Tigers season ends at Linn-Mar Regional

Tipton senior Zoe Stonebraker swims in the 400-yard freestyle relay at the Linn-Mar Regional swimming meet on November 7. Stonebraker placed third in the 50-yard freestyle, earning the Tigers top individual finisher at the meet. Stonebraker broke the 26-second mark for the first time this season to place third in a season best time of 25.96. Photo by Ryan Stonebraker.

  MARION — The Tipton swimming team suffered a heartbreaking end to their ne swimming season on Saturday, November 7. The Tigers went to the meet looking for their third straight year of sending at least one event to the state swimming meet in Marshalltown. The Tigers best chance came in the relay events and two individual events. The Tigers would medal in all three relay events and Zoe Stonebraker and Rhyan Hoefler each would medal in individual events.
 Iowa City West won the Regional meet with a team score of 528 points. Linn-Mar was sec- ond with 433 and Cedar Rapids Washington was third with 278 points. The Trojans won nine of the individual events at the meet.
 The first event of the meet saw the Tigers place 5th in the Medley relay. The Tigers swam to a season best time of 1:58.20 with the team of Avary Calonder, Zoe Stonebraker, Rhyan Hoefler, and Maddie Swick. The Tigers previous best time this season was 2:02.80. The time moved THS to 24th statewide, up from 35th coming into the regional meet. However, the time was not enough to reach the state meet. The Tigers were heart- broken as they missed qualifying for the state meet in the event by 0.01.
 The Tigers best relay finish at the meet came in the 200-yard freestyle relay where they placed fifth in 1:45.55. The team of Avary Calonder, Maddie Swick, Zoe Stonebraker, and Rhyan Hoefler were fast in the pool. Tipton’s time helped them move up from 35th to 18th in the state before statewide best times are known to qualify for the state meet.
 Tipton finished o the regional meet by shattering their season best time in the 400-yard free- style relay and placing 6th to medal in the event. The Tigers swam to a finish of 3:55.93 with Maddie Swick, Avary Calonder, Rhyan Hoefler, and Zoe Stonebraker. At the time, it brought the Tigers from 36th to 25th in the state.
 The Tigers had three swimmers take season best times in individual events. Tipton senior Zoe Stonebraker raced to a third place nish in the 50-freestyle. Stonebraker’s finish was the highest for a THS individual swimmer at the meet. Her time of 25.96 is a season best and her first time under 26 seconds in the event in 2020. Her previous best time was her seed time of 26.63. Tipton senior Maddie Swick placed 7th in the 100-yard butter y in a season best time of 1:02.52. Swick qualified individually last season for the state meet in the event.
 The Tigers claimed a school record at the meet in the 200-yard freestyle. Junior Rhyan Hoe er placed 6th to medal in the event, winning her heat in a time of 2:03.54. That time set a new school record in the event breaking the previous record set in 1998 in 2:04.4. Hoe er’s previous best time this season was 2:09.95.  Also in individual events, Tipton senior Kayley Clark swam to a season best, and career best time in the 500-yard freestyle. Clark finished in a time of 6:13.76. That time shattered her season best time of 6:24.29. The Tigers had two swimmers in the 100-yard freestyle. Bree Lemburg swam to a time of 1:14.85, and Alicia Beranek to a time of 1:09.56. In the 200-yard IM, Meghan Vandergaast placed third in her heat in 2:56.77. That time was a season best. Her previous best was 3:03.43. Two Tigers swimming in the 100-yard breast- stroke. Both turned in their best times. Corrine Vandergaast in 1:36.66, and Kayley Clark in 1:22.74. Vandergaast’s previous best was 1:37.49 while Clark’s was 1:24.59.
 The Tigers will say goodbye to three seniors that will be remembered for a long time. Graduating from this year’s team are Zoe Stonebraker, Maddie Swick, and Kayley Clark. The trio left their calling card of hard work, outworking their foes in the pool to reach back-to-back state swimming meets in 2018 and 2019. The Tigers will return junior Rhyan Hoefler, freshman Avary Calonder and a lot of swimmers to build around them next year as THS looks to keep making waves in future seasons.

Iowa City West Duo Shines At State Meet  

 MARSHALLTOWN — The meet champs at the Linn-Mar Regional meet, Iowa City West Trojans, had a pair of stars and they came out in force at the state swimming meet on Saturday, November 14. Aurora Roghair and Scarlet Mar- tin are the two swimmers. Martin set two individual state records and Roghair set one and both were part of a record setting 400-yard freestyle relay. The duo helped the Trojans to a runner-up nish in the team race at state with 277.5 points. The Ames Little Cyclones won the state title with 303 points. The runner-up team at the Linn-Mar Regional, the Linn-Mar Lions, placed eighth at state with 83 points.
 Martin, a junior who has committed to swim at the University of Florida out of the Southeastern Conference, was named the most outstanding swimmer at the state meet. She broke the 100- yard butter y and 100-yard backstroke state re- cords in 53.01 and 54.14. Aurora Roghair, who signed with Stanford University out of the Pac- 12, and set the state record in the 500-yard free- style in a time of 4:45.78.
 The Trojans 400-yard freestyle relay team of Martin, Jade Roghair, Olivia Taeger and Aurora Roghair broke the state record in the event in a time of 3:23.73.
 

Linn-Mar Regional Swimming Meet
Saturday, November 7
Marion, IA
Team Scores: 1. Iowa City West 528, 2. Linn-Mar 433, 3. Cedar Rapids Washington 278, 4. Iowa City, City High 261, 5. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 201, 6. Williamsburg 150, 7. Tipton 147, 8. Keokuk 83.

Individual Event Results (Top-3 and THS Re- sults):
200-medley relay: 1. Iowa City West (Wilkins,

Hajek, Hochstetler, Taeger) 1:49.89, 2. Linn-Mar (Wagner, Kimmel, Geelan, Haars) 1:50.39, 3. Iowa City, City High (Berry-Stoelzle, Yahashiri, Stalk eet, Loria) 1:53.24, 5. Tipton (Avary Calo- nder, Zoe Stonebraker, Maddie Swick, Rhyan Hoe er) 1:58.20.

