District would exit the Top of Iowa Conference in the 2026-27 school year.
by Edward Lynn
Editor
In what could represent a major shakeup in local athletics, the Eagle Grove School Board unanimously voted at Monday’s meeting to accept an invitation to join the North Central Conference (NCC) for the 2025-26 school year, pending decisions by the Forest City and Garner-Hayfield-Ventura (GHV) school boards. Those boards also met Monday night, with Forest City approving the move in a unanimous 7-0 vote, while GHV opted to decline with a narrow 2-3 vote.
The NCC had reached out to Forest City, GHV, and Eagle Grove in an effort to restructure its conference format into two divisions, separating larger and smaller schools. According to the NCC invitation letter, the invited districts could “become active members of the NCC, effective with the 2026-2027 school year.’
The invitation also noted that if all three schools join, the conference will expand to a 12-team format, with divisions introduced for specific sports starting in the 2026-2027 school year. Currently the NCC consists of Algona, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, Clear Lake, Hampton Dumont/CAL, Humboldt, Iowa Falls/Alden, St. Edmond, and Webster City. The invitation was contingent upon “the understanding that the Charles City Community School District will serve as a non-voting member of the NCC for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years. With the addition of Charles City, Eagle Grove, Forest City and GHV the conference would have hit that 12 school goal. But due to GHV’s no vote, the question now is, which school might take their place?
Eagle Grove Community School District Superintendent Jess Toliver highlighted the potential benefits of joining the NCC, citing the geographical proximity and increased stability of competition. However, as a result of the GHV board’s decision to reject the invitation, Toliver acknowledged that the decision hinges on whether the conference can find an appropriate replacement for GHV. “We will wait to see what our next step is,” Toliver said following the Forest City and GHV votes. “But I’m guessing we will meet with the North Central Conference to determine if another school will be invited and then determine if that is the best fit for us or not.”
If Eagle Grove ultimately joins the NCC, the school would leave the Top of Iowa Conference. The shift would come as part of a broader effort across the state to realign athletic conferences, with several schools seeking new arrangements to better align with similarly-sized peers. Toliver explained that this move would provide Eagle Grove athletes with more competitive opportunities against schools of a similar size, although it may come with some challenges, such as facing larger schools in the conference.
Toliver also pointed out that enrollment trends have seen Eagle Grove’s student numbers increase, while many nearby districts are experiencing declines. Joining the NCC could offer both stability and competitive matches, providing Eagle Grove with the chance to engage with schools of similar sizes and maintain a balanced sports schedule. The invitation also stated, “Divisions will not be used for all athletic programs, but the ADs will work together to use divisions for the seasons that make the most logical sense.” Additionally, new bylaws will be proposed to facilitate restructuring divisions based on enrollment every four years. Another bylaw will ensure that any school petitioning to join the NCC will be placed in the Tradition Division, while current member schools will retain the option to transition between the Tradition and Pride Divisions prior to the inclusion of new members.
The school district plans to continue discussions with NCC officials and consider its options in light of GHV’s decision not to join the North Central Conference.
