |
|
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Region | Western Iowa |
| Official website | http://www.westernvalleyconference.org/ |
Current members
[edit]| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | 2024-2025 BEDS[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsley–Pierson | Kingsley | Panthers | 108 | |
| Lawton–Bronson | Lawton | Eagles | 186 | |
| MVAOCOU | Mapleton | Rams | 209 | |
| OABCIG | Ida Grove | Falcons | 241 | |
| Ridge View | Holstein | Raptors | 173 | |
| River Valley | Correctionville | Wolverines | 59 | |
| Siouxland Christian | Sioux City | Eagles | 67 | |
| West Monona | Onawa | Spartans | 123 | |
| Westwood | Sloan | Rebels | 158 | |
| Woodbury Central | Moville | Wildcats | 134 |
History
[edit]The Western Valley Activities Conference was formed in 2008 with the merger of the Maple Valley Conference and the Boyer Valley Conference. The Maple Valley Conference traces its history to 1931 when the conference was founded with Onawa, Mapleton, Moville, Correctionville, Holstein, and Odebolt high schools. Kingsley joined the conference in 1944 and over time, the conference grew to 12 members so that by the time of the merger the conference included Odebolt–Arthur, Battle Creek–Ida Grove, Galva–Holstein, Woodbury Central, Kingsley–Pierson, Remsen-Union, Lawton–Bronson, Westwood, River Valley, Maple Valley–Anthon–Oto, West Monona, and Whiting.
The Boyer Valley Conference had been formed around 1960 and had many schools to consolidation over the years. After peaking at 12 schools, the conference was left with only eight in its final year of 2007: Ar-We-Va, Boyer Valley, Charter Oak–Ute, IKM, Logan-Magnolia, Manning, West Harrison, and Woodbine. With IKM and Manning entering a sport-sharing agreement, it looked like the right time for many of its members to find a new home.
In 2008, the Maple Valley Conference agreed to merge with the Boyer Valley Activities Conference by a 10–1 vote, with only Woodbury Central opposing and Lawton–Bronson abstaining. The new 19-team league would work together not only in athletics, but in music and speech as well, as the former BVAC had. In addition most of the old rivalries were kept intact by splitting the conference into two divisions with the old Maple Valley basically making up the north and the former Boyer Valley plus Whiting and West Monona forming the south.
State champions
[edit]2009 1A wrestling- Logan-Magnolia[3]
2009 2A girls basketball- IKM-Manning[4]
2011 2A girls basketball- OABCIG[5]
2017 2A boys track and field- Kingsley–Pierson/Woodbury Central[6]
2019 2A football- OABCIG[7]
2020 1A football- OABCIG[8]
Membership changes
[edit]After the 2008 season, Odebolt–Arthur and Battle Creek–Ida Grove entered into a full-grade sharing agreement. Following the 2009 season, Remsen-Union left the conference, and starting in 2010, Galva–Holstein began sharing all high school functions and classes with nearby Schaller-Crestland High School, forming the new Ridge View High School, which remained in the conference.
The conference, which had spanned more than 160 miles, lost many members for the 2013–14 school year. Logan-Magnolia and IKM-Manning, the two largest schools in the southern half of the conference, moved to the Western Iowa Conference.[9] Meanwhile, the other former Boyer Valley Conference members are joining with Coon Rapids–Bayard and five members of the Rolling Hills Conference to form the Rolling Valley Conference. Whiting moved to the Frontier Conference of Nebraska.
In 2017, Charter Oak–Ute students returned to the conference by entering into a whole grade sharing agreement with Maple Valley–Anthon–Oto.[10]
In August 2023, Kingsley-Pierson and River Valley school districts agreed to combine teams for football, with both having competed in the 8-player division for years. The combined rosters, competing as KP-RV, allowed the team to qualify for an 11-player division.[11] In October 2023, the school districts agreed to combine all athletic teams under the KP-RV name.[12] This agreement was then severed in April 2024, due to Kingsley-Pierson parents pressure on the school board to end it.[13] The agreement will drop for all sports except for football following the end of the 2023-2024 athletic season.
| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | Years | Current |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ar-We-Va | Westside | Rockets | 2008–2013 | Rolling Valley Conference | |
| Boyer Valley | Dunlap | Bulldogs | 2008–2013 | Rolling Valley Conference | |
| Charter Oak–Ute | Charter Oak | Bobcats | 2008–2013 | Dropped high school, sends grades 9-12 to MVAO[15] | |
| IKM-Manning | Manning | Wolves | 2008–2013 | Western Iowa Conference | |
| Logan-Magnolia | Logan | Panthers | 2008–2013 | Western Iowa Conference | |
| Remsen-Union | Remsen | Rockets | 2008–2009 | Whole-grade sharing agreement with MMC, War Eagle Conference[16] | |
| West Harrison | Mondamin | Hawkeyes | 2008–2013 | Rolling Valley Conference | |
| Whiting | Whiting | Warriors | 2008–2014 | Frontier Conference of Nebraska | |
| Woodbine | Woodbine | Tigers | 2008–2013 | Rolling Valley Conference |
References
[edit]- ^ "Western Valley Activities Conference - Iowa High School Sports".
- ^ "IHSAA: Classifications".
- ^ IAHSSA
- ^ "Basketball -- Girls".
- ^ "GIRLS: OA-BCIG wins Iowa Class 2A title". 5 March 2011.
- ^ "STATE TRACK: KP/WC shares state team title". 20 May 2017.
- ^ "FROM 2019: OABCIG claims 2A state title in first-ever championship appearance". 22 November 2019.
- ^ "OABCIG, Cooper DeJean pull off unlikely comeback for second-straight title". 20 November 2020.
- ^ Logan Magnolia School Board Minutes
- ^ Sioux City Journal
- ^ "Kingsley-Pierson joins forces with River Valley in return to 11-player football". 24 August 2023.
- ^ "River Valley sports merge with Kingsley-Pierson".
- ^ "Kingsley-Pierson School Board Ends Sport Sharing Agreement with River Valley Following Community Input". 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Western Valley Activities Conference - Iowa High School Sports".
- ^ "GALLAGHER: Enrollment decline fuels high school sharing pact". 12 February 2017.
- ^ "MMC and Remsen-Union districts finally agree to sharing agreement". 4 June 2015.
External links
[edit]- Official Website [1]