| Conference | IHSAA / IGHSAU |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1966 |
| Sports fielded |
|
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Region | Central Iowa |
| Official website | www |
| Locations | |
The Heart of Iowa Conference is a high school athletic conference in central Iowa that dates back to the 1970s. Members are a mixture between 3A and 2A, the second- and third-largest classes.
| Institution | Location | Mascot | Colors | Affiliation | 2024-2025 BEDS [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand View Christian | Des Moines | Thunder | Private | 178 | |
| Greene County | Jefferson | Rams | Public | 270 | |
| Nevada | Nevada | Cubs | Public | 371 | |
| Perry | Perry | Bluejays | Public | 444 | |
| PCM | Monroe | Mustangs | Public | 261 | |
| Roland–Story | Story City | Norsemen | Public | 243 | |
| Saydel | Des Moines | Eagles | Public | 340 | |
| South Hamilton | Jewell | Hawks | Public | 155 | |
| West Marshall | State Center | Trojans | Public | 232 | |
The conference was formed in 1966 by Ballard, Nevada, South Hamilton,Perry Community School and West Marshall after the disbanding of the Hawkeye Central Conference. [2]
In 1967, Carlisle, Johnston and North Polk joined, and in 1970, Roland–Story joined from the West Central Conference. [2]
As of 1992, the league had 10 schools in it. Bondurant–Farrar, Collins–Maxwell–Baxter, Colo–NESCO, Gilbert, Madrid, Ogden, and Woodward-Granger had joined, while Carlisle, Johnston, Nevada, and North Polk had departed. [2]
Colfax–Mingo and Pleasantville were added to the conference in 1997, following the demise of the Des Moines River Conference. Pleasantville then left the league in 2001, and North Polk rejoined. In 2006, Prairie City-Monroe joined the league from the South Central Conference. In 2007, Madrid left for the West Central Conference and was replaced by former Raccoon River Conference member Jefferson-Scranton. In 2008, West Marshall left for the NICL. The 2009 season saw Woodward-Granger jump to the West Central Conference and Nevada re-joined the league from the Raccoon River Conference. In the 2010 season, Colo–NESCO jumped to Iowa Star Conference in every sport except sharing with CMB in soccer. Ogden left the conference in 2011, in order to join former conference foes Woodward-Granger and Madrid in the West Central Conference. Bondurant-Farrar made the jump to Raccoon River Conference starting in the 2011–12 school year. Grandview Park Baptist left the Heart of Iowa Conference before the softball season to go to Rolling Hills Conference. Saydel joined the conference beginning in the fall of the 2012–13 school year. In 2015, Colfax–Mingo left for the South Iowa Cedar League.
In 2017–18 season, Collins-Maxwell & Baxter split up their sharing agreement and both schools went to the Iowa Star Conference.
In 2018, both Gilbert and North Polk agreed to leave the HOIC for the Raccoon River Conference in the 2020–21 school year. [3]
In 2021, Perry left the Raccoon River Conference to become the 8th member of the Heart of Iowa Conference. [4] In 2023, Grand View Christian was admitted to the conference for the 2024-25 school year, despite being voted down by conference members in 2020, by the Iowa Board of Education. [5]
In March 2024, the conference extended an official invitation to Boone, which would be effective for the 2025-26 school year. [6]
Story County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 98,537, making it the ninth-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Nevada; the largest city is Ames. The geographical center of Iowa lies in Story County, 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of Ames. Story County comprises the Ames, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA Combined Statistical Area. The county is home to Iowa State University in Ames.
Polk County is located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 492,401. It is Iowa's most populous county, and home to over 15% of the state's residents. The county seat is Des Moines, which is also the capital city of Iowa. Polk County is included in the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Dallas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 99,678, making it the seventh-most populous county in Iowa. Between 2010 and 2020, it was the fastest growing county in Iowa and one of the fastest growing in the country. Its county seat is Adel, and its largest city is Waukee. The county was named for George M. Dallas, Vice President of the United States under James K. Polk, the namesake of neighboring Polk County.
