Funeral Services for Isabel Smith, 96, Ames, longtime Grand Junction resident, will be 10 a.m. Friday at the First United Methodist Church in Grand Junction. Interment will be in the Jefferson Cemetery. Visitation will be after 10 a.m. Thursday at Slininger-Rossow Funeral Home in Jefferson with the family present to greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Memorials are suggested to the First United Methodist Church in Grand Junction or the Ames Christian School.
Isabel is survived by her sons, Michael (Terri) Smith, Stoughton, Mass., and Mac (Peggy) Smith, Huxley, Iowa, and her sisters, Marian Dommel, Minnetonka, Minn. and Irene Eilbert, Mankato, Minn.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
HAWKS FALL TO GR
EG Looks To Even Record Tonight Against AC
Glidden-Ralston got the upper hand in a defensive struggle at Glidden last Friday night, posting a 14-6 win over East Greene.
The Hawks put up a stalwart effort, playing the Wildcats even throughout the contest. EG outgained the Wildcats in total yardage, 276 to 244, but GR had the edge in scoring with two TDs and one 2-point conversion. GR had 15 first downs to the Hawks' 12.
Tyler Gathercoal, who rushed 3 times for 46 yards, scored EG’s lone touchdown. Schyler Bardole rushed 25 times for 108 yards and QB Tom Beger had 7 carries for 7 yards. Beger was 11-for-26 in passing for 129 yards but was intercepted 3 times.
EG had another fine defensive performance and kept the GR air game in check, limiting QB Wade Hoyle to just 4 completions in 11 attempts for 24 yards. The Hawks picked off 3 of Hoyle’s passes.
GR clearly had the advantage in the ground game however, amassing 220 yards rushing compared with EG’s 147. Taylor Hackett and Stuart Conner were hard to stop as they ran for 101 and 88 yards, respectively. Conner scored both GR’s touchdowns and a 2-point conversion.
Beger led the defensive effort with 8 solo tackles and 2 pass interceptions, Rob Ritchie had 7 solo tackles and Zach Beyerink had 6 solos and intercepted a pass.
The loss dropped EG to 1-2 on the year and 0-1 in District 7. The Hawks host Adair-Casey tonight at Karber Field. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: This was a tough loss for the Hawks and clearly the best 8-Man game they’ve ever played against Glidden-Ralston, which has a storied football history dating back to the days of Glidden High School. GR and CAM, both winners last week, will face off in key battle for D7 supremacy tonight on CAM’s home field in Anita.
EG will face another stiff challenge in Adair-Casey, last year’s D7 runner-up. AC beat Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira 46-40 last week in a D7 game that does not count in the standings as EHK/EX is not eligible for the playoffs. AC has a deep history in 8-Man football too, but the Hawks are clearly playing at the caliber of teams like GR and Ar-We-Va, which had been ranked until GR beat them two weeks ago. AC (2-1) opened the season with a 41-8 win over Farragut (2-1) and then dropped a close game to No. 4-ranked and undefeated Stanton, 32-28.
EG has given up an average of just 14 points a game in three contests to some pretty formidable competition. If the offense can generate just a little more heat tonight, EG can get the win over the Bombers. A victory would put the Hawks at .500 in both D7 and on the season.
Overall, D7 is looking very balanced this year as no team won by more than 8 points in the three games played last week (including EHK/EX-AC). It looks like the D7 championship and the four playoff spots could go right down the last week of the season.
District 7 8-Man Standings (District, Overall)
CAM (Anita) 1-0, 3-0
Glidden-Ralston 1-0, 3-0
Adair-Casey 0-0, 2-1
Coon Rapids-Bayard 0-0, 3-0
EHK/Exira 0-0, 2-1
East Greene 0-1,1-2
Walnut 0-1, 2-1
Sept. 11 Results:
AC 46, EHK/EX 40
CAM 20, WAL 12
CRB 78, Meskwaki Settlement School 8
GR 14, EG 6
Tonight’s Games:
AC at EG
CRB at EHK/EX
GR at CAM
MESK at WAL
Glidden-Ralston got the upper hand in a defensive struggle at Glidden last Friday night, posting a 14-6 win over East Greene.
The Hawks put up a stalwart effort, playing the Wildcats even throughout the contest. EG outgained the Wildcats in total yardage, 276 to 244, but GR had the edge in scoring with two TDs and one 2-point conversion. GR had 15 first downs to the Hawks' 12.
Tyler Gathercoal, who rushed 3 times for 46 yards, scored EG’s lone touchdown. Schyler Bardole rushed 25 times for 108 yards and QB Tom Beger had 7 carries for 7 yards. Beger was 11-for-26 in passing for 129 yards but was intercepted 3 times.
EG had another fine defensive performance and kept the GR air game in check, limiting QB Wade Hoyle to just 4 completions in 11 attempts for 24 yards. The Hawks picked off 3 of Hoyle’s passes.
GR clearly had the advantage in the ground game however, amassing 220 yards rushing compared with EG’s 147. Taylor Hackett and Stuart Conner were hard to stop as they ran for 101 and 88 yards, respectively. Conner scored both GR’s touchdowns and a 2-point conversion.
Beger led the defensive effort with 8 solo tackles and 2 pass interceptions, Rob Ritchie had 7 solo tackles and Zach Beyerink had 6 solos and intercepted a pass.
The loss dropped EG to 1-2 on the year and 0-1 in District 7. The Hawks host Adair-Casey tonight at Karber Field. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: This was a tough loss for the Hawks and clearly the best 8-Man game they’ve ever played against Glidden-Ralston, which has a storied football history dating back to the days of Glidden High School. GR and CAM, both winners last week, will face off in key battle for D7 supremacy tonight on CAM’s home field in Anita.
EG will face another stiff challenge in Adair-Casey, last year’s D7 runner-up. AC beat Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira 46-40 last week in a D7 game that does not count in the standings as EHK/EX is not eligible for the playoffs. AC has a deep history in 8-Man football too, but the Hawks are clearly playing at the caliber of teams like GR and Ar-We-Va, which had been ranked until GR beat them two weeks ago. AC (2-1) opened the season with a 41-8 win over Farragut (2-1) and then dropped a close game to No. 4-ranked and undefeated Stanton, 32-28.
EG has given up an average of just 14 points a game in three contests to some pretty formidable competition. If the offense can generate just a little more heat tonight, EG can get the win over the Bombers. A victory would put the Hawks at .500 in both D7 and on the season.
Overall, D7 is looking very balanced this year as no team won by more than 8 points in the three games played last week (including EHK/EX-AC). It looks like the D7 championship and the four playoff spots could go right down the last week of the season.
District 7 8-Man Standings (District, Overall)
CAM (Anita) 1-0, 3-0
Glidden-Ralston 1-0, 3-0
Adair-Casey 0-0, 2-1
Coon Rapids-Bayard 0-0, 3-0
EHK/Exira 0-0, 2-1
East Greene 0-1,1-2
Walnut 0-1, 2-1
Sept. 11 Results:
AC 46, EHK/EX 40
CAM 20, WAL 12
CRB 78, Meskwaki Settlement School 8
GR 14, EG 6
Tonight’s Games:
AC at EG
CRB at EHK/EX
GR at CAM
MESK at WAL
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
HAWKETTE VB NOW 6-1
Netters Win CRB Tourney; Pick Up 2 League Wins
A three-game sweep of Van Meter last Tuesday (Sept. 8) in the home volleyball opener moved East Greene’s conference mark to 2-0, putting the Hawkettes in a tie for first place with Coon Rapid-Bayard and Woodward-Granger.