200-yard freestyle: 1. Aurora Roghair (ICW) 1:49.49, 2. Jade Roghair (ICW) 1:55.34, 3. Lauren Williams (CRJ) 1:56.59, 7. Rhyan Hoe er (TIP) 2:03.54.

200-yard IM: 1. Hayley Kimmel (LM) 2:08.64, 2. Makala Hajek (ICW) 2:10.84, 3. Olivia Tager (ICW) 2:13.17, 15. Megan Vandergaast (TIP) 2:56.77. 50-yard freestyle: 1. Ella Hochstetler (ICW) 24.34, 2. Rika Yahashiri (ICH) 24.72, 3. Zoe Stonebraker (TIP) 25.96.

100-yard butter y: 1. Scarlet Martin (ICW) 54.11, 2. Heidi Stalk eet (ICH) 58.33, 3. Ella Hochstetler (ICW) 58.81, 6. Maddie Swick (TIP) 1:02.52. 100-yard freestyle: 1. Olivia Taeger (ICW) 53.59, 2. Lauren Williams (CRJ) 53.88, 3. Lucy Haars (LM) 54.55, 20. Alicia Beranek (TIP) 1:09.56, 22. Bree Lemburg (TIP) 1:14.85.

500-yard freestyle: 1. Aurora Roghair (ICW) 4:54.35, 2. Heidi Stalk eet (ICH) 5:05.27, 3. Jade Roghair (ICW) 5:10.01, 10. Kayley Clark (TIP) 6:13.76.

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Iowa City West (Hochstetler, Roghair, Roghair, Martin) 1:36.89, 2. LInn-Mar (Kimmel, Haars, Wagner, Haars) 1:39.32, 3. Cedar Rapids Washington (Sorg, Pfab, Lenzer, Thompson) 1:44.19, 5. Tipton (Mad- die Swick, Avary Calonder, Rhyan Hoe er, Zoe Stonebraker) 1:45.65.

100-yard backstroke: 1. Scarlet Martin (ICW) 55.85, 2. Carlee Wilkins (ICW) 58.68, 3. Sydney Jones (CRW) 59.79, 6. Avary Calonder (TIP) 1:05.91.

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Hayley Kimmel (LM) 1:05.55, 2. Rika Yahashiri (ICH) 1:10.68, 3. Abby Jones (CRW) 1:11.28, 15. Kayley Clark (TIP) 1:22.79, 19. Corrine Vandergaast (TIP) 1:36.66. 400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Iowa City West (Roghair, Taeger, Roghair, Martin) 3:30.84, 2. Iowa City, City High (Stalk eet, Loria, Seaton, Yahashi- ri) 3:45.16, 3. Linn-Mar (Haars, Geelan, Bren- nom, Haars) 3:46.91, 6. Tipton (Maddie Swick, Avary Calonder, Rhyan Hoe er, Zoe Stonebraker) 3:49.05.

Column: Scarbrough's Take: On Milestones, Marshall and My Mother, Hilda Ferne

 

 

By Lyn Scarbrough

Lindy's Sports

 As far as sports go, this weekend wasn’t much, and much of that was bad.

 Fifteen scheduled college football games weren’t played. Some were postponed, others cancelled altogether. That included six games involving teams ranked in the Top 25. The coronavirus nightmare is having an impact on how conference championships, postseason bowl games and College Football Playoff selections will be handled.

 As I’m writing this column on Sunday afternoon, the final round of The Masters, “a tradition unlike any other,” is being played. For sure, this chapter of the legendary golf tournament is “unlike any other,” postponed from its usual April timeframe, played for the first time ever in November.

 But for me, this is still a memorable weekend.

 Today is the birthday of my late mother, Hilda Ferne Hyche Scarbrough.

 This year, 2020, has been one that most of us would like to forget for many reasons.

 Not so, 1920. A century ago. It was the year that my mother was born.

 My mother was a sports fan, kept up with it and understood it. She didn’t have much choice.

 The youngest of eight children, she was the only girl. Some of her brothers, who ranged from 20 to six years older than her, played football for the local high school several miles up the road, the Hueytown Golden Gophers. The brothers were probably overprotective back during the days of the Depression. She was “Sis” to them.

 Then, she married my dad, Ray Scarbrough. He had graduated from Gadsden High School in 1932, where he was student body president and an all-state football player. He played football for Wally Butts at Georgia Military College, then for Shug Jordan and Jack Meagher at Auburn in the mid-1930s.

 So, in order to survive, she had to know and love sports.

 After serving in the Navy during World War II, my parents moved to western Jefferson County, Ala., where they built a two-bedroom house in Rock Creek in the early 1950s. They lived what most would consider a simple life with a few passions – God, family, friends, community … and sports.

 They passed all of those along to me, including the love of sports. Only a few things stopped me from being a great athlete … size, speed and talent. But, I learned that I could still have a passion for it and have a career that involved it. For all of those things, I’ll always be grateful to my parents.

 There were a few things that even people who knew my mother really well for a long time didn’t know.

 Her birth name wasn’t Hilda Ferne. The names were misspelled on her birth certificate and that wasn’t corrected until my parents married on April Fool’s Day, about seven months before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

 She was a clogger, but never in public. She had clogging shoes and would only click her heels and toes on the hardwood floors in the hallway inside the house. I only saw her do it once.

 But there were some things that people did know about Hilda Ferne.

 She was talented, especially with music. She was the first pianist at her home church, Union Hill Baptist, when it was founded in the back of my grandfather’s store in the early 1930s. After moving back to Rock Creek, she was at the Union Hill keyboard every week for several more decades until age caught up with her. She loved hymns and Southern Gospel.

