While looking up the recently released Iola High School football schedule, I noticed something strange. Of Iola’s 2026 opponents, only half are from the Pioneer League.
The shift comes from Iola joining a new district. Instead of annual contests against Santa Fe Trail and Prairie View, Iola will instead face district foes Parsons and Columbus.
Wellsville, Anderson County, Burlington and Osawatomie remain on the schedule, so Iola will still see most of their Pioneer League opponents, but four games does not seem like enough to win a Pioneer League title.
A common trope in my columns is trying to rationalize the status quo. Things were the way they were for a reason, so why make frivolous changes? The new schedule seems to deprioritize a Pioneer League title.
With powerhouses like Santa Fe Trail (11-1) and Prairie View (6-4) off the schedule, I can see a rationale for deprioritizing a Pioneer League title from a competitive standpoint. However, adding Frontenac (8-2), Parsons (3-6) and Girard (6-4) does not improve Iola’s prospects. Most of those teams’ losses came against larger programs.
I see football seasonal milestones as a hierarchy. At the top is the coveted state title, then a regional title, then a league title. A district title was just about playoff seeding, but now things are turned on their heads, and the district title takes priority.
Maybe I’m not asking for a return to the status quo, just plurality. I like the concept of a league title because league titles translate across all sports.
Thursday, the IHS track and field team will compete for team and individual league titles at the Pioneer League Championship at Santa Fe Trail. Over the winter, several IHS wrestlers won league titles at the male and female league tournaments. There is the same emphasis for volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball.
Pioneer League teams face each other several times a year. For them, it’s a tradition that often begins in middle school. Regardless of the outcome of any sport, it will not take away their previous league title. In fact, getting even with a league foe is often a motivating factor for Iola sports programs.
