Past season image of a Redhawks helmet resting on the field. TAMA-GRUNDY FILE PHOTO

Schools across Iowa including North Tama and Union found out on March 20 who they would play the majority of their regular-season games against in the 2023 and 2024 seasons as the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released the pairings and districts to the public.

Redhawk football

North Tama is now the smallest school in Class A football – following Belle Plaine’s decision last fall to drop to 8-Player – with a BEDS (Basic Educational Data Survey enrollment from grades 9-11) enrollment of 94. The application of a free and reduced lunch (FRL) of 42% placed the district’s classification number at 78.36.

Last December, the Iowa State Board of Education approved adding a socioeconomic factor to football classifications beginning with the 2023-24 season.

The new formula utilizes a district’s FRL percentage alongside school enrollment to determine classification numbers – reducing BEDS by a number equal to 40% of the district’s FRL.

In Class A, the second smallest school is now West Hancock with a classification number of 104.02 – some 25 students larger than North Tama’s number.

The majority of schools in Class A hover between 120 and 140.

Of the 69 schools in 8-Player, roughly 60% (43) have larger classification numbers than North Tama with Meskwaki being the smallest district.

For the next two seasons, the Redhawks will be in Class A District 3 alongside BCLUW, AGWSR, Nashua-Plainfield, North Butler, South Winneshiek, and Wapsie Valley.

Classification numbers for the Redhawks’ opponents this upcoming season are as follows:

-Wapsie Valley-148.29

-South Winneshiek-141.19

-North Butler-128.93

-Nashua-Plainfield-122.16

-BCLUW-121.71

-AGWSR-120.18

Possibly moving from Class A/11-Player to 8-Player was the subject of much discussion among North Tama school board members and the Traer community at large last fall and early winter.

The board ultimately voted 5-2 on Dec. 13 to keep Varsity at Class A with board members Rod Zobel, Cheryl Popelka, David Calderwood, Val Bradley, and David Boldt voting against moving to 8-Player, and Doug Dvorak and Haley Blaine voting in favor of moving to 8-Player.

At a later meeting, the board elected to slowly transition JV football from Class A to 8-Player beginning with the 2023-24 season.

When contacted by the Telegraph in regards to the new classifications, current Redhawk football head coach/athletic director Taylor Wurth said in an email: “North Tama has been the smallest Class A school for 10 years. … I know our boys can compete and win in 11-man, Class A football, just as the others before them did.”

Union football

In Class 2A, Union is situated in the middle of the pack in terms of classification numbers with 223.09 – using a BEDS of 251 and a free and reduced lunch percentage of 28%.

For the next two seasons, the Knights will be in District No. 6 alongside Iowa Falls, Jesup, Prairie City-Monroe, and West Marshall.

Full schedules will be released in April.