As far as Iowa high school football is concerned, the Mississippi Athletic Conference is no more.
The first brick fell in the demise of the conference Tuesday, December 17, 2013 when Davenport Assumption announced their decision to leave the MAC and move to 3A.
Two days later, the remaining MAC teams informed the IHSAA of their intentions to move to district play.
The move follows a similar decision several years ago when schools in the western half of Iowa moved to districts.
"We respect the history and the legacy of the Mississippi Athletic Conference. It doesn't look the same today as it did years ago and you know, for some of us it's sad... but ultimately it is about the student-athlete." said D'anne Kroemer, Athletic Director for Pleasant Valley. "We really feel strongly that this is a great opportunity for our student athletes... to develop rivalries and relationships with new schools that we haven't had a chance to compete against in the past."
There is no official word from the Mississippi Valley Conference, but it was expected they would eventually follow the MAC lead and move to district competition.
MAC teams will be reassigned to districts in Iowa, and those assignments for the 2014-2015 school year will be announced by the IHSAA in February 2014.
The 10-team MAC was formed in 1987.