MVC hopes to have Western Dubuque's decision by mid-November

CEDAR RAPIDS — The ball is in Western Dubuque's court, and the Mississippi Valley Conference hopes to know in a couple of weeks if it will be returned.

MVC officials said they hope WD will inform them by their next conference meeting if it will accept an invitation to join the league. That meeting is November 16 in Waterloo.

The Mississippi Valley Conference consists of 14 schools but will add the new Liberty High School in North Liberty. It is scheduled to open its doors next fall.

To keep the league at an even number, the MVC extended its invite to Western Dubuque, which is the largest member of the Wamac Conference and in the largest classification in most boys' sports. WD's future enrollment is anticipated to decrease, however, which makes its decision to stay or go even more complicated.

MVC officials also have discussed membership with Mason City, which would be a fallback option should Western Dubuque decline its invitation. If both WD and Mason City decide to stay where they are, the MVC likely will stick with 15 schools for the forseeable future, which will create scheduling difficulties.

Mason City is a member of the Central Iowa Metro League.

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com