 She could also play the ukulele and the harmonica. Not long before her death, suffering through Alzheimer’s when she didn’t know who anybody was, she could still play a mean harmonica, not missing a note of the last song she could remember, “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder, I’ll Be There.”

 She was an educator, working first as a substitute teacher, then as a school registrar from the late 1950s through the 1980s. She understood the importance of education, stressing the importance of students taking responsibility, serving as a mentor to many over the years. There are probably some reading this column who are among those that were positively impacted by her example.

 Some honored her, through cards or letters, others with gifts at Christmas, some with calls when she retired. A few others were more unique, none more so that the one bestowed by my longtime friend Steve Price.

 His was a 1955 green and white, four-door Chevy Bel-Air, his pride and joy … that he named Hilda Ferne. My mother knew about that, saw the car when it came to Rock Creek. But, I’m not sure that she ever understood the significance of that namesake or realized how much she was appreciated and respected by friends, her church, her family or the young people with whom she had contact.

 There are a lot of people that share this same appreciation for their parents, for being raised and influenced this same way. We are immeasurably grateful to them and to God.

 It also wasn’t lost on me that this weekend marked another milestone.

 On the weekend of my mother’s 50th birthday, the Marshall Thundering Herd football team played East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. The Pirates won that game, 17-14, but few will remember anything about the game itself. No football fan alive then will ever forget what happened afterward.

 Near Ceredo, a small town along the Ohio River in Wayne County, West Virginia, the Southern Airways DC-9 aircraft returning the Marshall team from the game crashed into a hillside approach to the Tri-State Airport, killing all 75 on board.

 Victims included head coach Rick Tolley, five members of the coaching staff, athletic director Charles Kautz, team trainer Jim Schroer, Sports Information Director Gene Morehouse, 25 boosters, five crew members and 37 members of the football team. It is considered the greatest tragedy in American sports history.

 The movie, We Are Marshall, the story of the crash and its aftermath, including the resurrection of the football program, is one of the best sports stories ever told on screen. If you’ve never seen it, hopefully you will.

 That Marshall team and the crash were remembered this weekend in Huntington, W.Va., where the undefeated, No. 15 Thundering Herd defeated C-USA rival Middle Tennessee.

 This weekend, with my mother’s birthday and the Marshall tragedy, was a reminder of lives well lived and lives cut short. Celebration and sadness. Milestones and memories.

 It’s been a decade since my mother passed away and today is 100 years since she was born.

 Happy 100th birthday, Mother. Thanks for your love, for the love of friends and family, the love of church and music, the love of sports and the love of life.

No one could have ever wanted any more.

Lindy's Sports columnist Lyn Scarbrough is a contributor to this blog.  He lives deep in SEC country and offers his take on the College Football landscape.

COVID-19: Football Finals Update

 

 BOONE, IA — The Iowa High School Athletic Association’s football championship games will be played as scheduled with spectator restrictions following an updated proclamation from Governor Kim Reynolds on Monday evening.
The six championship games will be played on Thursday, Nov. 19 and Friday, Nov. 20 at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. Attendance is limited to two spectators per participating athlete.
Game times for the finals are set for 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. each day. The IHSAA played last week’s 12 semifinal games with face covering requirements and spectator restrictions at the UNI-Dome due to the continued spread of COVID-19.
Following discussions with IHSAA partners at the University of Northern Iowa, the Iowa Department of Education, and Iowa state government, updated protocols and information for the championship round are below.

SPECTATOR RESTRICTIONS
Per the proclamation’s details on high school-sponsored sporting and extracurricular events (Section Six, Part D), attendance will be limited to two spectators per participating student-athlete. Spectators may only be present for the championship game their student-athlete is participating in. The spectator limitation currently applies to all high school-sponsored events, indoor or outdoor.
Only one side of the UNI-Dome will be utilized with the restricted capacity. A map on entrances and seating will be shared as it becomes available. Spectators will use separate entrances with “home” entering the NW corner and “away” entering the SW corner. Fanbases will be separated and seating pods will be in groups of two and spaced for social distancing.
At this time, supporting participants do not get two additional spectators. These supporting participants include but are not limited to: Coaches, managers, trainers, statisticians, video operators, game officials, and cheerleaders.
Social distancing and face coverings will continue to be required of spectators at the UNI-Dome. All spectators over the age of two are required to wear masks or face coverings for all gatherings in Iowa as of the Nov. 16 proclamation update.

TICKET REFUNDS
All championship game tickets previously purchased online by spectators from participating schools will be refunded by UNItix. Refunds will be automated and returned on to the credit card or account used.

ATTENDANCE VOUCHERS
The IHSAA is working with administrators from participating schools to handle ticketing and payment for two spectators per participant for each game. Tickets will be $12.50 each or $25 for two spectators of a rostered and in-uniform varsity football player. These vouchers will be required for entry at the UNI-Dome. Parking is free at designated lots around the UNI-Dome. Spectators will not be allowed back in once they leave the UNI-Dome.

AWARDS & PERFORMANCES CANCELED
Performances, award presentations, and halftime ceremonies have been canceled due to the spectator restrictions. This includes: Football Hall of Fame, Officials Hall of Fame, participating team pep bands, and Iowa Cheerleading Coaches Association’s Honor Squad.

MEDIA CREDENTIALING
Media members are permitted at the event. Media members must preregister to attend through the IHSAA (newspaper, TV, etc.) or acquire radio credentials through IHSSN (audio broadcast) for each game of the event. Available seating is limited due to social distance requirements in the press box.

IOWA HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS NETWORK
Fans outside the UNI-Dome can watch the finals through the Iowa High School Sports Network. Each game is available through a free livestream, the free IHSSN app, and a selection of broadcast television networks.

Shumaker caps senior season with All-State honors

 

Tipton senior Caleb Shumaker placed rst in the Class 2A race to earn the status of 2A champion at the state meet last month. Shumaker was named to the Elite All-State list, and the 2A All-State list last week. Photo by Darren Miller.

