Dowling Catholic High School Explained

Dowling Catholic High School
Motto:	Veritas ∙ Fides ∙ Sapientia
Motto Translation:	Truth ∙ Faith ∙ Wisdom
Streetaddress:	1400 Buffalo Road
City:	West Des Moines
State:	Iowa
Zipcode:	50265
Country:	United States
Type:	Private, Coeducational
Religion:	Catholic
Oversight:	Diocese of Des Moines
Established:	1884
Principal:	Matt Meendering
Grades:	9–12
Enrollment:	1,431
Enrollment As Of:	2013-14
Faculty:	94.6
Ratio:	15.1
Conference:	Central Iowa Metro League
Nickname:	Maroons
President:	Dan Ryan
Rivals:	Valley High School

Dowling Catholic High School is a Catholic secondary school in West Des Moines, Iowa, within the Diocese of Des Moines.

As of the 2013-14 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,431 students and 94.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.1:1. The school's enrollment was 81.2% White, 4.1% Black, 10.2% Hispanic, 4.4% Asian and 0.1% American Indian / Alaska Native.^[1]

History

It was created in 1972 by the merger of St. Joseph Academy for girls (established in 1884)^[2] and Dowling High School for boys (established in 1918 as the Des Moines College boarding school for boys).^[3]

Academics

During the 2003-04 school year, Dowling Catholic High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education,^[4] the highest award an American school can receive.^{[5] [6]}

Tuition

Total tuition cost for 2018-2019 is $11,176 plus fees. Tuition for students belonging to a Catholic Parish is $7,986 plus fees. Tuition for international students is $12,076 plus fees.^[7]

Extracurricular activities

Baseball

The Maroons hold the record for most team home runs during a championship game with 5 in 2001.

Baseball State Championships^[8]
Year	Record	Opponent	Score
1988	39-2	Ames	9-8
1989	38-5	Fort Dodge	8-5
1999	33-13	Ankeny	6-1
2001	42-3	Marshaltown	13-2
2011	36-7	Mason City	6-1

Boys' basketball

State Boys' Basketball Championships^[9]
Year	Score	Opponent
1957	69-66	Waterloo, West
1979	60-57	Davenport Central

Bobby Hansen who later played at the University of Iowa and nine years in the NBA, was on the 1979 state championship team.

Cross country

Girls

State Cross Country Team Championships^[10] ^[11] ^[12] ^[13]
Year	Finishes	Score
2007	1-2-6-8-15	32
2008	1-2-9-24-33	69
2009	1-2-11-15-28	57
2010	3-4-14-19-20	60
2011	1-6-14-20-22	63

• 2007 Girls' Heartland Regional Champions

Boys

State Cross Country Team Championship Wins^[14]
Year	Finishes	Score
1974	4-9-10-16	39
1985	3-8-15-36	62
2011	3-6-12-18-31	70
2012	1-6-8-18-27	60
2015	1-9-13-17-29	69
2016	3-8-13-23-53	100
2018	4-7-15-17-29	72
2019	2-14-16-17-38	87
2021	1-7-9-18-21	58
2022	1-5-9-13-23	51
2023	3-10-18-19-22	72

Debate

Dowling is the home of the Dowling Catholic Paradigm, one of the largest debate tournaments held by a school. In 2015, Dowling Catholic won 2 state titles for Congressional Debate, 1 for Public Forum debate, and 1 for Lincoln Douglas Debate.

Football

Home games are played at the 9,500 seat Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, Williams Stadium, or at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. In 2019, they became the first school in Iowa history to win seven straight Class 4A state championships.

Dowling made the playoffs 17 years in a row beginning in 1985 and ending in 2002 when Dowling missed the playoffs. The school won 36 consecutive games in the 1967 through 1971 graduating class seasons. Dowling won 64 consecutive Metro conference games, a streak lasting from 1968 to 1977. In addition to the 64 metro games Dowling also won 57 consecutive conference games lasting from 1993 to 2002. WDM, Valley is Dowling's primary rival since 1968 when the schools joined the Des Moines Metro Conference.

