Hawk-10 Conference realignments formally approved 

Following approval from the state conference realignment committee, the Hawkeye 10 Conference has formally approved membership changes that will take effect beginning with the 2026–2027 school year.
As part of the approved realignment:
Council Bluffs Lewis Central Community School District will leave the Hawkeye Ten Conference and join the Missouri River Conference.

Shenandoah Community School District and Red Oak Community School District will depart the Hawkeye Ten Conference and join the Western Iowa Conference.

Carroll Community School District will leave the Raccoon River Conference and become the newest member of the Hawkeye Ten Conference.

Conference officials noted that these moves reflect ongoing efforts across school districts to maintain competitive balance, manage travel considerations, and position schools in conferences that best fit their enrollment and geographic needs.
The Hawkeye 10 Conference has a long and proud history of athletic and academic competition across the region. The conference traces its roots back to 1930, when the Hawkeye 6 Conference was formed with member schools including Atlantic, Clarinda, Creston, Red Oak, Shenandoah, and Villisca.
The modern Hawkeye 10 Conference was officially formed in 1993, bringing together schools from across southwest Iowa including Denison-Schleswig, Carroll Kuemper, Harlan, Lewis Central, Glenwood, Red Oak, Clarinda, Creston, Shenandoah, and Atlantic.
The conference most recently expanded in 2012, when Council Bluffs St. Albert Catholic Schools joined as the league’s eleventh member.
Conference leadership expressed appreciation for the long-standing rivalries and relationships shared with Lewis Central, Shenandoah, and Red Oak during their time in the Hawkeye 10, while also welcoming Carroll as the conference’s newest member beginning in the 2026–2027 school year.
“These schools have been tremendous members of the Hawkeye Ten, and their contributions to the conference’s competitive tradition are deeply valued,” conference officials said. “At the same time, we are excited to welcome Carroll and look forward to the new rivalries and opportunities that lie ahead for our student-athletes, coaches, and communities.”
At the Feb. 18 Red Oak School Board meeting, superintendent Ron Lorenz said,  “We have already been immersed in the transition process [to joining the Western Iowa Confrence]. We’ve been scheduling, we’ve been in branding discussions, and we’ve been participating in WIC leadership meetings.”
With all that activity, Lorenz said it had already made that transition seem official, even though the district is still playing teams in the Hawkeye 10 as it finishes out its 2025-26 athletic schedule.
Additional scheduling details and conference alignment information for the 2026–2027 school year will be released at a later date.

The Red Oak Express

2012 Commerce Drive
P.O. Box 377
Red Oak, IA 51566
Phone: 712-623-2566 Fax: 712-623-2568

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