FORT DODGE - Tipton senior Caleb Shumaker picked up postseason All-State honors last week as the Iowa Track and Field Coaches Association released their 2020 All-State list for Class 2A. Shumaker, the 2020 2A individual champion, helped lead the Tigers to a runner-up finish last month at the state meet in Fort Dodge. Shumaker collected his third top-10 individual state n- ish that day, winning the Class 2A race in a time of 16:13.
 Shumaker was honored on the boy’s Elite All- State team as well as the Class 2A All-State team. The Tigers placed second as a team, ending a three-year run where they won two state titles and captured this year’s runner-up finish. The Tigers were ranked in the Top-10 of Class 2A all season and finished ranked No. 2 in the final IT- FCA rankings.
 Tipton’s Ty Nichols was also honored with All- State honors. Nichols was selected to the Class 2A team after nishing 15th at state.

Boy’s Elite All-State
Nate Muller (ADM) Sr. 15:28; Jaysen Bouwers (Sioux City North) Sr. 15:31; Ryan Winger (Dubuque Hempstead) Sr. 15:45; Quinton Orr (Humboldt) Sr. 15:48; Brady Griebel (Bellevue) Sr. 15:52; Jackson Heidesch (Dowling) Soph. 15:53; Will Lohr (Sioux City North) Jr. 16:00; Aidan Ramsey (Dallas Center Grimes) Jr. 16:05; Eli Larson (Center Point-Urbana) Jr. 16:05; An- drew Bickford (CR Prairie) Sr. 16:06; Ford Wash- burn (Iowa City, City High) Soph. 16:11; Brady Hogan (Decorah) Sr. 16:12; Caleb Shumaker (Tipton) Sr. 16:13; Anthony Moran (Urbandale) Sr. 16:14; Connor Kilgore (Dubuque Senior) Sr. 16:14.

Class 2A All-State Team
Caleb Shumaker (Tipton) Sr. 16:13; Ty Carr (Danville-New London) Jr. 16:50; Alexander Ju- lian (Danville-New London) Jr. 16:50.6; Carson Houg (Des Moines Christian) Jr. 16:58; Aaron Fynaardt (Des Moines Christian) Soph. 16:59; Tage Hulstein (Western Christian) Jr. 17:00; Kenny Cronin (Davis County) Sr. 17:07; Carson Shively (Davis County) Jr. 17:10; William Gillis (Central Decatur) Jr. 17:18; Kenny Day (GCGR) Sr. 17:19; Dylan Darsidan (Camanche) Sr. 17:21; Harrison Garber (Williamsburg) Jr. 17:21; De- ven Henry (West Sioux) Sr. 17:22; Joey Hovinga (Forest City) Jr. 17:23; Ty Nichols (Tipton) Soph. 17:25.

THS’s Wallick named Class 2A All-State

THS senior Kallie Wallick was named to the Class 2A All-State cross-country team last week. It’s the second All-State honors she has received in her career. Photo by Ryan Stonebraker.

 FORT DODGE - Tipton senior Kallie Wallick was named to the Class 2A All-State team recently after a high finish at the state meet last month. Wallick helped lead the Tigers to a runner-up n- ish in the Class 2A field at state, the first team state trophy for THS in over a decade. The Tigers placed second behind fellow River Valley Conference South foe Mid-Prairie and ahead of Top-10 ranked Williamsburg. The Tigers finished the season ranked No. 3 in the nal regular season ITFCA 2A rankings.
 Wallick placed 14th at state as a sophomore to earn All-State honors and with last week’s announcement became a two-time all-stater. In 2018, she placed 14th in 20:04. This year, she placed in the top-20 in 20:31 to earn the honors.

Class 2A Girls All-State

Danielle Hostetler (Mid-Prairie) Fr. 19:08; Addison Par- rott (Danville-New London) Sr. 19:31; Jaden Yoder (Mid- Prairie) Jr. 19:38; Amber Homan (Denver) Soph. 19:46; Amanda Treptow (Jesup) Jr. 19:47; Ruth Jennings (Wil- liamsburg) Jr. 19:54; Mitzy Evans (Mid-Prairie) Jr. 19:56; Clare Wright (Jesup) Fr. 20:03; Maria Kruse (Beckman) Fr. 20:20; Sydney Yoder (Mid-Prairie) Jr. 20:02; Kyrstin Agnitsch (Cherokee) Jr. 20:03; Mayson Hartley (Clar- inda) Soph. 20:14; Taylor Kvale (Dike-New Hartford) Jr. 20:26; Georgia Paulson (Underwood) Fr. 20:27; Kallie Wallick (Tipton) Sr. 20:31.

Walsh Named 2A Coach of the year in Class 2A

  FORT DODGE — Tipton cross-country coach Eric Walsh was named the 2020 Class 2A state coach of the year for Iowa High School Girl’s teams. Walsh helped lead the Tigers to a Class 2A runner-up finish at the 2020 state cross- country meet. The Tigers were ranked much of the season and nished ranked third in the final regular season 2A rankings. The Tigers were led by senior Kallie Wallick and have a solid founda- tion of returning runners for next year. Walsh was also named an at-large Class 2A coach of the year. Walsh helped the Tigers to a runner-up finish on the boy’s side this year. The Tigers have nished rst in 2018 and 2019 and also were second in 2020.

Class 2A Cross-Country Coach Of The Year:
2A Girls - State Coach Of The Year - Eric Walsh - Tipton
At Large Coaches of The Year - Mark Hostetler - Mid-Prairie; Nick Nordheim - Williamsburg; Nick Green - Jesup; Charlie Gru- man - Starmont; Sandy Sabelke - Denver.

