A piece of local gridiron history will be put on hold next season.
Iola High’s 2014 football schedule was announced Wednesday, following a meeting of high school athletics directors in Salina.
With Iola no longer in the same classification as Chanute and Fort Scott, the Mustangs will not face either in football for the first time in decades.
The new classification system has Iola in Class 4A, Division II. Both Chanute and Fort Scott are in Division I, for the 32 largest schools in Class 4A.
Even with the classification switch, a slim chance remained Iola could still face the Blue Comets.
“But the only open week we had was week 3,” said IHS athletics director Martin Bambick. “They only had week 1 and week 2 open.”
And neither school was willing to forego a league game to face a non-league, non-district opponent instead, Bambick said.
Iola will see several new opponents next season.
Added to the 2014 schedule are Santa Fe Trail, Labette County, Burlington and Girard, replacing Chanute, Fort Scott, Cherryvale and Field Kindley of Coffeyville.
Burlington, Girard and Anderson County will join Iola’s football district.
Iola loses rivals in ’14 schedule