The Hawkettes rolled into the VM match after winning the Coon Rapids-Bayard Tournament on Saturday with a 25-21, 22-25, 15-12 win over the host school in the championship match.
EG had advanced to the semifinal round earlier in the day with a split in its two matches in the first round, beating Iowa Christian Academy 25-15, 15-25, 15-8 and dropping a close match to Woodbine, 25-19, 20-25, 15-13.
EG faced cross-county rival Paton-Churdan in the semifinals and beat the Rockettes two-zip, 25-21, 25-15.
The Hawkettes opened conference play on Thursday, Sept. 3 with a three-game sweep at Earlham, 25-12, 25-20, 25-20. EG is now 6-1 on the season and is the only team to beat CRB, which is ranked No. 11 in Class 1A with an 11-1 season mark.
The conference race heats up tonight (Tuesday, Sept. 15) as the top six teams face-off against each other. CRB and WG, both 2-0, are at Woodward; Guthrie Center (1-0) is at Earlham (1-1); and EG hosts Des Moines Christian (1-1).
West Central Conference Standings
East Greene 2-0
Coon Rapids-Bayard 2-0
Woodward-Granger 2-0
Guthrie Center 1-0
Des Moines Christian 1-1
Earlham 1-1
Van Meter 0-1
Madrid 0-2
Panorama 0-2
West Central Valley 0-2
A three-game sweep of Van Meter last Tuesday (Sept. 8) in the home volleyball opener moved East Greene’s conference mark to 2-0, putting the Hawkettes in a tie for first place with Coon Rapid-Bayard and Woodward-Granger.
The Hawkettes rolled into the VM match after winning the Coon Rapids-Bayard Tournament on Saturday with a 25-21, 22-25, 15-12 win over the host school in the championship match.
EG had advanced to the semifinal round earlier in the day with a split in its two matches in the first round, beating Iowa Christian Academy 25-15, 15-25, 15-8 and dropping a close match to Woodbine, 25-19, 20-25, 15-13.
EG faced cross-county rival Paton-Churdan in the semifinals and beat the Rockettes two-zip, 25-21, 25-15.
The Hawkettes opened conference play on Thursday, Sept. 3 with a three-game sweep at Earlham, 25-12, 25-20, 25-20. EG is now 6-1 on the season and is the only team to beat CRB, which is ranked No. 11 in Class 1A with an 11-1 season mark.
The conference race heats up tonight (Tuesday, Sept. 15) as the top six teams face-off against each other. CRB and WG, both 2-0, are at Woodward; Guthrie Center (1-0) is at Earlham (1-1); and EG hosts Des Moines Christian (1-1).
West Central Conference Standings
East Greene 2-0
Coon Rapids-Bayard 2-0
Woodward-Granger 2-0
Guthrie Center 1-0
Des Moines Christian 1-1
Earlham 1-1
Van Meter 0-1
Madrid 0-2
Panorama 0-2
West Central Valley 0-2
Friday, September 11, 2009
HAWKS ROLL 62-16
Open D7 Play Tonight At Glidden; Team-By-Team Outlook
East Greene rolled over Charter Oak-Ute last Friday night 62-12 in Grand Junction to even its record at 1-1.
The Hawks open up District 7 action tonight in Glidden against Glidden-Ralston. EG will face a very tough opponent in the Wildcats, who are 2-0 after a drubbing of Whiting, 80-16, in the season opener on the road two weeks ago and a big win over No. 8 Ar-We-Va in Glidden last Friday night, 20-19.
GR becomes a key contender for the hotly contested District 7 championship, which gets underway tonight as CAM (Anita) travels to Walnut while Adair-Casey hosts Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira in addition to the EG-GR matchup. Only the CAM-Walnut and EG-GR tilts will count in the standings as EHK/Exira is not eligible for the 8-Man State Playoffs as the combined enrollment of the two schools is above the maximum enrollment number (115 for grades 9-11) for 8-Man eligibility. EHK/Exira is playing the schedule that was mapped out two years ago for EHK, and alternating its home games between Elk Horn and Exira. None of the games against EHK/Exira will count in the standings for D7 teams and will be treated as “non-district” contests. EG finishes up the regular season against EHK/Exira on Oct. 23 in Exira.
With the sharing arrangement between EHK and Exira, the district drops from eight to seven members and with the ineligibility of EHK/Exira for post-season play, it creates an interesting scenario wherein four of the six eligible schools will qualify for the sub-state round of 8-Man state playoffs, as opposed to most districts where eight teams must compete for four playoff spots or in some cases, seven. The seventh District 7 member, Coon Rapids-Bayard, will host Meskwaki Settlement School of Tama in Coon Rapids tonight. Meskwaki is in its first season of football and playing as in independent in 8-Man, and is also ineligible for playoff action. EG will host Meskwaki for Homecoming 2009 in Grand Junction on Friday, Oct. 3.
GR’s upset win over state-ranked Ar-We-Va makes the Wildcats solid contenders for the 2009 District 7 crown. Entering the season, CAM was the hands-down favorite as the Cougars virtually return their entire 2008 team--winners of District 7--intact. But CAM had a rough time against East Mills (Malvern) last week, needing overtime before escaping with a 44-42 win. It should be noted, though, that East Mills was a playoff qualifier last year, falling to CRB in the substate round.
Here is a look at District 7 for 2009 team by team:
CAM: Close only counts in horseshoes and even though CAM had a close calls against East Mills in Week 2, that is really not a serious discredit to their capability of repeating as D7 champs, as CAM had several close calls last year, among them a 24-22 win over Adair-Casey in the season finale with the title on the line. The week before that, they were tested by last place Exira, escaping 26-24. Both East Greene and Glidden-Ralston were within two touchdowns (or less) of the Cougars, EG falling 26-14 and GR 24-14.
CAM is ranked No. 6 in the state 8-Man poll by the Des Moines Register, moving up one spot after its win over East Mills. Leading the team this season are three first-team All-District picks from 2008: Alex Stork, running back; Dayton Amdor, offensive lineman; and Jaxson Armstrong, defensive back. All three are seniors. Also returning are junior Eric McKee, offensive lineman, and senior Luke Symonds, wide receiver, both second team picks last year.
CAM had seven all-district picks on the first and second teams last year, and five of them return, with the Cougars losing only DJ Whitlatch, a first team pick at kick returner and second team pick at running back. Whitlatch does leave a big hole to replace however, as he racked up 1,030 yards and 10 touchdowns in 162 carries. He and Stork made for a formidable 1-2 punch as Stork rushed 189 times for 1,338 yards and 26 touchdowns. Armstrong is back at quarterback after passing for 990 yards and 14 touchdowns last year.
Whitlatch was the only senior on CAM’s 22-man roster last year, meaning the team returns 21 veterans who fill 14 of 16 offensive and defensive starting positions.
Glidden-Ralston: The Wildcats have strong tradition in football, having won a state championship in the very first Class 1-A playoff in 1975 and securing another championship in their first year of 8-Man competition in 2005. Starting with that 2005 title, GR has qualified for the 8-Man playoffs four years straight.