2A Boys - State Coach Of The Year - Lucas Gurley - Danville- New London
At Large Coaches of The Year - Eric Walsh - Tipton; Andrew Hamer - Des Moines Christian; Dalton Lems - Western Christian; Josh Husted - Davis County; Reece Tedford - Central Decatur. 

 

Tipton head cross-country coach Eric Walsh, left, and assistant coach Jill Engels, right, show off the hardware that THS earned at the 2020 state cross-country meet this year. Both Tiger teams were runners-up in Class 2A. Walsh was named the Class 2A girls coach of the year and an at-large coach of the year for the boys last week by the Iowa Track and Field Coaches Association. Contributed Photo.

 

Area players named All-District VB

 

Wilton junior Kelsey Drake (1) was one of three Wilton juniors named to the Class 2A Southeast All- District team last week. Drake led SE All-District players in kills, digs, and serving totals. Photo by Darrren Miller.

 WILTON — Three Wilton players and one Du- rant volleyball player were named to the 2020 Southeast All-District Class 2A team last week. Named to the team were a trio of Wilton juniors in Kelsey Drake, Carly Pu er, and Ella Caffery. Also named was Durant senior Brooklyn Bullard. Wilton head coach Brenda Grunder was named the Southeast district coach of the year. Grunder helped lead the Beavers to their third straight state volleyball tournament bid and Final Four appearance. Wilton had a record of 33-4.
 Ella Caffery nished with 810 assists, 183 digs, 128 kills, 50 aces, 47 blocks and 50 aces. Kelsey Drake led Wilton with 371 kills, 354 digs, 55 aces and 29 blocks. Carly Pu er added 309 kills, 79 blocks, 228 digs and 59 aces. Drake’s Kill total led SE All-District players while Pu er was second among the All-District players. Caffery led in assists by having nearly 200 more assists over the next player. All three players were in the top- 5 of All-District players dig totals and all three were the top-3 servers in the district.
 Also named to the squad was Durant’s Brooklyn Bullard. A senior, Bullard had 248 assists for the Wildcats with 102 digs and 19 assists for Durant. Durant had a record of 6-16 this year.
 The rest of the Class 2A Southeast All-District team were Kylee Sanders and McKenna Hohenadel from Louisa-Muscatine, Annie Gahan from Iowa City Regina, Josie Wolter from Mediapolis, Nicki Henson and Lexie Peak from West Branch, Isabel Manning from Van Buren, and Emma Milder from Columbus Junction.

Class 2A Southeast All-District Team
Wilton - Ella Caffery Jr., Kelsey Drake Jr., Carly Puffer Jr.; Louisa-Muscatine - Kylee Sanders Sr., McKenna Hohenadel Jr.; Iowa City Regina - Annie Gahan Sr.; Mediapolis - Josie Wolter  Sr.; West Branch - Nicki Henson Sr., Lexie Peak Sr.; Van Buren - Isabel Manning Sr.; Columbus Junction - Emma Milder Sr.; Durant - Brooklyn Bullard Sr.
District Coach of the Year - Brenda Grunder, Wilton

Duncan Nominated for Senior CLASS Award

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa senior kicker Keith Duncan is one of 30 NCAA Division I FBS candidates to be nominated for the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award. CLASS stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School and focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.  To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be football seniors and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.  Duncan is one of only three Big Ten players and one of only two kickers to be named to the 30-man list.
  Duncan, a Weddington High School (N.C.) graduate, was a 2019 consensus All-American, one of three 2019 Lou Groza Award finalists, and the reigning Bakken-Anderson Kicker of the Year in the Big Ten. This season, Duncan is a 4-of-5 on field goal attempts, including a long of 47 yards against Northwestern, and a perfect 11-of-11 on PATs.   Duncan earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2019, also earning Dean’s List honors in the fall semesters of 2018 and 2019.   He is a member of Iowa’s 2020-21 Leadership Group. Joining the Iowa football program as a walk-on, Duncan was granted a scholarship in the fall semester of 2019.
 Duncan has volunteered at countless organizations at Iowa: Play 2B Fit, Salvation Army, Iowa Dance Marathon, Hawkeye Pride, Hawkeye Readers, Children’s Museum, UI Football Blood Drive, Crisis Center Pancake Breakfast, Ronald McDonald 5K, and Iowa Student-Athlete Day of Caring. Duncan has also visited local hospitals, including the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital and the local VA Hospital.   Ten finalists will be announced at the end of the regular season, with the winner being selected in December through a nationwide vote available to media, coaches, and fans.

Tarasenko Wins 200 Free at U.S. Open

 DES MOINES, Iowa – University of Iowa junior Aleksey Tarasenko won the 200-meter freestyle at the 2020 Toyota U.S. Open Championships on Nov. 13 at the YMCA of Greater Des Moines. Tarasenko was one of 10 Hawkeyes competing at the championships unattached.  The 2020 U.S. Open took place from Nov. 12-14 across nine locations around the country. 

 Tarasenko, a native of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, won the 200 free with a time of 1:51.99. He also tallied a third-place finish in the 50-meter free in 22.89.  Sophomore Mallory Jump was runner-up in the 200-meter fly (1:00.85), while placing fifth in the 200-meter IM (2:18.91).

  The Hawkeyes also got third-place showings from former Hawkeye Hannah Burvill (200 free, 2:03.82); sophomore Evan Holt (400 free, 4:05.60; 200 free, 1:55.04) and sophomore Will Myhre (100 breast, 1:03.45).

  Sophomore Ryan Purdy placed fourth in the 100-meter back (56.86), while senior John Colin and junior Preston Planells were sixth (57.15) and ninth (58.86), respectively, in the same event.  Freshman Seth Miller placed ninth in the 100-meter butterfly (55.95) and 11th in the 50 free (23.50), while sophomore Kennedy Gilbertson was ninth in the 100-meter back (1:04.46) and 10th in the 50 free (26.97).

