Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)

{{Short description|Iowa High School athletic conference}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox sports league | name = Bluegrass Conference | founded = 1939 | conference = IHSAA / IGHSAU | teams = 10 | sports = 13 | region = South Central Iowa | website = https://www.bluegrassconference.org/ | map = {{OSM Location map | coord = {{coord| 41.2834| -93.5938}} | float = center | zoom = 7  | width = 290 | height = 240 | nolabels = 1 | markD = Location dot red.svg | mark-sizeD = 7 | mark-descriptionD = Location:

| mark-title1=Ankeny Christian | mark-coord1={{coord| 41.732526| -93.623222}} | mark1 = Location dot blue.svg

| mark-title2=Diagonal | mark-coord2={{coord| 40.808062| -94.344310}} | mark2 = Location dot maroon.svg

| mark-title3=Lamoni | mark-coord3={{coord| 40.624672| -93.935901}}

| mark-title4=Melcher-Dallas | mark-coord4={{coord| 41.221534| -93.241378}} | mark4 = Location dot brown.svg

| mark-title5=Mormon Trail | mark-coord5={{coord| 40.826452| -93.605217}} | mark5 = Location dot black.svg

| mark-title6=Moulton Udell | mark-coord6={{coord| 40.688922| -92.674040}} | mark6 = Location dot blue.svg

| mark-title7=Murray | mark-coord7={{coord| 41.039092| -93.954239}} | mark7 = Location dot purple.svg

| mark-title8=Seymour | mark-coord8={{coord| 40.680764| -93.116119}}

| mark-title9=Twin Cedars | mark-coord9={{coord| 41.218015| -92.926926}} | mark9 = Location dot blue.svg

| mark-title10=Moravia | mark-coord10={{coord| 40.895898| -92.818972}} | mark10 = Location dot blue.svg

| mark-title11=Orient-Macksburg | mark-coord11={{coord| 41.200781| -94.413663}} | mark11 = Red circle thick.svg

}} }}

The '''Bluegrass Conference''' is a high school sports league in Iowa. Located in south-central Iowa, the conference is home to some of the smallest schools in the state, including the smallest public school district in Iowa, Diagonal.

==Members== {| class="wikitable" !Institution !Location !Mascot !Colors !Affiliation !2026-2027 BEDS<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.iahsaa.org/classifications/ | title=IHSAA: Classifications }}</ref> |- ! colspan="10" style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #545AA7;" | East Division |- |Melcher-Dallas |Melcher-Dallas |Saints |{{color box|maroon|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}} |Public |67 |- |Moravia |Moravia |Mohawks |{{color box|royalblue|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}} |Public |88 |- | Moulton-Udell |Moulton |Eagles |{{color box|royalblue|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}} |Public |38 |- |Seymour |Seymour |Warriors |{{color box|red|border=silver}} {{color box|black|border=silver}} |Public |44 |- |Twin Cedars |Bussey |Sabers |{{color box|blue|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}} |Public |64 |- ! colspan="10" style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #545AA7;" | West Division |- |Ankeny Christian Academy |Ankeny |Eagles |{{color box|royalblue|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}} |Private |121 |- |Diagonal |Diagonal |Maroons |{{color box|maroon|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}} |Public |27 |- |Lamoni |Lamoni |Demons |{{color box|black|border=silver}} {{color box|red|border=silver}} |Public |59 |- |Mormon Trail |Garden Grove |Saints |{{color box|black|border=silver}} {{color box|gold|border=silver}} |Public |59 |- |Murray |Murray |Mustangs |{{color box|purple|border=silver}} {{color box|gold|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}} |Public |77 |-bgcolor=#ffa0a0 |-

==History== The conference originated before 1960. Some of the members in the early days included Osceola, Bedford, Mount Ayr, Lamoni, Seymour, Corydon, and Leon. Lenox and Mormon Trail of Humeston joined the conference in 1960, as Osceola departed. In 1962, four schools left the conference to join the newly formed Tall Corn Conference. This left the conference with Lamoni, Leon, Mormon Trail, Corydon, Seymour, and Moravia. As the years went by, some schools changed names and Southeast Warren and Melcher-Dallas joined the conference, so that by 1990 the conference looked like this:

*Lamoni *Melcher-Dallas *Moravia *Mormon Trail *Wayne *S.E. Warren *Central Decatur (of Leon) *Seymour

