Siouxland Conference
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The Siouxland Conference is a ten team high school athletic conference in the northwest corner of Iowa, consisting of schools ranging from the smallest class (1A) to the second largest class (3A), and known for its prominence in small school basketball.
Members
| Institution | High School Location | Mascot | Colors | Affiliation | 9-12 Enrollment | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boyden-Hull | Hull | Comets | Public | 187 | 1A (2A in football) | |
| Central Lyon | Rock Rapids | Lions | Public | 210 | 1A (2A in football) | |
| George-Little Rock | George | Mustangs | Public | 146 | 1A (2A in football) | |
| MOC-Floyd Valley | Orange City | Dutchmen | Public | 425 | 3A (2A in football) | |
| Okoboji | Milford | Pioneers | Public | 284 | 1A | |
| Rock Valley | Rock Valley | Rockets | Public | 206 | 1A (2A in football) | |
| Sheldon | Sheldon | Orabs | Public | 334 | 1A (2A in football) | |
| Sibley-Ocheyedan | Sibley | Generals | Public | 259 | 1A | |
| Sioux Center | Sioux Center | Warriors | Public | 287 | 2A | |
| West Lyon | Inwood | Wildcats | Public | 215 | 1A (A in football) |
Usual Combinations
| Name | Schools Participating | Mascot | Colors | Sports Shared |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BHRV | Boyden-Hull, Rock Valley | Nighthawks | Football, Wrestling, Baseball | |
| CL/G-LR | Central Lyon, George-Little Rock | Lions | Football, Wrestling | |
| G-LR/CL | George-Little Rock, Central Lyon | Mustangs | Softball |
The Making of a Conference
The Siouxland Conference was originally an 8 team league. Originally the league was made up of Rock Rapids, Inwood, and George from Lyon County, Rock Valley, Sioux Center, Orange City, Hawarden and Rock Valley from Sioux County, and Akron from Plymouth County. Boyden-Hull replaced Akron in the league's lineup. The league then went through a set of changes in the early 1990s when it added Sibley-Ocheydan from the Lakes Conference, and Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn and Okoboji High School from the recently disbanded Sioux Valley Conference. Also, West Sioux left the conference at this time, Maurice-Orange City merged with Floyd Valley to become MOC-Floyd Valley, and Little Rock merged with George to become George-Little Rock. Following this flurry of change, the conference remained the same for 17 years until Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn left for the War Eagle Conference in 2009 and longtime Sibley-Ocheydan rival Sheldon moved in from the Lakes Conference.
Siouxland Schools and Basketball
Men's basketball has a strong history in Northwest Iowa among small schools. Much of the recent history is because of the Siouxland Conference. Sioux Center won the big school state title in 1959 and the small school state title in 1967. Maurice-Orange City claimed the 2A state championship in 1987-88 and again in 1988-89, and won the 3A title in 2004-05 as MOC-Floyd Valley. Rock Valley has won the championship in 1996, 1998, 2009, and 2010. In 2003, Boyden-Hull was class 1A state champ, while Sioux Center won the 2A title. George-Little Rock won the title in 2006. Boyden-Hull won back to back 1A titles in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, Sheldon also won the 2A championship. Along with the state titles among the schools are numerous runners-up and other state tournament appearances, especially in recent years. The conference was rated as the sixth toughest in the state in 2009-10 season, quite a feat for a conference that has only one 3A school and was won by one of the 1A schools, Rock Valley.
Other State Titles
The schools hold many other state titles as well, including football, which is no longer a sanctioned conference sport since the state took control of the entire system in the mid-90s and created a two year rotating district system. Nevertheless, Sibley holds a title, while Sioux Center has 2 and Central Lyon holds two on their own and one more sharing with George-Little Rock with 2 runner-ups in class 2A. West Lyon also won a pair of titles in the late 90s and after finishing as class 1A runnerup in 2009. They are in class A for football as of 2012.
Sports
The conference offers the following sports:
- Summer - Baseball
- Fall - Football, Cross country and Volleyball
- Winter - Basketball and Wrestling
- Spring - Track and field and Golf