VanValkenburg Named B1G Defensive Player of the Week

 IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior defensive lineman Zach VanValkenburg has been named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, following Iowa’s 35-7 win at Minnesota, as the Hawkeyes retained Floyd of Rosedale for a school-record sixth straight year. The announcement was made Monday by the Big Ten Conference office.  

 VanValkenburg (6-foot-4, 270-pounds), is a Zeeland, Michigan, native, and earns his first career weekly honor. It is the second straight week a Hawkeye has earned their first career weekly award by the Big Ten (Charlie Jones vs. Northwestern).

  VanValkenburg posted five total tackles (four solo), including a career-high three sacks for a loss of 15 yards. His three sacks are the most by a Hawkeye since A.J. Epenesa registered 4.5 sacks against Nebraska in 2019. VanValkenburg was a key cog in the Iowa defense that nearly posted a shutout against a Minnesota offense that entered the contest averaging 36.3 points per game.

  VanValkenburg is second in the Big Ten in sacks per game (0.88) and seventh in the conference in tackles for loss per game (1.3).  Iowa (2-2, 2-2) will play at Penn State (0-4, 0-4) Saturday at 2:30 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised on Big Ten Network.

Iowa Athletics Extends INFLCR Partnership

  IOWA CITY, Iowa — INFLCR and the University of Iowa are extending their multi-year department-wide partnership after a year where student-athlete usage saw growth in social media followings.  
  “The INFLCR platform allows student-athletes to build their brand and utilize our photos and videos to enhance their image,” said Kelsey Laverdiere, assistant director of athletics marketing and fan engagement. “As we work to prepare student-athletes for the next chapter in their lives, building a strong personal brand while at Iowa is key to their future success. INFLCR’s user-friendly platform makes it easy for all our student-athletes to engage and increase followers.”
 Hawkeye student-athletes, coaches, staff and alumni in all sports will continue to receive content produced by University of Iowa athletics and national media sources. This is delivered instantly by the INFLCR software and mobile app.
  INFLCR serves more than 100 NCAA athletic programs, representing more than 800 teams and 30,000 student-athletes. Iowa is the first Big Ten program to sign a department-wide agreement with INFLCR.

Highlights of Iowa’s first year with INFLCR include:
  544 Iowa student-athletes were active users of the INFLCR app.
Student-athletes logged almost 19,000 sessions in the app to access content in their personalized galleries.
  Student-athletes downloaded or shared more than 7,000 content items, reaching a social audience of almost 700,000 followers.
  Iowa uploaded more than 44,000 photos and videos to the INFLCR platform, using artificial intelligence-based tagging technology and integrations with storage platforms such as Sidearm, Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, Smugmug and PhotoShelter to achieve this distribution.
Iowa student-athletes had access to hundreds of photos produced by USA Today IMAGN via a partnership with INFLCR. 

 “Iowa’s investment into content and the INLFCR content-distribution platform to empower its student-athletes is a win-win for the university and the athletes,” INFLCR founder and CEO Jim Cavale said. “With access to quality, real-time content at their fingertips, Hawkeyes can tell their story on social media to build personal brands, while at the same time increasing the reach for Iowa Athletics through the unique followers.”

Examples of this growth:
  Hawkeye All-American men’s basketball player Luka Garza grew his audience 143 percent during the 2019-20 season. He is one of six Iowa men’s basketball players to experience a follower-growth of more than 20 percent last season.
  Hawkeye women’s basketball player Kathleen Doyle grew her audience 45 percent in 2019. She and her teammates logged more than four app sessions each week during the season to access content, and their posts produced an average engagement rate triple that of the Iowa women’s basketball team accounts.
 “This is setting Iowa up with a great story to tell as we enter an era where student-athletes will be able to monetize their name, image and likeness,” Cavale said.
 “As they tell their story editorially on social-media channels like Instagram and Twitter, Hawkeyes are building followers and engagement that will be attractive to brands in the future. For current Hawkeyes, this is a tangible value they can leverage when they leave Iowa. In the future, active collegiate athletes will also be able to do this while competing in the NCAA.”

Hawkeyes Wrap Competition at U23 and Junior Nationals

 OMAHA, Neb. – All 10 University of Iowa wrestlers competing at the 2020 USA Wrestling U23 Nationals recorded top eight finishes this weekend at the MECA-CHI Health Center of Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.  

 The Hawkeyes got runner-up finishes from All-Americans Kaleb Young, Jacob Warner and Tony Cassioppi, as well as a second-place finish from Nelson Brands in the men’s freestyle division. Iowa advanced two more wrestlers to the consolation finals, getting a third-place finish from All-American Max Murin and a fourth-place finishes from All-American Austin DeSanto. Former Iowa wrestler and HWC member Jeremiah Moody also placed fourth.

 Freshman Patrick Kennedy paced the Hawkeyes in the USA Wrestling Junior Nationals division, placing runner-up at 79 kg. He was one of five Hawkeyes to place in the junior division.

 Complete results from the U23 and Junior Nationals at FloWrestling.com.

HAWKEYE WRESTLING PLACEWINNERS

2020 U23 NATIONALS

61 KG    Austin Desanto                              4th Place           

65 KG    Max Murin                                      3rd Place           

65 KG    Carter Happel                                8th Place           

70 KG    Kaleb Young                                   2nd Place           

74 KG    Jeremiah Moody                           4th Place           

79 KG    Myles Wilson                                 6th Place           

79 KG    Nelson Brands                               2nd Place           

92 KG    Jacob Warner                                 2nd Place           

125 KG  Anthony Cassioppi                        2nd Place           

125 KG  Aaron Costello                               8th Place           

 

2020 JUNIOR NATIONALS

57 KG    Jesse Ybarra                                   5th Place           

65 KG    Cobe Siebrecht                              8th Place           

79 KG    Patrick Kennedy                             2nd Place           

92 KG    Gabe Christenson                         8th Place           

92 KG    Zach Glazier                                    5th Place           

 

Column: Scarbrough's Take: In Sports and Life, Outcomes Not Always Fair or Right

 

By Lyn Scarbrough

Lindy's Sports

 Here are a few thoughts to consider from significant people, especially applicable today:

** “Fairness is like a multi-faceted gem. Its appearance can vary, depending on the angle of the beholder.” – Roshani Chokshi, American children’s book author

** “When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, to do something.”  – John Lewis, American Congressman and civil rights leader

** “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.^” – First written by Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian

** “Don’t change horses in the middle of the stream.”  – Countless people, including my great-grandmother Ma Waldrop

It’s interesting how things in sports are so often teachers of life lessons.