The Wildcats do have some key holes to fill this year, among them first-team all-district running back and linebacker Trevor Van Scoy, GR’s only first-team pick last year. Key to the team’s success this year are Zach Rohrbeck, second team all-district in 2008 as a receiver on offense and punt returner on defense, and Lee Schon, who was a second-team pick as defensive lineman.
GR has put up big numbers in its first two games, amassing 443 total yards in its blowout of Whiting and 334 last week against Ar-We-Va. Junior QB Wade Hoyle has the offense firing on all cylinders as he has ran and passed for 312 total yards and four touchdowns in two games. He burned the Rockets 168 total yards. Seniors Aaron Fay and Stuart Conner and junior Taylor Hackett have put up solid numbers on the ground and each has scored two touchdowns.
Coon Rapids-Bayard: The Crusaders turned out to be the big success story of 2008. Behind the arm of QB Johnny Schwaller, CRB finished third in the district at 5-2 after CAM and Adair-Casey but advanced farther in the playoffs than any other D7 team, reaching the quarterfinals after dispatching D7 rival and regular season champion CAM in the first round, 38-14. Adair-Casey also fell in the first round and Glidden-Ralston was sidelined in the substate round. Stanton ended the Crusaders playoff run with a 42-17 win in the quarterfinals.
Schwaller has graduated but CRB returns senior Tyler Boeke, a first-team all-district pick last year as a receiver. Back anchoring the defense are two first-team picks--senior lineman Jon Meyer and kicker Jacob Esdohr, a sophomore, who was also named to the first team on offense as place kicker.
CRB has rolled over Charter Oak-Ute 68-0 and Whiting 61-6 to open the season. Those two teams were a combined 1-17 last year though, and CRB will face a team with even less caliber tonight in newcomer Meskwaki. QB Michael Schwenk has put up big numbers in the early going. Against Whiting last week he was 10 of 14 for 174 yards and seven passing TDs and a rushing score. Boeke, Esdohr and Alex Golay each had two receptions for touchdowns.
CRB’s competition will step up dramatically in the next two weeks as they go on the road to face EHK/Exira on Sept. 18 and then they travel to Glidden on Sept. 25 to face the Wildcats in their first game to count in the standings.
ADAIR-CASEY: Last year was a banner year for the Bombers, as they advanced to State in football, basketball and baseball. But those state playoff berths were largely accumulated by senior dominated teams. Six seniors are gone from the baseball team, five from the basketball team, and seven from last year’s D7 runner-up grid squad. There are big shoes to fill as QB Brent Westergaard threw for 1,431 yards and 19 touchdowns. Westergaard and running backs Josh Krueger and Kyle Lundy teamed up for over 2,000 yards rushing and an amazing 33 touchdowns, and Alex Bireline anchored the receiving corps, hauling in 41 catches for 714 yards and 9 touchdowns. Bireline, Krueger and defensive lineman Seth Comly, another member of the departed 2008-09 senior class, were all first-team district picks while Comly was a second-team pick on offense as was Krueger at place kicker, and Westergaard was a second team pick at both offensive and defensive slots.
The cupboard is clearly bare at AC, but the Bombers have deep tradition, having won the first two 8-Man State Championships in 2000 and 2001. In fact, AC has qualified for every 8-Man playoff except for 2005 and 2007. Along with its two state titles, AC was runner-up in the championship game in both 2003 and 2004, but then fell out of the running in 2005 with a 1-4 showing in District 7, good only for fifth place among six teams. After coming back to win a district title in 2006 going undefeated at 6-0 and 8-1 for the regular season and a first round playoff win, the Bombers were just 1-5 and 2-7 in 2007 finishing next to last among seven teams in D7.
So the question for 2009 is will the Bombers reload or rebuild after last year’s 6-1 season that saw them beat Villisca in the substate round, 53-12, but then get drubbed 56-6 in the first round by Stanton, the team that went on to eliminate CRB in the quarters and advance on to the semifinals. AC will look to senior Austin Ayers, its lone all-district honoree from last year. Ayers was named to the second unit in 2008 as kick returner. He was the Bombers’ second leading receiver last year, nabbing 15 passes for 325 yards and 5 touchdowns. Ayers had 136 yards rushing and 2 TDs last year also. Junior Wade Taylor will be taking up the mantle at quarterback. He saw limited action as Westergaard’s back up last year, throwing 2 of 4 passes for 61 yards.
EAST GREENE: The Hawks return a solid nucleus and a deep roster for the 2009 campaign, which could be the best EG season since the 2001 team led by Isaac Gannon just missed the fourth of four playoff spots with EG finishing just behind Adair-Casey in District 2 at 6-1 and overall at 6-2. Its lone non-district loss also came at the hands of AC as the 26 teams competing in 8-Man that year were spread across three districts covering a wide swath of the state from as far south Lamoni to the southwest corner at Fenton near the Minnesota state line and some district teams needed to double up to make a complete schedule.
Co-coaches Tony Beger and Tim Bardole have had the Hawks in a rebuilding mode which got underway when EG broke a 19-game losing streak with a win over CAL (Latimer) in Grand Junction to open the 2007 season. EG went on to post a 3-6 record and 1-4 in District 7, moving up from its last place finish in 2006 to fifth (of six teams). Last year, D7 was expanded to eight teams and the Hawks faced a seven-game district schedule rather than just give games, but they were up to the challenge, beating Exira, Elk Horn-Kimballton and Walnut to go 3-4 in district play good for fifth place and 4-5 overall with a non-district win over Charter Oak-Ute. The losses were to perennial 8-Man powers Ar-We-Va (non-district season opener), Glidden-Ralston and Adair-Casey in addition to longtime rival Coon Rapids-Bayard, which had its best 8-Man season ever, and undefeated D7 champion CAM.
EG fields a veteran team this year anchored by senior Josh Neese on the offensive line and senior Tom Beger and junior Schyler Bardole in the backfield. Neese was an all-district first team pick last year on offense. Beger and Bardole, sons of the co-coaches, put up great offensive numbers but also played key roles on the EG defense. Bardole was named the all-district second team on offense as a running back while Beger snared a spot on the defensive second team as a linebacker.
The Hawks will be looking to shore up a hole left by the graduation of Jeff Moore who was second team all-district as both an offensive and defensive lineman.
EG is picking up where it left off last year with a strong showing by its defense against Ar-We-Va in the season opener and by its offense in a 62-point performance against Charter Oak-Ute last week.
Beger put up solid numbers last year with 42 pass completions in 91 attempts for 12 touchdowns, and three 7 interceptions. Three of his top four receivers are back: senior Jesse Priest, 223 yards and 3 touchdowns; Bardole, 219 yards and two touchdowns; and junior Nic Nicolaisen, 128 yards and three touchdowns.
Bardole was one of the four top D7 running backs last year and two of them (Van Scoy of GR and Whitlatch of CAM) have graduated leaving CAM’s Stork to contend with as top back in 2009. Stork may find the going a bit tougher with half of last year’s successful backfield tandem absent. Bardole rushed for 1,297 yards last year for 20 touchdowns. He also racked up 133 yards in put returns, and on defense he intercepted four passes for 97 yards and recovered a fumble.
Also back for the Hawks is speedy senior kick return specialist Tyler Gathercoal who had 19 returns for 332 yards last season. Another two-way player returning from last year’s starting lineup is senior Zach Beyerink.
