Lisbon looking to follow Alburnett’s lead, join the River Valley Conference

Alburnett High School has made the jump from the Tri-Rivers Conference to the River Valley.

Lisbon is ready to follow.

Citing a growing enrollment, particularly at the middle-school and elementary levels, Lisbon has sent an application for RVC membership, effective the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.

“A lot stems from the scheduling conflicts that we struggle with,” Lisbon athletics director Levi Montague said Tuesday. “We want to give our athletes as many opportunities as possible.”

The Lisbon school board passed the resolution by a 3-2 vote in August. Montague said community support is around 70 percent.

“A lot of middle-school and elementary parents are more for it,” he said. “High school parents might be a little more against it, because their kids might not have as much time to adjust.”

The 16 schools of the River Valley must approve Lisbon’s application, twice. Voting is likely to be completed this fall.

Lisbon’s current BEDS enrollment (grades 9-11 from the 2024-25 school year) is 159, which is second-highest in the Tri-Rivers behind Maquoketa Valley’s 162.

The other six members of the East Division (North Cedar, Midland, Calamus-Wheatland, Easton Valley, Bellevue Marquette and Clinton Prince of Peace) have an average BEDS of 93.3, and sub-varsity contests are extremely difficult to come by.

Alburnett (BEDS 222) had been a Tri-Rivers member since the league’s birth in 1967, but transitioned to the River Valley this fall.

Alburnett is a member of the South Division, along with Durant, Iowa City Regina, Mid-Prairie, Tipton, West Branch, West Liberty and Wilton.

The RVC North Division also has eight schools: Anamosa, Beckman, Bellevue, Camanche, Cascade, Maquoketa, Monticello and Northeast.

The two divisions operate fairly independently in terms of competition, meaning there isn’t a lot of North/South crossover.

Average enrollment of the North Division teams is 226.4; the number is 228.6 in the South.

A member of the Tri-Rivers since 2013, Lisbon is a traditional power in boys’ wrestling, and has won six state championships in the past 11 years in boys’ track and field. The Lions also are generally successful in football, baseball and softball.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com