How An Iowa High School Girls Basketball Program Is Doing After Canceling Previous Year

Earlier this year, it was announced that several Iowa high school girls basketball programs would not be fielding a varsity team for the upcoming 2026-2027 season.

Back in 2024, one Iowa high school made headlines with the same decision.

Clarion-Goldfield/Dows High School officials made the call to scrap the upcoming girls basketball season at the varsity level. That left one senior, Elliot Ennis, without the opportunity to complete her career as a Cowgirl.

At the time, Ennis was told to “join the boys team” if she wanted to remain on track to be a valedictorian in the spring. She did not do that, but did remain at Clarion-Goldfield/Dows, graduating with honors before moving on to college.

Now, coming off a winless season in 2025-2026 after returning to the court, the Cowgirls are hoping to find more success this coming year.

Iowa High School Girls Basketball Program Hoping To Build Off Return

Led by head coach Brandon Lantzky, Clarion-Goldfield/Dows returns several players, including starters Kalli Schermer, Audrey Egland, Johanna Perez, Ruby Poac and Daphne Tijull Villatoro.

The motto for the group is simple.

“This year, we are writing a new chapter,” the CGD Cowgirls Basketball Facebook page posted as practice for the season kicked off this week. “We are not promising overnight success. We’re building something that will last.

“We are establishing a standard. We are developing a culture. We are learning how to compete. And most importantly, we’re doing it together. The standard starts here.”

Clarion-Goldfield/Dows Struggled Through Winless Season A Year Ago

It was a rough return, as the Cowgirls averaged just under 11 points per game in going 0-20. They did play a handful of games within striking distance during the middle portion of the year.

England scored 70 points with 103 rebounds as a sophomore, as Haddi Lantzky averaged a block per game as a freshman. Just one senior graduated from the entire roster.

“Two years ago, there was no varsity girls basketball program,” the page posted. “Last season was rough, but our girls showed up, they persevered. That isn’t the full story.

“What people didn’t see was the commitment it takes to keep coming back when the world shakes its head at you. They don’t see the girls who continue to work, continue to learn and continue to believe that things can be different.”

Finding The Way Back Is The Most Difficult Part For Programs

Clarion-Goldfield/Dows is not the only school that made a tough decision like this. Several others have had multiple seasons where they have not fielded a varsity girls basketball team.

The Cowgirls returning to the court last year to compete, and now looking to make growth, shows just how difficult of a move that is to the program as a whole.

The year before they did not play, Clarion-Goldfield/Dows won just three games. They won 16 combined the two seasons before that, but had back-to-back 17-win campaigns in 2020-2021 and 2019-2020.

In 2008-2009, they won 21 games, following that up with an 18-4 record. In the Bound-era (dating back to the 2006-2007 season), the Cowgirls have won at least 10 games in 11 years.

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