ELK HORN-KIMBALLTON/EXIRA: The “double E” will be a big question mark this season as independently EHK and Exira had some standout players returning from last year’s teams but how they will perform--and in which roles--is the big mystery for this newly formed team, whose new nickname is the Spartans. The team is sporting new uniforms featuring its newly chosen colors of maroon and black. In volleyball this fall and other major sports, the teams compete separately and their team nicknames reflect their communities’ Scandinavian heritage--Danes (EHK) and Vikings (Exira). Both schools are members of the Rolling Hills Conference along with D7 schools AC, GR, CAM and Walnut.
EHK’s Carson Smith was a standout last year as a junior, earning first team all-district honors as utility player on offense. Exira’s Matt Kilworth earned the same honors as utility player on defense. He is also a senior this season. Smith picked up multiple honors as a second team selection last year at three different positions--place kicker on offense, and defensive back and kicker (for kickoffs) on defense.
EHK/Exira is off to a solid start with wins over Sydney at Exira in the season opener, 47-22, and last week at Hamburg, 56-18. Tonight’s battle with AC should determine how these teams will fare in the D7 mix this season.
WALNUT: At 2-1 in the pre-D7 season, Walnut will be looking to improve its 2-5 district record from last year--good for sixth place ahead of EHK and Exira--and its overall mark of 4-5.
First team all-district Dillan Hamilton returns for the Warriors at linebacker. Walnut is off to a solid start with wins over Essex, 70-0, and Hamburg, 52-12, and a loss last week to Farragut, 30-22. All three teams are in District 8.
One thing that could hamper Walnut is a lack of depth and low numbers. Walnut suits up just 15 players while EG and EHK field teams with twice that number and CRB (35) are GR (41) have even bigger teams. Injuries could be crucial to the Warriors as the season wears on. Walnut will have a tall order in its D7 opener tonight against CAM.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: EG faces some stiff competition in the first few weeks of D7 competition as its opens on the road at Glidden and then returns home to face Adair-Casey and then a road game the following week at Anita against CAM. The Hawks’ game with AC on Sept. 18 could go a long way in determining who makes it to the playoffs this year. The Hawks dropped a 34-14 game at home to GR last year and then went down to Adair and got whipped 60-24 by the Bombers in their homecoming game.
With just 5 games in the D7 counting in the standings, a 2-3 record should be good enough for fourth place, although the fourth-place team will face the first place team in D8, which was Stanton last year. So the winner of the EG-AC game could be crucial to how the final standings shake out. Upsets along the way could leave two or more teams in a tie too, so the tie-breaker of margin of victory in each game could be very significant this season.
EG gets a break by not having to face EHK/Exira in the exempt D7 game until the last game of the season. Other D7 teams must face EHK earlier in the season and a loss to a program whose teams were last and next-to-last in the district last year before merging [for football] this year could be harmful to the confidence level of a team with expectations of easily dispensing of the Spartans.
EG also gets a bit of a break as it’s replacement game for the week it would have played Exira is Meskwaki at home for Homecoming on Oct. 9, which offers a mid-season break from D7 play. The Hawks’ following two games against D7 opponents CRB and Walnut are both in Grand Junction.
D7 showed that is one of the deepest and most talented districts in the state in the 8-Man game as the teams compiled a 12-3 non-district record in competition against mostly D1 and D8 teams. That was topped only by D6, which includes Des Moines area teams Ankeny Christian Academy/Iowa Christian Academy, at 13-3. D2 and D4 both went 9-7; D3 was 7-11; and D1, D5 and D8 each went 5-11.
Here is the complete EG schedule for 2009:
(Kickoff time for all games is 7 p.m.)
Aug. 28 Ar-We-Va @ Westside (L 15-2)
Sept. 4 Charter Oak-Ute @ GJ (W 62-16)
Sept. 11 Glidden-Ralston @ Glidden
Sept. 18 Adair-Casey @ GJ
Sept. 25 CAM (Anita) @ Anita
Oct. 2 Meskwaki @ GJ (Homecoming)
Oct. 9 Coon Rapids-Bayard @ GJ
Oct. 16 Walnut @ GJ (Parents’ Night)
Oct. 23 Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira @ Exira
East Greene rolled over Charter Oak-Ute last Friday night 62-12 in Grand Junction to even its record at 1-1.
The Hawks open up District 7 action tonight in Glidden against Glidden-Ralston. EG will face a very tough opponent in the Wildcats, who are 2-0 after a drubbing of Whiting, 80-16, in the season opener on the road two weeks ago and a big win over No. 8 Ar-We-Va in Glidden last Friday night, 20-19.
GR becomes a key contender for the hotly contested District 7 championship, which gets underway tonight as CAM (Anita) travels to Walnut while Adair-Casey hosts Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira in addition to the EG-GR matchup. Only the CAM-Walnut and EG-GR tilts will count in the standings as EHK/Exira is not eligible for the 8-Man State Playoffs as the combined enrollment of the two schools is above the maximum enrollment number (115 for grades 9-11) for 8-Man eligibility. EHK/Exira is playing the schedule that was mapped out two years ago for EHK, and alternating its home games between Elk Horn and Exira. None of the games against EHK/Exira will count in the standings for D7 teams and will be treated as “non-district” contests. EG finishes up the regular season against EHK/Exira on Oct. 23 in Exira.
With the sharing arrangement between EHK and Exira, the district drops from eight to seven members and with the ineligibility of EHK/Exira for post-season play, it creates an interesting scenario wherein four of the six eligible schools will qualify for the sub-state round of 8-Man state playoffs, as opposed to most districts where eight teams must compete for four playoff spots or in some cases, seven. The seventh District 7 member, Coon Rapids-Bayard, will host Meskwaki Settlement School of Tama in Coon Rapids tonight. Meskwaki is in its first season of football and playing as in independent in 8-Man, and is also ineligible for playoff action. EG will host Meskwaki for Homecoming 2009 in Grand Junction on Friday, Oct. 3.
GR’s upset win over state-ranked Ar-We-Va makes the Wildcats solid contenders for the 2009 District 7 crown. Entering the season, CAM was the hands-down favorite as the Cougars virtually return their entire 2008 team--winners of District 7--intact. But CAM had a rough time against East Mills (Malvern) last week, needing overtime before escaping with a 44-42 win. It should be noted, though, that East Mills was a playoff qualifier last year, falling to CRB in the substate round.
Here is a look at District 7 for 2009 team by team:
CAM: Close only counts in horseshoes and even though CAM had a close calls against East Mills in Week 2, that is really not a serious discredit to their capability of repeating as D7 champs, as CAM had several close calls last year, among them a 24-22 win over Adair-Casey in the season finale with the title on the line. The week before that, they were tested by last place Exira, escaping 26-24. Both East Greene and Glidden-Ralston were within two touchdowns (or less) of the Cougars, EG falling 26-14 and GR 24-14.
CAM is ranked No. 6 in the state 8-Man poll by the Des Moines Register, moving up one spot after its win over East Mills. Leading the team this season are three first-team All-District picks from 2008: Alex Stork, running back; Dayton Amdor, offensive lineman; and Jaxson Armstrong, defensive back. All three are seniors. Also returning are junior Eric McKee, offensive lineman, and senior Luke Symonds, wide receiver, both second team picks last year.
