Anamosa to stay in Wamac

Conference reshuffling remains a likelihood in Eastern Iowa. But it won't involve Anamosa.

Iowa Department of Education general counsel Carol Greta overturned a committee's recommendation to take Anamosa out of the Wamac Conference and place it into a new conference.

"Our mediation team did as it was asked, to think outside the box, and I don't fault them at all," Greta said after a hearing Wednesday in Des Moines.

"If Anamosa was willing, all would have been well and good. But the reaction -- from Anamosa and the Wamac -- wasn't just 'No.' It was, 'Hell, no.' "

Anamosa Athletics Director Derek Roberts attended Wednesday's hearing, as did many of his colleagues in the Wamac.

"There was a lot of support for us staying," Roberts said. "Our school board wants us to stay in the Wamac, and that's how it ended up."

Greta has 60 days to sort out options for schools in the present Big East, Tri-Rivers and Cedar Valley conferences, as well as Cedar Valley Christian School -- 28 schools in all.

A non-voting member of both state high school athletics associations, Greta will write a proposal, then Department of Education director Jason Glass will make the final decision.

This process began when Camanche sought membership into the Cedar Valley Conference, and was denied. Cedar Valley Christian asked for admittance into the Tri-Rivers Conference, and was denied.

A mediation team of Mike Dick (IGHSAU executive director), David Anderson (IHSAA assistant director) and mediation facilitator Dwight Carlson was formed. And instead of honoring or overruling the conferences' decisions, the committee recommended the following:

* The Big East would fold. The three largest schools (Bellevue, Camanche and Northeast) would go to a new, yet-to-be-named league. The others (Bellevue Marquette, Calamus-Wheatland, Clinton Prince of Peace, Midland and Preston) will head into an expanded Tri-Rivers.

* Cedar Valley Christian would join the Tri-Rivers.

* The new conference would become a seven-school league by taking North Cedar out of the Cedar Valley Conference, Anamosa out of the Wamac, and Monticello and Cascade out of the Tri-Rivers Conference.

Now, Anamosa is staying put.

Though the new, yet-to-be-named conference would now be a six-team league with Anamosa's absence, Greta said it is "still a consideration."

Since the February meeting, Tri-Rivers member Edgewood-Colesburg has applied (and received acceptance) into the Upper Iowa Conference, a league that already has taken Starmont for the 2013-14 school year. It has not been determined whether Ed-Co's move will be allowed.

The North Iowa Cedar League has approached Wamac member Waterloo Columbus, and athletics director Aundra Meeks said last week that Columbus was willing to listen.

Josh Johnson, AD at Union, said in February that the LaPorte City-based school might be interested in Wamac membership should an opening develop.