After losing some of the bigger schools to other conferences, the Bluegrass reached out to many of the smaller schools in the area. These new schools were some of the smallest in the state. The Bluegrass Conference operated with 12 teams for a while, but with three schools having been shut down in recent years, the conference is now left with just nine schools. In 2002, Fox Valley Community School in Milton closed its doors, after the district voted to shut down the school and allow the pupils to open enroll where they wished. The next casualty came in 2008, when Russell became the first public school to be shut down by the state in over a decade. East Monona had been the most recent. Then, in 2010, Lineville-Clio was closed by the state. Currently, the conference hosts three of the six smallest public schools in the state, with Diagonal (26 BEDs), Moulton-Udell (38), and Mormon Trail (45).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iahsaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020-2021-BEDs-Num-3.18.20.pdf |title=IOWA BEDS DOCUMENT: NUMERICAL : 2019-2020 Enrollments : Grades 9, 10, 11|website=Iahsaa.org|access-date=January 31, 2022}}</ref>

Starting in the 2013–14 academic year, the following schools joined the conference: * Ankeny Christian Academy (Ankeny) * Grand View Christian School (Des Moines) * Iowa Christian Academy (West Des Moines) * Orient-Macksburg

Despite the enrollment figures, all schools but Diagonal and Orient-Macksburg play football, fielding 8-man teams. Before Russell and Fox Valley shut down, they also played 8-man football. Most of the schools also field teams in baseball, softball, volleyball, basketball, and track and field.

Iowa Christian Academy officials announced on November 28, 2018, that the school would close. Students were encouraged to attend Grandview Christian School.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/education/2018/11/28/iowa-christian-academy-west-des-moin-e-were-hoping-miracle-270-00-fundraising-could-close-keep-doors/2141685002/ |title = Iowa Christian Academy: "We're hoping for that miracle" of $270,000|website=Desmoinesregister.com}}</ref>

On June 11, 2024, Orient-Macksburg School Board voted to dissolve the school district, citing low enrollment, staffing issues, and financial shortfalls.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kcci.com/article/orient-macksburg-school-district-dissolving-uncertain-future-for-students/61076019 | title=Orient-Macksburg residents uncertain of future after school district decides to fold | date=12 June 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://iowastartingline.com/2024/06/11/orient-macksburg-officials-move-forward-with-plan-to-close-iowa-school-district/ | title=Orient-Macksburg officials move forward with plan to close Iowa school district }}</ref> This will effectively remove them from the conference.

== Conference Champs ==

=== Boys Basketball === *2025-2026 ACA *2024-2025 ACA *2023-2024 ACA *2022-2023 Moravia *2021-2022 ACA *2020-2021 ACA *2019-2020 Lamoni *2018-2019 ACA *2017-2018 ACA *2016-2017 Grand View Christian *2015-2016 Grand View Christian *2014-2015 Grand View Christian *2013-2014 Lamoni *2012-2013 Lamoni *2011-2012 Murray *2010-2011 Murray *2009-2010 Murray *2008-2009 Moulton-Udel *2007-2008 Moulton-Udel *2006-2007 Murray *pre 2006-2007 No comfirmed champions === Girls Basketball === *2025-2026 ACA *2024-2025 Lamoni *2023-2024 Melcher-Dallas *2022-2023 ACA *2021-2022 Lamoni *2020-2021 Moravia *2019-2020 Lamoni *2018-2019 Seymour *2017-2018 Seymour *2016-2017 Grand View Christian *2015-2016 Grand View Christian *2014-2015 Murray *2013-2014 Murray *2012-2013 Twin Cedars *2011-2012 Twin Cedars *2010-2011 Mormon Trail *2009-2010 Moulton-Udell *2008-2009 Lamoni *2007-2008 Twin Cedars *pre 2006-2007 No comfirmed champions === Baseball === *2024-2025 Moravia *2023-2024 ACA *2022-2023 Moravia *2021-2022 ACA *2020-2021 ACA *2019-2020 Lamoni *2018-2019 Lamoni *2017-2018 Moravia *2016-2017 Twin Cedars *2015-2016 Moravia *2014-2015 Iowa Christian Academy *2013-2014 Twin Cedars *2012-2013 Twin Cedars *2011-2012 Twin Cedars *2010-2011 Murray *pre 2010-2011 No comfirmed champions === Boys Track === *2024-2025 ACA *2023-2024 ACA *2022-2023 Moravia *2021-2022 Lamoni *2020-2021 Lamoni *2019-2020 canceled due to COVID-19 *2018-2019 Lamoni *pre 2018-2019 No comfirmed champions <ref>https://www.gobound.com/ia</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.bluegrassconference.org/g5-bin/client.cgi?G5genie=528 Official website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)}} Category:High school sports in Iowa