CAM had seven all-district picks on the first and second teams last year, and five of them return, with the Cougars losing only DJ Whitlatch, a first team pick at kick returner and second team pick at running back. Whitlatch does leave a big hole to replace however, as he racked up 1,030 yards and 10 touchdowns in 162 carries. He and Stork made for a formidable 1-2 punch as Stork rushed 189 times for 1,338 yards and 26 touchdowns. Armstrong is back at quarterback after passing for 990 yards and 14 touchdowns last year.
Whitlatch was the only senior on CAM’s 22-man roster last year, meaning the team returns 21 veterans who fill 14 of 16 offensive and defensive starting positions.
Glidden-Ralston: The Wildcats have strong tradition in football, having won a state championship in the very first Class 1-A playoff in 1975 and securing another championship in their first year of 8-Man competition in 2005. Starting with that 2005 title, GR has qualified for the 8-Man playoffs four years straight.
The Wildcats do have some key holes to fill this year, among them first-team all-district running back and linebacker Trevor Van Scoy, GR’s only first-team pick last year. Key to the team’s success this year are Zach Rohrbeck, second team all-district in 2008 as a receiver on offense and punt returner on defense, and Lee Schon, who was a second-team pick as defensive lineman.
GR has put up big numbers in its first two games, amassing 443 total yards in its blowout of Whiting and 334 last week against Ar-We-Va. Junior QB Wade Hoyle has the offense firing on all cylinders as he has ran and passed for 312 total yards and four touchdowns in two games. He burned the Rockets 168 total yards. Seniors Aaron Fay and Stuart Conner and junior Taylor Hackett have put up solid numbers on the ground and each has scored two touchdowns.
Coon Rapids-Bayard: The Crusaders turned out to be the big success story of 2008. Behind the arm of QB Johnny Schwaller, CRB finished third in the district at 5-2 after CAM and Adair-Casey but advanced farther in the playoffs than any other D7 team, reaching the quarterfinals after dispatching D7 rival and regular season champion CAM in the first round, 38-14. Adair-Casey also fell in the first round and Glidden-Ralston was sidelined in the substate round. Stanton ended the Crusaders playoff run with a 42-17 win in the quarterfinals.
Schwaller has graduated but CRB returns senior Tyler Boeke, a first-team all-district pick last year as a receiver. Back anchoring the defense are two first-team picks--senior lineman Jon Meyer and kicker Jacob Esdohr, a sophomore, who was also named to the first team on offense as place kicker.
CRB has rolled over Charter Oak-Ute 68-0 and Whiting 61-6 to open the season. Those two teams were a combined 1-17 last year though, and CRB will face a team with even less caliber tonight in newcomer Meskwaki. QB Michael Schwenk has put up big numbers in the early going. Against Whiting last week he was 10 of 14 for 174 yards and seven passing TDs and a rushing score. Boeke, Esdohr and Alex Golay each had two receptions for touchdowns.
CRB’s competition will step up dramatically in the next two weeks as they go on the road to face EHK/Exira on Sept. 18 and then they travel to Glidden on Sept. 25 to face the Wildcats in their first game to count in the standings.
ADAIR-CASEY: Last year was a banner year for the Bombers, as they advanced to State in football, basketball and baseball. But those state playoff berths were largely accumulated by senior dominated teams. Six seniors are gone from the baseball team, five from the basketball team, and seven from last year’s D7 runner-up grid squad. There are big shoes to fill as QB Brent Westergaard threw for 1,431 yards and 19 touchdowns. Westergaard and running backs Josh Krueger and Kyle Lundy teamed up for over 2,000 yards rushing and an amazing 33 touchdowns, and Alex Bireline anchored the receiving corps, hauling in 41 catches for 714 yards and 9 touchdowns. Bireline, Krueger and defensive lineman Seth Comly, another member of the departed 2008-09 senior class, were all first-team district picks while Comly was a second-team pick on offense as was Krueger at place kicker, and Westergaard was a second team pick at both offensive and defensive slots.
The cupboard is clearly bare at AC, but the Bombers have deep tradition, having won the first two 8-Man State Championships in 2000 and 2001. In fact, AC has qualified for every 8-Man playoff except for 2005 and 2007. Along with its two state titles, AC was runner-up in the championship game in both 2003 and 2004, but then fell out of the running in 2005 with a 1-4 showing in District 7, good only for fifth place among six teams. After coming back to win a district title in 2006 going undefeated at 6-0 and 8-1 for the regular season and a first round playoff win, the Bombers were just 1-5 and 2-7 in 2007 finishing next to last among seven teams in D7.
So the question for 2009 is will the Bombers reload or rebuild after last year’s 6-1 season that saw them beat Villisca in the substate round, 53-12, but then get drubbed 56-6 in the first round by Stanton, the team that went on to eliminate CRB in the quarters and advance on to the semifinals. AC will look to senior Austin Ayers, its lone all-district honoree from last year. Ayers was named to the second unit in 2008 as kick returner. He was the Bombers’ second leading receiver last year, nabbing 15 passes for 325 yards and 5 touchdowns. Ayers had 136 yards rushing and 2 TDs last year also. Junior Wade Taylor will be taking up the mantle at quarterback. He saw limited action as Westergaard’s back up last year, throwing 2 of 4 passes for 61 yards.
EAST GREENE: The Hawks return a solid nucleus and a deep roster for the 2009 campaign, which could be the best EG season since the 2001 team led by Isaac Gannon just missed the fourth of four playoff spots with EG finishing just behind Adair-Casey in District 2 at 6-1 and overall at 6-2. Its lone non-district loss also came at the hands of AC as the 26 teams competing in 8-Man that year were spread across three districts covering a wide swath of the state from as far south Lamoni to the southwest corner at Fenton near the Minnesota state line and some district teams needed to double up to make a complete schedule.
Co-coaches Tony Beger and Tim Bardole have had the Hawks in a rebuilding mode which got underway when EG broke a 19-game losing streak with a win over CAL (Latimer) in Grand Junction to open the 2007 season. EG went on to post a 3-6 record and 1-4 in District 7, moving up from its last place finish in 2006 to fifth (of six teams). Last year, D7 was expanded to eight teams and the Hawks faced a seven-game district schedule rather than just give games, but they were up to the challenge, beating Exira, Elk Horn-Kimballton and Walnut to go 3-4 in district play good for fifth place and 4-5 overall with a non-district win over Charter Oak-Ute. The losses were to perennial 8-Man powers Ar-We-Va (non-district season opener), Glidden-Ralston and Adair-Casey in addition to longtime rival Coon Rapids-Bayard, which had its best 8-Man season ever, and undefeated D7 champion CAM.
EG fields a veteran team this year anchored by senior Josh Neese on the offensive line and senior Tom Beger and junior Schyler Bardole in the backfield. Neese was an all-district first team pick last year on offense. Beger and Bardole, sons of the co-coaches, put up great offensive numbers but also played key roles on the EG defense. Bardole was named the all-district second team on offense as a running back while Beger snared a spot on the defensive second team as a linebacker.
The Hawks will be looking to shore up a hole left by the graduation of Jeff Moore who was second team all-district as both an offensive and defensive lineman.
EG is picking up where it left off last year with a strong showing by its defense against Ar-We-Va in the season opener and by its offense in a 62-point performance against Charter Oak-Ute last week.
Beger put up solid numbers last year with 42 pass completions in 91 attempts for 12 touchdowns, and three 7 interceptions. Three of his top four receivers are back: senior Jesse Priest, 223 yards and 3 touchdowns; Bardole, 219 yards and two touchdowns; and junior Nic Nicolaisen, 128 yards and three touchdowns.
