Three more Iowa girls basketball teams cancel entire 2024-25 varsity schedules before season tips off

Central City, Charles City, Clarion-Goldfield/Dows join Sibley-Ocheyedan, West Sioux on the varsity sidelines for 2024-25

Three more programs in Iowa have canceled 2024-25 scheduled for girls basketball. /

At least three more high schools in Iowa will not field varsity girls basketball teams for the 2024-25 season.

As previously reported, Sibley-Ocheyedan and West Sioux have scrapped plans to field varsity programs for the coming season. Central City, Charles City and Clarion-Goldfield/Dows have since done the same. 

This is not only a problem within the borders of Iowa, but neighboring Nebraska, which has seen multiple schools do the same in both boys and girls basketball. They also had multiple football teams end their respective seasons early.

Charles City is a very interesting case in this scenario as the biggest school of the five. They are also in the process of transitioning to a new league for 2025-26, joining the North Central Conference. 

Dana Sullivan, activities director for the school, stated in an interview with KCHA News that the plan is to return to the court next winter. 

“This is a decision we have thought a lot about and have had many discussions around for quite some time,” Sullivan said. “The end goal is to build our athletes’ skills and confidence to return to a varsity schedule next year.”

The Comets plans to try and play a JV-level set of games along with freshman ones that would be held prior to the varsity boys hitting the court. They have confirmed with the NCC plans to field a varsity girls team in 2025-26. 

Charles City has won just four games over the past three years, and have not won more than six since going 12-11 in 2014-15. They had recorded winning marks every year from 2006-15 including 17 victories in 2010-11.

The 2023-24 roster featured three juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen on it.

Clarion-Goldfield/Dows opts out of coming season

For Clarion-Goldfield/Dows, this comes on the heels of just three wins last year. Prior to that, though, the Cowgirls had recorded four 10-plus win campaigns over a five-year stretch including back-to-back 17-win seasons between 2019-21.

The roster from last year included four juniors, three sophomores and three ninth-graders. One of those juniors, Elliot Ennis, is the daughter of Elizabeth Ennis, who resigned from her post as head coach earlier this year. 

Ennis was in her second stint leading Clarion-Goldfield/Dows. 

Citing low numbers, the school has stated they plan to try and play a JV schedule for the season. Ryan Nail, the C-G/D baseball coach, has taken over as head coach of the program, according to a report by KQWC.

Central City had won 10 games over the past two seasons

Central City went 6-15 a year ago after winning four games in 2022-23. The Wildcats had a string of three consecutive seasons of at least 10 wins from 2019-22.

The 2023-24 roster included just one junior, four sophomores and a pair of freshmen on it. 

In 2010-11, Central City went 17-8.