State 4-A Football Championships^[15]
2000 (13-0)	35-28	Bettendorf High (11-2)
2001 (13-0)	35-15	Iowa City High (12-1)
2010 (14-0)	38-31(OT)	Iowa City High (13-1)
2013 (14-0)	44-13	Cedar Rapids Xavier (12-2)
2014 (13-1)	49-14	Washington High School (13-1)
2015 (13-0)	41-10	C. R. Kennedy (13-1)
2016 (12-1)	23-10	Iowa City West (10-3)
2017 (12-1)	35-21	Iowa City West (12-1)
2018 (11-2)	22-16	Cedar Falls (12-1)
2019^[16] (12-1)	21-16	West Des Moines Valley (12-1)

Swimming

The boys' swimming team won four championships, consecutively from 2001 to 2003.^[17] The girls' swim team won their first state title during the 2019 season.

Boys' tennis

Boys-2A State of Iowa High School Tennis Championships

Year	Team Titles/Player Titles	Opponent	Score
1992	2A-Team Title	Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School	5-3
2001	2A-Team Title	Dubuque Senior High School	5-3

^[18]

Wrestling

• Dowling has won State Dual Wrestling Championships in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992
• Dowling has won the State Traditional Wrestling Championship in 1975, 1978, 1984, 1988, 1990, and 1991

State Wrestling Team Championships
Year	Score
1975	46.5
1978	94.5
1984	115
1988	124.5
1990	109.5
1991	91

• Dowling has the state record for most consecutive dual wins with 136 set from January 1986 to January 1992^[19]

Notable alumni

• Michael Annett, professional NASCAR driver^[20]
• Jennie Baranczyk, head coach of women's basketball at University of Oklahoma
• Chris Broussard, sports journalist
• Caitlin Clark (class of 2020), professional basketball player for Indiana Fever (WNBA); played college basketball 2020-2024 University of Iowa
• Shawn Crahan, Slipknot percussionist
• Amara Darboh, former NFL wide receiver^[21]
• Jerry Groom, College Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman
  • Matt Haack, NFL punter Bobby Hansen, NBA basketball player^[22]
• Tom Harkin, United States Senator (Iowa)^[23]
• Bob Harlan, former president of the Green Bay Packers^[24]
• George Kinley, businessman and Iowa state legislator^[25]
• Matt Macri, MLB third baseman ^[26]
• Mike Mahoney, MLB catcher^[27]
• Karen Maine, director and screenwriter of Yes, God, Yes^[28]
• Matt McCoy, Iowa State Senator^[29]
• Scott Pose, Major League Baseball player^[30]
• Karissa Schweizer, professional distance runner
• Tyson Smith, NFL linebacker^[31]
• Fred L. Turner, former CEO of McDonald's
• Ross Verba, NFL lineman