Bardole was one of the four top D7 running backs last year and two of them (Van Scoy of GR and Whitlatch of CAM) have graduated leaving CAM’s Stork to contend with as top back in 2009. Stork may find the going a bit tougher with half of last year’s successful backfield tandem absent. Bardole rushed for 1,297 yards last year for 20 touchdowns. He also racked up 133 yards in put returns, and on defense he intercepted four passes for 97 yards and recovered a fumble.
Also back for the Hawks is speedy senior kick return specialist Tyler Gathercoal who had 19 returns for 332 yards last season. Another two-way player returning from last year’s starting lineup is senior Zach Beyerink.
ELK HORN-KIMBALLTON/EXIRA: The “double E” will be a big question mark this season as independently EHK and Exira had some standout players returning from last year’s teams but how they will perform--and in which roles--is the big mystery for this newly formed team, whose new nickname is the Spartans. The team is sporting new uniforms featuring its newly chosen colors of maroon and black. In volleyball this fall and other major sports, the teams compete separately and their team nicknames reflect their communities’ Scandinavian heritage--Danes (EHK) and Vikings (Exira). Both schools are members of the Rolling Hills Conference along with D7 schools AC, GR, CAM and Walnut.
EHK’s Carson Smith was a standout last year as a junior, earning first team all-district honors as utility player on offense. Exira’s Matt Kilworth earned the same honors as utility player on defense. He is also a senior this season. Smith picked up multiple honors as a second team selection last year at three different positions--place kicker on offense, and defensive back and kicker (for kickoffs) on defense.
EHK/Exira is off to a solid start with wins over Sydney at Exira in the season opener, 47-22, and last week at Hamburg, 56-18. Tonight’s battle with AC should determine how these teams will fare in the D7 mix this season.
WALNUT: At 2-1 in the pre-D7 season, Walnut will be looking to improve its 2-5 district record from last year--good for sixth place ahead of EHK and Exira--and its overall mark of 4-5.
First team all-district Dillan Hamilton returns for the Warriors at linebacker. Walnut is off to a solid start with wins over Essex, 70-0, and Hamburg, 52-12, and a loss last week to Farragut, 30-22. All three teams are in District 8.
One thing that could hamper Walnut is a lack of depth and low numbers. Walnut suits up just 15 players while EG and EHK field teams with twice that number and CRB (35) are GR (41) have even bigger teams. Injuries could be crucial to the Warriors as the season wears on. Walnut will have a tall order in its D7 opener tonight against CAM.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: EG faces some stiff competition in the first few weeks of D7 competition as its opens on the road at Glidden and then returns home to face Adair-Casey and then a road game the following week at Anita against CAM. The Hawks’ game with AC on Sept. 18 could go a long way in determining who makes it to the playoffs this year. The Hawks dropped a 34-14 game at home to GR last year and then went down to Adair and got whipped 60-24 by the Bombers in their homecoming game.
With just 5 games in the D7 counting in the standings, a 2-3 record should be good enough for fourth place, although the fourth-place team will face the first place team in D8, which was Stanton last year. So the winner of the EG-AC game could be crucial to how the final standings shake out. Upsets along the way could leave two or more teams in a tie too, so the tie-breaker of margin of victory in each game could be very significant this season.
EG gets a break by not having to face EHK/Exira in the exempt D7 game until the last game of the season. Other D7 teams must face EHK earlier in the season and a loss to a program whose teams were last and next-to-last in the district last year before merging [for football] this year could be harmful to the confidence level of a team with expectations of easily dispensing of the Spartans.
EG also gets a bit of a break as it’s replacement game for the week it would have played Exira is Meskwaki at home for Homecoming on Oct. 9, which offers a mid-season break from D7 play. The Hawks’ following two games against D7 opponents CRB and Walnut are both in Grand Junction.
D7 showed that is one of the deepest and most talented districts in the state in the 8-Man game as the teams compiled a 12-3 non-district record in competition against mostly D1 and D8 teams. That was topped only by D6, which includes Des Moines area teams Ankeny Christian Academy/Iowa Christian Academy, at 13-3. D2 and D4 both went 9-7; D3 was 7-11; and D1, D5 and D8 each went 5-11.
Here is the complete EG schedule for 2009:
(Kickoff time for all games is 7 p.m.)
Aug. 28 Ar-We-Va @ Westside (L 15-2)
Sept. 4 Charter Oak-Ute @ GJ (W 62-16)
Sept. 11 Glidden-Ralston @ Glidden
Sept. 18 Adair-Casey @ GJ
Sept. 25 CAM (Anita) @ Anita
Oct. 2 Meskwaki @ GJ (Homecoming)
Oct. 9 Coon Rapids-Bayard @ GJ
Oct. 16 Walnut @ GJ (Parents’ Night)
Oct. 23 Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira @ Exira
OBITUARY
GJ Native Ardis Ryerson Brown, 85, Died June 30, 2009
Grand Junction native Ardis Ryerson Brown, 85, died June 30, 2009, at St. Mary’s Hospital, Rochester, Minn. Memorial services were held July 3 at the First Presbyterian Church in Jefferson with interment in the Jefferson Cemetery. Ardis was a Jefferson resident.
Mary Ardis Ferguson was born Oct. 30, 1923, in Grand Junction, the daughter of W. D. “Spike” Ferguson and Irma Fisher Ferguson. Ardis graduated from Jefferson High School in 1941 and from Drake University in 1945.
Ardis married Howard Ryerson on Sept. 18, 1944, in Des Moines. They were the parents of four children: Steve, Ann, Bill and Alan. Ardis was a homemaker and mother, and from 1971-79 worked as the office manager for her husband’s clothing store, Ryerson’s, a fixture on the square in Jefferson for three decades.
Howard Ryerson died on April 14, 1987. Ardis married Bill Brown on Feb. 14, 1992. Bill died on Aug. 6, 2000.
Ardis was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Jefferson, P.E.O., Beta Tau Delta, Evening Star Chapter #107 O.E.S, Greene County Medical Center Auxiliary, and a board member of Jefferson Public Library.
She is survived by her mother, Irma Ferguson of Jefferson; her children; one sister; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: Ardis was a relative of the Fishers of Grand Junction as Irma Fisher Ferguson was a sister to C. Raymond Fisher, longtime Grand Junction resident and former state representative in the Iowa Legislature. The Eye Guy remembers meeting Alan Ryerson for the first time at fraternity rush as a sophomore at Drake University in the mid-1970s. It was the first meeting ever of “Alan R from Jefferson” and “Alan R from Grand Junction” (The Eye Guy). Alan Ryerson was a junior that year and a member of Phi Delta Theta. It was a surprise to find out this many years later that his mother was also a Drake alumnus.
Grand Junction native Ardis Ryerson Brown, 85, died June 30, 2009, at St. Mary’s Hospital, Rochester, Minn. Memorial services were held July 3 at the First Presbyterian Church in Jefferson with interment in the Jefferson Cemetery. Ardis was a Jefferson resident.
Mary Ardis Ferguson was born Oct. 30, 1923, in Grand Junction, the daughter of W. D. “Spike” Ferguson and Irma Fisher Ferguson. Ardis graduated from Jefferson High School in 1941 and from Drake University in 1945.