There are some basic truths that can’t be avoided and must be understood. The best team doesn’t always win. Good guys don’t always finish first. And, things are not always fair.

Of course, there is a difference in the way that unfairness happens.

Some things are not intentional, just bad breaks.

Consider Virginia Tech against Liberty this past Saturday. On the game’s last play with the teams tied, the Hokies blocked a potentially game-winning Flames’ field goal attempt, scooped and ran it in for the apparent game-winner. But just before the snap, the Virginia Tech sideline had called time out. On the retry, the Liberty placekicker drilled it, giving the Flames the upset win. Liberty fans saw it as justice. Virginia Tech fans not so much.

Some things are done intentionally, maybe not pre-planned, but injustice caused by humans all the same.

Consider the Missouri-Colorado football game in 1990, the worst case of unfairness that I remember in all of sports. The highly-ranked Buffaloes were near the Tigers’ end zone and scored the game-winner on a short run … on fifth down! Officials had allowed Colorado an extra down. Everybody knew it. It wasn’t in question. But since it had already happened, it was allowed to stand. You didn’t see Colorado offer to give back the snap.

Was that unfairness important? Only that at the end of the season, Colorado was named the national champion. Only giving them the biggest prize in their arena. You didn’t see Colorado offer to give back the championship trophy.

From my perspective, the semifinal game at the Final Four in Minneapolis in April, 2019 had a similar outcome, allowing Virginia to win the national championship, sending Auburn home one game short.

But, there is another type of unfairness that should never be allowed.

Competition in sports, and in life, need to be played by the rules … the rules that were in place when the competition started. Not rules changed after the competition was underway. Neither opponent should ever be allowed to change the rules while the game is being played.

If you don’t like the rules, change them legally after the competition is over. Pass different rules, but not while the competition is mid-stream.

That would be like the Iron Bowl being played and at halftime officials decide that one side can have 12 players on the field, not 11. What team would ever agree to let their opponent have that advantage? Of course, none.

Those in charge of any competition have an obligation to insure fairness. Loyal fans have an obligation to acknowledge the final outcome of competition, but continue supporting their team.

But as much as we all should passionately want fairness, sometimes things just don’t turn out that way. Things can be done and decisions can be formed the right way, but things can still go against you.

It’s like the learned philosopher and comedian Roseanne Barr said:

“To expect life to treat you good is as foolish as hoping a bull won’t hit you because you are a vegetarian.”   

I think I’ll have a hamburger, hold the onions.

 Lindy's Sports columnist Lyn Scarbrough is a contributor to this blog.  He lives deep in SEC country and offers his take on the College Football landscape.

Beavers Bow Out With Loss to Dike-New Hartford, 3-0

 CEDAR RAPIDS — The Wilton Beaver volleyball team saw their season come to an end in the Class 2A state semi nals. Wilton advanced to the 2020 state volleyball tournament with a Regional Final win over Class 2A No. 14 West Branch. The Beavers defeated No. 11 Van Meter 3-0 in the quarter- nals before falling to eventual 2A champ No. 3 Dike-New Hartford in the Final Four. Wilton ends the year with a re- cord of 33-4. The loss snapped a four-match win streak by Wilton in the postseason.

 Wilton lost the rst set 25-17, but played closer in the second set. Wilton however, could not get things closer than the 25-21 second set nal score, falling behind the Wolverines 2-0 in the match. Dike-New Hartford would complete the match sweep, taking the third set 25-16.

 Kelsey Drake had 20 kills in the match on 47 attacks. Carly Pu er had six kills and Kaylee Coss had three kills. Ella Caf- fery had 28 assists.  Four Beavers had double digit dig totals. Drake led with 12 while Ca ery, Alexa Garvin, and Pu er all had ten digs. Wilton served 53-for-56 in the match with four aces. Drake was 11-for-11 with two aces and Peyton Souhrada was 10-for-11 to lead Wilton.

Payton Petersen led DNH in kills with 19 and Taylor Hoehns added seven. Madelyn Norton had 39 assists. Lexie Fager had 16 digs while Norton had 13, and Jadyn Petersen had 13 to lead the Wolverines. DNH served 60-for-73 with six aces. Claire McCumber was 15-for-16 with an ace serve to lead the way.

Wilton will return many o of their roster this year and look to be ready to make another state run in 2021.

Drake Has 15 Kills In Quarterfinal Win Over Van Meter

 CEDAR RAPIDS — The Wilton volleyball team picked up their rst state volleyball tourna- ment win since 2004 with a 3-0 match win over No. 11 Van Meter last Tuesday in the Class 2A state quarter nals. The Beavers won their 33rd match and improved to 33-3 with the victory. The win sent Wilton to the Class 2A semi nals and Final Four in Class 2A.

 The Beavers dominated the rst set 25-13 to get the state jitters out of their system. Van Meter showed some grit, play- ing the second set closer, but Wilton ultimately took the set 25-21 to take a commading 2-0 match lead. Wilton nished o the match by winning the third set 25-13.

 Kelsey Drake had 15 kills in the match on 26 attacks to lead Wilton. Carly Pu er and Alexa Garvin had eight and four kills for the Beavers. Ella Ca ery had 28 assists and Mallory Lange had 13 digs. Wilton served 71-for-73 with seven ace serves in the match. Peyton Souhrada was 17-for-17 with an ace to lead Wilton.

