High school football districts released

The Southeast Conference will make return appearance to the high school football playoffs in 2020, it mathmatically has to. The Iowa High School Athletic Association released its districts for the 2020 season, and the area's big school district is all SEC schools: Washington, Mt. Pleasant, Fairfield, Ft. Madison, Keokuk and Burlington.

The Grayhounds are the new blood in the SEC and they are the newest team to be thrown into the local district. Previously a Class 4A school, Burlington's enrollment dropped the school to Class 3A, which kept perrinial football powers like Solon and Davenport Assumption back north.

In Class 2A, Mid-Prairie will play in District 7. The area's Class 1A teams; Cardinal, Pekin, Sigourney-Keota and Van Buren County are all in District 6. Columbus and Highland will be representing the area in Class A's District 6, and the 8-Player trio of New London, WACO and Winfield-Mt. Union were all grouped together in District 4.

The only change made to the football format for 2020 is how long the districts last. The IHSAA will redistrict again next season, instead of waiting two years like normally. The association needs one more year to figure out what to do with the playoff format, and with the concerns over classifications.

The association sent out surveys to schools around Iowa to get their thoughts on classification, districts and so on this winter. They will take those surveys into consideration as they work to figure out a more permanent plan next year.

Listed below are the new football districts for each of the area's schools.

Class 3A District 5: Burlington, Fairfield, Ft. Madison, Keokuk, Mt. Pleasant, Washington

Class 2A District 7: Central Lee, Davis County, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, Mid-Prairie, West Burlington-Notre Dame, Williamsburg

Class 1A District 6: Cardinal, Louisa-Muscatine, Mediapolis, Pekin, Sigourney-Keota, Van Buren County

Class A District 6: Columbus Community, Highland, Lisbon, North Cedar, Iowa City Regina, Wapello

Class 8P District 4: English Valleys, Lone Tree, Montezuma, Moravia, New London, Tri-County, Twin Cedars, WACO, Winfield-Mt. Union