Ardis married Howard Ryerson on Sept. 18, 1944, in Des Moines. They were the parents of four children: Steve, Ann, Bill and Alan. Ardis was a homemaker and mother, and from 1971-79 worked as the office manager for her husband’s clothing store, Ryerson’s, a fixture on the square in Jefferson for three decades.
Howard Ryerson died on April 14, 1987. Ardis married Bill Brown on Feb. 14, 1992. Bill died on Aug. 6, 2000.
Ardis was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Jefferson, P.E.O., Beta Tau Delta, Evening Star Chapter #107 O.E.S, Greene County Medical Center Auxiliary, and a board member of Jefferson Public Library.
She is survived by her mother, Irma Ferguson of Jefferson; her children; one sister; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: Ardis was a relative of the Fishers of Grand Junction as Irma Fisher Ferguson was a sister to C. Raymond Fisher, longtime Grand Junction resident and former state representative in the Iowa Legislature. The Eye Guy remembers meeting Alan Ryerson for the first time at fraternity rush as a sophomore at Drake University in the mid-1970s. It was the first meeting ever of “Alan R from Jefferson” and “Alan R from Grand Junction” (The Eye Guy). Alan Ryerson was a junior that year and a member of Phi Delta Theta. It was a surprise to find out this many years later that his mother was also a Drake alumnus.
Friday, September 4, 2009
SEASON FOOTBALL OPENER
Hawks Fall At No. 8 Ar-We-Va, 15-2
A valiant defensive effort against one of the state’s top teams wasn’t enough to overcome a sluggish offense performance as East Greene dropped its season opener to Ar-We-Va 15-2 last Friday night in Westside.
The Hawks held the highly regarded Rocket offense, which averaged 42 points last season, to just two touchdowns, a big improvement over the 39 points that Rockets racked up against EG last year and the 57-7 and 63-14 drubbings from the previous two seasons.
EG gave up an average of 38 points a game last year, so to hold Ar-We-Va, ranked No. 8 in 8-Player Football by the Des Moines Register, to just 15 points is impressive. Ar-We-Va is the returning co-champions of District 1 and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs last year. In 2007, the Rockets made it to the state semifinal round. Since joining 8-player football earlier in the decade, Ar-We-Va has never finished a season lower than third place in district play.
The Rockets returned the backfield tandem of seniors Ryan Schurke, running back, and Jeremy Ehlers, quarterback, both first-team All-District 1 picks in 2008. The EG defense held them in check though, limiting the explosive Schurke to just 80 yards on 21 carries. The Hawks’ pass defense was especially stingy, shutting down Ehlers to just 3 completions in 8 attempts for 12 yards. Overall, AWV was held to just 125 yards total offense.
Schurke was responsible for all the Rockets’ scoring: a touchdown on a running play; an interception; and a 16-yard field goal. He also attempted both 2-point conversions for the Rockets, but the EG defense stopped him both times. EG’s defense was so stellar, it generated the team’s only offensive points: a safety for 2 points.
EG looks to get its offense in gear tonight in the home opener against Charter Oak-Ute in a non-district contest. Charter Oak-Ute (0-1) is also a District 1 team, finishing seventh last year at 1-6 with an overall season mark of 1-8. The Hawks downed CO-U last year in Charter Oak, 52-30. Last week, the Bobcats were drubbed by Coon Rapids-Bayard, a District 7 team, 68-0. Kickoff for the tonight’s game at Karber Field is 7 p.m.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: EG was the lone blemish on the opening night for “the Magnificent 7” District 7 teams, as Adair-Casey, CAM (Anita), Coon Rapids-Bayard, Glidden-Ralston, Walnut and the newly formed Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira shared team all posted victories. Besides CRB’s 68-point shutout drubbing of CO-U, GR pummeled Whiting 80-16, and CAM and Walnut beat their opponents by 54 and 50 points respectively. Granted, the combined record of these six opponents last year was just 11-43, but still those are pretty lofty numbers and any time 7 teams from the same district go 6-1, hey, that’s impressive.
Look for EG to get its offense untracked and for the defense to put in another solid performance against CO-U, helping the Hawks get all the kinks out before they open District 7 play with a road game next week against Glidden-Ralston.
A valiant defensive effort against one of the state’s top teams wasn’t enough to overcome a sluggish offense performance as East Greene dropped its season opener to Ar-We-Va 15-2 last Friday night in Westside.
The Hawks held the highly regarded Rocket offense, which averaged 42 points last season, to just two touchdowns, a big improvement over the 39 points that Rockets racked up against EG last year and the 57-7 and 63-14 drubbings from the previous two seasons.
EG gave up an average of 38 points a game last year, so to hold Ar-We-Va, ranked No. 8 in 8-Player Football by the Des Moines Register, to just 15 points is impressive. Ar-We-Va is the returning co-champions of District 1 and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs last year. In 2007, the Rockets made it to the state semifinal round. Since joining 8-player football earlier in the decade, Ar-We-Va has never finished a season lower than third place in district play.
The Rockets returned the backfield tandem of seniors Ryan Schurke, running back, and Jeremy Ehlers, quarterback, both first-team All-District 1 picks in 2008. The EG defense held them in check though, limiting the explosive Schurke to just 80 yards on 21 carries. The Hawks’ pass defense was especially stingy, shutting down Ehlers to just 3 completions in 8 attempts for 12 yards. Overall, AWV was held to just 125 yards total offense.
Schurke was responsible for all the Rockets’ scoring: a touchdown on a running play; an interception; and a 16-yard field goal. He also attempted both 2-point conversions for the Rockets, but the EG defense stopped him both times. EG’s defense was so stellar, it generated the team’s only offensive points: a safety for 2 points.
EG looks to get its offense in gear tonight in the home opener against Charter Oak-Ute in a non-district contest. Charter Oak-Ute (0-1) is also a District 1 team, finishing seventh last year at 1-6 with an overall season mark of 1-8. The Hawks downed CO-U last year in Charter Oak, 52-30. Last week, the Bobcats were drubbed by Coon Rapids-Bayard, a District 7 team, 68-0. Kickoff for the tonight’s game at Karber Field is 7 p.m.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: EG was the lone blemish on the opening night for “the Magnificent 7” District 7 teams, as Adair-Casey, CAM (Anita), Coon Rapids-Bayard, Glidden-Ralston, Walnut and the newly formed Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira shared team all posted victories. Besides CRB’s 68-point shutout drubbing of CO-U, GR pummeled Whiting 80-16, and CAM and Walnut beat their opponents by 54 and 50 points respectively. Granted, the combined record of these six opponents last year was just 11-43, but still those are pretty lofty numbers and any time 7 teams from the same district go 6-1, hey, that’s impressive.
Look for EG to get its offense untracked and for the defense to put in another solid performance against CO-U, helping the Hawks get all the kinks out before they open District 7 play with a road game next week against Glidden-Ralston.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
2009 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW
Hawkettes Sweep SWG In Season Opener
East Greene got the 2009 season off on the right note last Thursday, Aug. 27, with a quick, three-game sweep of Southeast Webster-Grand on the Eagles’ home court in Burnside.
The Hawkettes were firing on all cylinders as their defense held SWG to an average of just 11 points in the three games, while the offense took charge with a solid night serving, connecting on 69 of 75 serves attempted for a 92% success rate and 16 ace serves.
Leaders at the service line were Malarie Gilley going 19-21 for 91%, Bobbie Halterman 13-14 for 93%, and Heidi Kiner and Jessi Beaman, both at 100%. Kiner was perfect in 12 serve attempts, Beaman in 9.
