Des Moines Christian accepts Little Hawkeye Conference invitation

The Little Hawkeye Conference continues to expand. And the league is one school closer to reaching its minimum goal of expanding to 10 for the 2026-27 season and beyond.

Des Moines Christian is the latest school to say yes to the LHC, which will have at least nine members starting in 2026-27.

“A key factor in this decision was the clear vision the Little Hawkeye Conference has for the future — a vision that includes schools of different sizes working together under a divisional model,” said Jon Muller, Head of Student Activities at Des Moines Christian School. “We are deeply grateful for the invitation and excited for the opportunities this move provides our student-athletes to compete and grow in a strong, values-driven environment.”

This move comes as part of the conference’s vision geared at improving both the competitiveness and sustainability of the league through the formation of two divisions — one for larger schools and one for mid-sized schools.

This structural model will allow for balanced competition and greater opportunities for growth among member schools.

Des Moines Christian and Ames were the only two schools to accept the conference’s offer when the league invited seven schools back in late January.

Ames’s Board of Education voted 6-0 to accept the LHC’s invitational back in April.

Urbandale did not accept the offer, but it was a close 4-3 vote by its board.

The other four schools invited in January were PCM, Van Meter, Nevada and Knoxville.

PCM and Nevada will stay in the Heart of Iowa Athletic Conference for the foreseeable future and Knoxville currently plays in the South Central Conference.

Van Meter and Des Moines Christian are both currently in the West Central Activities Conference. The latter has grown to Class 3A status in most sports, which makes the Lions a better fit for the LHC. The West Central Activities Conference is made up mostly of 1A and 2A schools.

Van Meter could also look to move to a bigger league at some point and Woodward-Granger is rumored to be interested in leaving the West Central Activities for the HOIAC.

“We are thrilled to welcome Des Moines Christian as our ninth member,” said Greg Ebeling, Superintendent of Pella Community Schools and Chair of the Little Hawkeye Conference. “I’m proud to add Des Moines Christian to our family of schools. Their commitment to excellence in academics, athletics, fine arts and character aligns well with the values we hold dear. We look forward to the competition, camaraderie and shared growth this new chapter will bring for our students and communities.”

The transition represents a mutual commitment to student-centered programming and continued excellence in athletics, fine arts and academics.

“I think the consensus is that Des Moines Christian will be a great fit for our league,” Newton Activities Director Ryan Rump said. “They are a very competitive and growing district and they will be able to provide all levels of competition for our other conference schools. Location-wise they are a great fit and their facilities are top notch. The Little Hawkeye Conference took a big step forward with this addition.”

Des Moines Christian will be in the small-school side of the league if the conference breaks into divisions, as expected, if and when it reaches 10 or more schools.

The addition of Ames means the current large-school landscape includes the Little Cyclones, Norwalk, Indianola and Dallas Center-Grimes.

All four compete in the largest class for most boys sports and the girls teams are 4A or higher in most sports.

The small-school division could be set with the other five schools that includes Newton, Pella, Pella Christian, Oskaloosa and Des Moines Christian.

Rump would not specify which other schools could get future invitations to the league but said the addition of Ames and Des Moines Christian certainly opens the door for future expansion.

“It is hard to predict how things will eventually shake out and there are still a lot of moving parts, but I would guess if our conference splits into two divisions that Newton would land in the small school division,” Rump said. “Regardless, the Little Hawkeye Conference is the best fit for Newton at this time and we are excited to compete and be a member in what will be one of the top 3A/4A conferences in the state of Iowa.”

Ottumwa is one school mentioned which could complete the 10-team puzzle and even out the balance of divisions.

The Bulldogs are believed to be interested in the league but have not received an official invitation yet.

“There are ongoing conversations with other school districts at this time,” Rump said. “Ottumwa has expressed an interest and there have been conversations back and forth with them as well as other school districts. As a conference, we are routinely having discussions about what comes next. The addition of Ames and Des Moines Christian was a great step forward and I would anticipate our conference will continue to be progressive. Getting to 10 teams would most likely be the benchmark for the conference to split into a big-school and small-school division format and I think that would be preferable for everyone involved.”

Newton head boys soccer coach Zach Jensen is one of the coaches in the district who welcomes tough competition.

He likes the additions of Ames and Des Moines Christian from a competitive standpoint. Both programs will help his squad be better prepared for the postseason.

“I know plenty of people who would rather not play the ‘big boys’ in our conference,” Jensen said. “My stance is you still have to play the best to get to state and you are going to play them in the playoffs anyway. We will still schedule a tough non-conference that will test us and get us ready for the postseason.

“I think it’s great for the league as a whole to keep growing and to survive. It would be nice to even get to 12 or 14 teams, and I think it will happen once we get to 10 and schools see what we are trying to do.”

Rachelle Tipton is a head coach of two sports in the Newton district. And both Ames and Des Moines Christian will add two strong running teams to an already strong running conference.

“We have to look at it as an ‘iron sharpens iron’ situation,” said Tipton, who is the head girls cross country and head girls track and field coach at Newton. “What better way to prepare for state opportunities than a competitive conference meet? As the athletes continue to improve, we may or may not place high up in the conference standings, but we should let those teams bring out our best.”