The Des Moines metropolitan area, officially known as the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is located at the confluence of the Des Moines River and the Raccoon River. Des Moines serves as the capital of the U.S. state of Iowa. The metro area consists of six counties in central Iowa: Polk, Dallas, Warren, Madison, Guthrie, and Jasper. The Des Moines–Ames–West Des Moines Combined Statistical Area (CSA) encompasses the separate metropolitan area of Ames, and the separate micropolitan area of Boone. The Des Moines area is a fast-growing metro area.
Iowa Highway 330 is a 47-mile-long (76 km) state highway that travels northeasterly from Altoona past Albion, to just north of Marshalltown in Marshall County. Originally the two-lane, unpaved road was numbered Iowa 88. It became part of Iowa 64 in the 1903s and it received its current route number in 1969. Iowa 330 is mostly a four-lane, divided expressway along much of its length. In conjunction with U.S. Route 65 (US 65), Iowa 14 and US 20, Iowa 330 is commonly used as a connector between Des Moines and the Waterloo–Cedar Falls area.
Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) is a rail trail running 56 miles (90 km) from Waukee, Iowa, to Jefferson, Iowa. In 2013, an additional 33.1-mile (53.3 km) north loop was completed on the RRVT, making the RRVT nearly 90 miles (140 km) of paved trails and having a paved interior loop of more than 72 miles (116 km). The 39-mile (63 km) portion of the trail from Waukee to Herndon is part of the American Discovery Trail, which runs between Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware and Point Reyes near the Bay Area of California. In Iowa, the American Discovery Trail will be concurrent with U.S. Bicycle Route 50.
High Trestle Trail is a rail trail running from Ankeny to Woodward in central Iowa. The recreation trail opened on April 30, 2011. It is a paved recreational trail that runs through the Polk, Story, Boone, and Dallas counties. The trail's name is derived from a former 1913 bridge that spanned the Des Moines River between the towns of Madrid and Woodward.
The Pride of Iowa Conference is a high school athletic conference made up of 10 small schools in southern Iowa, United States.
The Little Hawkeye Conference is a high school athletic conference in central Iowa.
The Raccoon River Conference is a nine team high school athletic league in central Iowa. Made up of mid-sized school districts located mostly west of Des Moines, all schools in the conference are currently 3A schools, the second largest class of schools in Iowa.
The South Iowa Cedar League is a high school athletic conference in south central and southeastern Iowa. The conference is made up of mostly 1A schools, as well as a few 2A schools.
The West Central Activities Conference is a high school athletic conference made up of 2A and 3A schools in Central Iowa.
The bypass around Des Moines, Iowa, is a 25-mile-long (40 km) freeway around the south and east of the Des Moines metropolitan area. The route is made up of two state highways – Iowa Highway 5 (Iowa 5) and U.S. Highway 65 (US 65). The bypass begins in southwestern West Des Moines at Iowa 5's interchange with Interstate 35 (I-35). It heads to the east and then curves to the north near the southeastern side of Des Moines. It ends at the interchange of US 65 and I-80 in Altoona.
Iowa Highway 60 was a 223-mile-long (360 km) state highway that ran from the Missouri state line near Cincinnati, where it continued as Route 5, to U.S. Highway 18 (US 18) near Wesley. The highway passed through Centerville, Knoxville, Des Moines, and Webster City during its trek. It was an original state highway that was in service for 48 years. The highway originally only extended from Des Moines to Goldfield, but was extended in 1931. At that time, it absorbed Iowa Highway 6. On January 1, 1969, the highway ceased to exist. The Iowa State Highway Commission renumbered several state highways in order to match up route numbers with adjacent state highways. It was replaced by Iowa 5 south of Des Moines and Iowa 17 north of Granger.
Colfax–Mingo Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in Colfax, Iowa.
The Bondurant–Farrar Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in Bondurant, Iowa.
The Woodward-Granger Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in Granger, Iowa, United States.