External links

• • Iowa High School Athletic Association

Notes and References

1. Web site: Search for Private Schools - School Detail for Dowling Catholic High School. nces.ed.gov.
2. Sioux Valley News, August 5, 1885, pg. 2
3. Des Moines Daily News, September 7, 1918, pg. 1
4. Web site: U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 2003 through 2006 . United States Department of Education. May 11, 2006.
5. Web site: CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department. https://web.archive.org/web/20070819233705/http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17475750&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6 . August 19, 2007. Journal Inquirer. November 16, 2006. The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. .
6. News: Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test. The Washington Post. September 29, 2005. For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, ..
7. Web site: Tuition & Tuition Assistance - Dowling Catholic High School. www.dowlingcatholic.org.
8. Web site: 2019 BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT STAT BOOKl. Iowa High School Athletic Association. November 26, 2019.
9. Web site: 2019 State Tournament STAT BOOK . Iowa High School Athletic Association . 27 November 2019 . 4.
10. Web site: Search. www.theracershub.com.
11. Web site: Iowa High School State Cross Country Championships - 4A GIRLS - Official at Online Race Results. OnlineRaceResults.com.
12. Web site: Search. www.theracershub.com.
13. Web site: Search. www.theracershub.com.
14. Web site: 2023 Record BookCross Country. Iowa High School Athletic Association. June 17, 2024. July 7, 2024.
15. Web site: 2019 Football Stat Book . Iowa High School Athletic Association . 27 November 2019.
16. Web site: 2019 IHSAA FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS . 9 November 2019 . Iowa High School Athletic Association . 27 November 2019.
17. Web site: 2019 Swimming Stat Book . Iowa High School Athletic Association . 27 November 2019.
18. Web site: Dowling Catholic High School - Private School in West Des Moines, IA. www.dowlingcatholic.org.
19. News: State High School Wrestling Stats & Champions. The Des Moines Register. March 6, 2017. State Dual Meet, Team, Consecutive Wins: Dowling Catholic, West Des Moines: 136: 1/25/1986 to 1/4/1992.
20. News: Olson, Jeff. Iowan Annett prepares for first Daytona 500. The Des Moines Register. February 20, 2014. March 6, 2017. But he never raced at the half-mile track, nor has he ever raced on dirt, and his NASCAR career nearly lost out to the National Hockey League. While a student at Dowling Catholic, Annett began pursuing his junior-A hockey career, eventually landing with the Waterloo Black Hawks and enrolling at Waterloo West..
21. News: Birch Tommy. Former Dowling Catholic WR Amara Darboh drafted by Seahawks. Des Moines Register. April 28, 2017. October 2, 2017. Amara Darboh nearly had to wait until the third day of the NFL Draft to hear his name called. But one team swooped in late to grab him Friday. The former Dowling Catholic wide receiver was selected in the third round of the draft by the Seattle Seahawks, the 106th overall pick and second-to-last pick of the night..
22. News: Peterson, Randy. Bobby Hansen, Des Moines, 1999. Des Moines Register. July 25, 1999. February 19, 2008. Graduated from West Des Moines Dowling High School in 1979, graduated University of Iowa in 1983..
23. News: Miller, Judith. Judith Miller (journalist). Tom Harkin's Old-Time Religion. The New York Times. February 9, 1992. November 6, 2007. After his mother died, Harkin, an altar boy, went to Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines and won a Navy R.O.T.C. scholarship to college..
24. News: Witosky, Tom. Rivalry's bitter roots took a strong hold. The Des Moines Register. January 21, 2011. March 6, 2017. Bob Harlan, former president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, has watched the longest and most bitter rivalry in the NFL for 37 years. The Des Moines native and West Des Moines Dowling Catholic graduate knows how it began, how it has grown into football legend and what it means to fans on both sides..
25. https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator/legislatorAllYears?personID=1049 The Iowa Legislature-George Kinley
26. News: Staff. Catching up with: Former Dowling star, MLB player Matt Macri. USA Today. October 20, 2012. October 3, 2017. The former multi-sport athlete for West Des Moines Dowling Catholic quarterbacked the Maroons’ football team to its first state championship in 2000, beating Bettendorf 35-28 in the final..
27. Web site: Mike Mahoney, c, Cubs. Baseball America. October 3, 2017.
28. News: Boatright, Ashley. Is Netflix's 'Yes, God, Yes' Based on Dowling Catholic?. Viewfinder. December 13, 2020. July 1, 2021. Karen Maine is an Iowa native, a Dowling Catholic High School graduate and, more recently, the writer and director of “Yes, God, Yes,” a movie that recently trended on the Netflix Top 5 nationwide..
29. Web site: About Matt McCoy. Iowa Senate. October 3, 2017. Matt graduated from Dowling High School in 1984 and earned his B.A. degree from Briar Cliff College in Sioux City in 1988..
30. Web site: Scott Pose Baseball Stats. Baseball Almanac. October 3, 2017.
31. Web site: Tyson Smith . Stats Crew . 13 October 2021.