I like it too. Simple and shows each of the school's mascots.
Possible conference shakeup?
- Thread starter kaz36_rivals189319
- Start date
Valentine will be leaving the Southwest Conference and will be joining the South Platte Valley Association in the 2025-2026 school year.
Really like this move for Valentine. The travel will essentially be the same as when they were in the SWC but it will fit their size of school more consistently going forward. Long gone are the days where will Valentine will be a consistent C1 school based on enrollment. This also gives the SPVA an 8 team conference. I would look for the SWC to reach out to Lexington to see if they would be interested in going to the SWC. That would make the SWC an 8 team conference as well.
SWC Miles
Broken Bow: 130
Cozad: 167
Gothenburg: 157
Holdrege: 205
McCook: 198
Minden: 216
Ogallala: 184
SPVA Miles
Bridgeport: 200
Chase County: 224
Hershey: 143
Kimball: 259
Mitchell: 219
St. Pats: 131
Perkins County: 202
SWC Miles
Broken Bow: 130
Cozad: 167
Gothenburg: 157
Holdrege: 205
McCook: 198
Minden: 216
Ogallala: 184
SPVA Miles
Bridgeport: 200
Chase County: 224
Hershey: 143
Kimball: 259
Mitchell: 219
St. Pats: 131
Perkins County: 202
I wouldn’t be surprised if Chase County was approached by the SWC in a few years if their enrollment stays in C1. Gives Ogallala a partner and puts the SWC at 8.
Ogallala
Chase County*
McCook
Holdrege
Minden
Gothenburg
Cozad
Broken Bow
Agreed. The travel doesn’t change much for Valentine and puts them in a league with schools with similar enrollment.
Wish we could see one more Hershey sized school out that way someday with a consolidation, but probably won’t happen for a long time.
I find it hard to believe they will stay C1 in not drop enrollment over the next ten years
I thought the same thing 4-5 years ago, but their numbers are growing. They went back up to C1 in football this year and their boys numbers for basketball are in the top 1/3 of C1, girls in the middle of the pack. Maybe it’s a blip, or maybe they are getting more kids from Grant, Wa-Pa districts.
SWC SPVA
Bow 171 Bridgeport 136
Cozad 141 Hershey 83
Gothenburg 130 Kimball 135
Holdredge 135 Mitchell 180
McCook 62 St Pat's 96
Minden 158 Grant 27
Ogallalla 48 Valentine 227
120.1 126.3
For an extra 12 miles per trip, I'd stay with old friends, personally. And the drive times are actually less for the SPVA.
Not any major influx from neighbors, but almost every new pen rider, cowboy, or farmhand the last 20+ years has been from Mexico. The families have gotten larger and younger. It will be interesting to see if that remains true with the 2nd gen here, and going forward. That, near as I can tell has propelled the small growth. You also have the smaller classes collapsing around them, which means even small growth looks significant.
Would have much preferrred a new thread for 2026 shakeups to avoid having to look at an 11 page thread to see 5 year old moves
Can always just go to the most recent post in the thread, but I get your point. This is a good historical thread. Can always start a new one for 2026 and beyond.
EMF is moving out of the Pioneer and Freeman jumping out of the ECNC and both joining the Southern Nebraska Conference
Falls City as well.
It’ll be interesting to see where the ECNC goes to add members. A merger with the Pioneer would make sense. All the schools except for Tri County and Mead are south and east of Lincoln.
If these moves happen, this is how the conferences would look.
ECNC:
Auburn (no longer fit)
Elmwood-Murdock
Falls City (no longer fit)
JCC
Mead
Weeping Water
Pioneer:
HTRS
Johnson-Brock
Lewiston
Lourdes
Pawnee City
Southern
Tri County
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I've always thought EMF would eventually be a fit for the SNC after the co-op (then later consolidation). C2 sized and geographically in the middle of the conference area. Freeman will stretch the conference further east, which will make the SNC feel more like how it used to be back in the 70's when they had Wymore-Southern, Tecumseh, and Pawnee City.
That being said, I think it would be cool if the SNC brought back their West/East divisions. You could do:
West: H&H, Sutton, Sandy Creek, Superior, Fillmore Central, Thayer Central, EMF
East: Centennial, David City, Milford, Wilber-Clatonia, Fairbury, Tri County, Freeman
My fault, that area south of the interstate is not my expertise. That makes a merger even easier. Even with Auburn and Falls City it would be a 12 team league.
ECNC:
Auburn (no longer fit)
Elmwood-Murdock
Falls City (no longer fit)
JCC
Mead
Weeping Water
Pioneer:
HTRS
Johnson-Brock
Lewiston
Lourdes
Pawnee City
Southern
Agreed, if they continue to see growth, that would be their ideal landing spot.
They are growing, the other schools are not. Can't believe Centennial and DC are playing 8 man football.
I don't think either have intentions of staying 8-man forever, but you never know. Sounded like DC wants to go back after this 2 year cycle
I just will never understand dropping down for a two year cycle. So hard to build momentum by doing that.