 Abby Matt and Zoie Vaught led Van Meter in kills with seven each. Emma Braun had 19 assists. Norah Matt had 24 digs while Abby Matt and Sidney Nelson each had seven. Van Meter served 45-for-49
as a team with six ace serves. Zoie Vaught led Van Meter in serving, going 11-for-11 in the match. 

 

Class 2A State Volleyball Tournament Results — Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Class 2A Quarter nals

Top Bracket
Court 1 - #1 Western Christian 3, UN South Hardin 1 - 25-19, 25-27, 25-12, 25-10 Court 1 - #6 Denver 3, #4 Boyden Hull 1 - 25-22, 11-25, 25-22, 26-24

Bottom Bracket
Court 2 - #2 Wilton 3, #11 Van Meter 0 - 25-13, 25-21, 25-13
Court 2 - #3 Dike-New Hartford 3, #7 Sumner-Fredericksburg 0 - 25-17, 25-12, 25-13

Class 2A Semi nals

Court 1 - #6 Denver 3, #1 Western Christian 0 - 25-22, 25-22, 25-20 Court 2 - #3 Dike-New Hartford 3, #2 Wilton 0 - 25-17, 25-21, 25-16

Class 2A Championship

#3 Dike-New Hartford 3, #6 Denver 0 - 25-13, 25-12, 25-15 

 

Wilton’s Peyton Souhrada gets ready to serve during the Beavers match with Van Meter last week. Souhrada was 17-for-17 in the match with an ace serve. Photo by Darren Miller.

Wilton’s Kelsey Drake (1) puts down one of her 15 kills in the Beavers 3-0 match win over Van Meter last Tuesday in the Class 2A quarter nals. Also pictured for Wilton are Alexa Garvin (13) and Kaylee Coss (24). Wilton saw their season end in the state semi finals, losing to eventual Class 2A champion Dike-New Hartford, 3-0 last Wednesday in Cedar Rapids. Photo by Darren Miller.

Wilton’s Mallory Lange, center, passes the ball to a teammate as Carly Puffer (21) looks on. Lange had a team high 13 digs to lead the Beavers in their win over Van Meter. Photo by Darren Miller.

Wilton junior Kelsey Drake, center, was named to the Class 2A All-Tournament team last week after Wilton advanced to the Class 2A semifinals. Photo by Jake Ryder.

Wilton setter Ella Caffery (12) gets ready to set up Carly Puffer (21) during the Beavers Class 2A quarterfinal match with Van Meter. Photo by Darren Miller.

 

 

Hawkeyes Sign 3 for 2021-22

  IOWA CITY — University of Iowa women’s basketball head coach Lisa Bluder announced the 2021-22 signing class on Wednesday with Sydney Affolter, AJ Ediger, and Addison O’Grady signing National Letters of Intent. The Hawkeyes’ latest recruiting class is ranked No. 20 by espnW HoopGurlz. 

 “This makes back-to-back top-20 ranked recruiting classes, and that bodes very well for the future of Iowa basketball,” Bluder said. “These three women will make great Hawkeyes in every realm -- athletically, academically and socially.”

Czinano Named to Preseason All-Big Ten Team

IOWA CITY — University of Iowa junior Monika Czinano earned Preseason All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media, the conference office announced Wednesday. 

 Czinano, a 2019-20 first team All-Big Ten selection (media), earns the first preseason honor of her career. The Watertown, Minnesota, native finished last season leading the Big Ten in shooting percentage (67.9) and ranked second nationally, shooting 201 of 296 from the field.  

 The sophomore averaged 16.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game on the season. She scored in double figures during 25 contests, tabbing 10 20-point games -- eight in conference play.

2020-21 COACHES PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM

Grace Berger, Jr., G, Indiana

Ali Patberg, Sr., G, Indiana

Monika Czinano, Jr., F/C, Iowa

Ashley Owusu, So., G, Maryland

NAZ HILLMON, Jr., F, Michigan

Nia Clouden, Jr., G, Michigan State

Veronica Burton, Jr., G, Northwestern

LINDSEY PULLIAM, Sr., G, Northwestern

DORKA JUHÁSZ, Jr., F, Ohio State

ARELLA GUIRANTES, Sr., G, Rutgers

2020-21 MEDIA PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM

Grace Berger, Jr., G, Indiana

Ali Patberg, Sr., G, Indiana

Monika Czinano, Jr., F/C, Iowa

Ashley Owusu, So., G, Maryland

Naz Hillmon, Jr., F, Michigan

Nia Clouden, Jr., G, Michigan State

Veronica Burton, Jr., G, Northwestern

LINDSEY PULLIAM, Sr., G, Northwestern

Dorka Juhász, Jr., F, Ohio State ARELLA GUIRANTES, Sr., G, Rutgers

Wieskamp Named to Jerry West Award Watch List

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa men’s basketball junior Joe Wieskamp is one of 20 players nationally, and two from the Big Ten Conference, to be named to the 2021 Jerry West Award Watch List.

Named after Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball. Wieskamp was a semifinalist for the award last season.

Wieskamp (6-foot-6, 212 pounds) was a third-team All-Big Ten and USBWA All-District honoree as a sophomore in 2019-20. He ranked second on the team in points per game (14.0) and rebounds (6.1), and tied for 13th in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made per contest (1.7). The native of Muscatine, Iowa, ranked first in the Big Ten in free throw accuracy (.856) and made his last 22 straight free throw attempts dating back to Feb. 13, 2020. Wieskamp posted three double-doubles, led the team in steals 10 times, and scored 15 points or more 13 times this past season.

The list will be narrowed down to 10 in mid-February and then five finalists will be selected in March that will be presented to Jerry West and the selection committee. The winner of this award will be presented on Friday, April 9, 2021.

Iowa’s Peter Jok was a finalist for the Jerry West Award in 2017.