Gilley was a force at the net with 11 kills in 27 attempts with 5 errors and 7 blocks. As a team, the Hawkettes were 22 of 57 kills with 10 errors and 9 blocks. Katlynn Gannon led the team in digs with 11 and Kiner was the assist leader with 15.
CONFERENCE PREVIEW: EG takes a 1-0 record in tonight’s conference opener at Earlham. The Hawkettes will build on last year’s 6-3 record in the West Central, the Hawkettes’ best finish since joining the league in 1996. EG will look to improve its play out of the conference, as last year’s team finished 11-15 overall. East Greene returns five of six starters, losing only Megan Johnston to graduation, and seven letter winners.
The Hawkettes will contend for the conference crown along with Woodward-Granger, which joins the West Central after many years in the Heart of Iowa; Coon Rapids-Bayard, last year’s conference champions at 9-0; and West Central Valley (Stuart) and Guthrie Center, who tied for second at 7-2, just ahead of EG and Des Moines Christian who tied for fourth at 6-3
WCV is solid in girls athletics, winning a volleyball championship in 2007 (9-0) and finishing as runner-up at 8-1 in both 2006 and 2005, in addition to its second place tie last year. The Wildcats have also won four consecutive West Central basketball championships. WCV returns Maggie Marnin, a junior who was first-team all-conference last year and honorable mention in 2007, her freshman season.
Guthrie Center will field a veteran team led by three senior all-conference picks from 2008: Kaitlin Rosenbeck, first team; Bailey Knudson, second team; and Hope Wilson, honorable mention. GC has finished in the upper division of the conference in each of the last four years. Rosenbeck is a two-time, first-team pick to the all-conference team and Knudson was named all-district in 2A last year.
Des Moines Christian has long been a league powerhouse, and last year’s victory over the Lions was the first for EG. Since 2002, the Lions had finished no lower than second in the West Central and won championships in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. DMC will be led by junior Emily Horstman, a second team all-league pick, and senior Hannah Heilskov, honorable mention.
CRB graduated five key players off a team that made it to the state 1A tournament in Cedar Rapids last year. Gentry Sheer, Heidi Eisdohr, Lindsey Reis, Taylor Hilgenberg and Casi Willenborg earned numerous all-conference and all-state honors after last year’s league championship and state tournament qualification. Those players also served as the core of CRB’s basketball team which made it to state and finished as runner-up in the conference with Panorama last year. Back from last year’s volleyball squad are all-conference honorable mention choice Karly Grettenberg and 5-11 Katie Dentlinger who had an outstanding freshman season last year as a starter on both of the Crusaders’ state tournament volleyball and basketball teams.
Woodward-Granger finished 18-6 last year and won the Heart of Iowa-Small title with a 5-0 record, winning the crown over Ogden, Colo-Nesco, South Hamilton, Colfax-Mingo and Grandview Park Baptist (Des Moines), all 2A schools with the exception of GPB, a 1A team that finished second in the HOI-Small at 4-1 and 32-11 overall and advanced to the state tournament along with CRB. WG returns four of their top seven players from last year. The Hawkettes beat Madrid in their season opener and inaugural West Central Conference game on Tuesday 25-8, 25-13, 25-8.
Gilley will serve as the anchor of the East Greene team this year. A 6-1 middle hitter, she was a unanimous first-team all-conference choice and one of 15 area Class 1A players named all-district. Like WCV’s Marnin, she moved up from honorable mention to first team for all-conference honors last year. Gilley was the only unanimous first team pick among the league’s 10 coaches.
Halterman and Gannon were all-conference honorable mention. Kiner, Beaman, Molly Neese and Tia Lowe are returning letter winners. Rounding out this years squad are senior Brittney Moss; junior Jasmine Kinney; and freshmen Tori Lowe, Alanna Orfield, Kim Hatfield, Brandy Burrows, Megan McElheney, Tylar Elliott, Brittany Gunn and Elizabeth Gunn. There are no sophomores on the team.
THE BIG PICTURE: Last year, the West Central was evenly divided with five teams competing in Class 1A (EG, CRB, Glidden-Ralston, Madrid and Van Meter) and five teams in Class 2A (DMC, WCV, GC, Earlham and Panorama). With WG now in the conference replacing 1A Glidden-Ralston, which has moved to the Rolling Hills, the balance shifts in volleyball classifications with WG joining WCV, GC, Panorama, Earlham and Van Meter in 2A, and DMC now in 1A with CRB, EG and Madrid, making a 6-4 split between 2A and 1A schools. Due to enrollment changes, VM and DMC have essentially switched from last year’s classifications.
EG will face each of the West Central teams once in conference competition-- four matches on the road and five on the home court in Rippey. The lone non-conference match on the schedule was SWG, and the rest of EG’s non-conference slate will come in tourney play at Coon Rapids on Saturday and at Walnut on Oct. 10 with playoffs getting underway on Oct. 19 in the districts.
The strongest area teams in 1A will be Exira to the west, Southern Cal to the north, and GPB to the east/southeast. The Defenders are the pick of the litter among a cluster of 1A central Iowa/Des Moines area schools including DMC, Iowa Christian Academy, Ankeny Christian and Madrid. South of Des Moines are two very strong teams: Martensdale-St. Mary’s and Twin Cedars (Bussey). GPB went 32-11 in 2008 and lost just two starters and one key reserve from its state tournament team. Victoria Weatherly, who was 1A First Team All State and 1A Player of the Year as a setter and outside hitter has graduated, but GPB returns junior Amanda Bell, second team all-state as an outside hitter last year, and senior Kayla Nikkel, honorable mention all-state as a setter.
GPB, ranked 8th in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) pre-season rankings, lost to Gilbert (1-3) in a four-game match last Tuesday (Aug. 25) but came back to sweep West Central Valley this Tuesday (Sept. 1) 25-11, 25-15, 30-28. Gilbert, a 2A school, dropped all three of its matches in a tournament on Saturday. GPB has maintained its No. 8 spot in the IGHSAU rankings released today.
Exira (20-5) is ranked seventh in the IGHSAU rankings. The Vikettes return senior Hallie Christofferson, an all-state special mention pick and all-district in the West Central district, as was Ann Walker, another senior veteran. Exira graduated just two players from last year’s team that won the Rolling Hills with an 8-0 mark. The Vikettes return two other starters along with Christofferson and Walker, and three key reserves.
Southern Cal was ranked fifth in the preseason by the IGHSAU after rolling up a 26-7 record last season and finishing as runner-up to Class 2A East Sac in the Twin Lakes Conference at 5-1. The Mustangs field a veteran team this year, losing just two starters and one key reserve off last year’s team which made it to the regional finals before falling to Schaller-Crestland, which is ranked fourth in the preseason rankings. Schaller-Crestland went 27-7 last season, falling to state runner-up AGWSR in the first round of the state tournament. Southern Cal is led this year by Meghan Monahan, a senior who was special mention all-state and all-district last year.
No 2A teams from central or west central Iowa are ranked in the Class 2A Top 15 poll.
EG’s 2009 Schedule:
(All WC Conference games start at 6 p.m. with the freshmen and junior varsity games preceding the varsity match)
Aug. 27 Southeast Webster-Grand @ Burnside
Sept. 3 @ Earlham
Sept. 5 CRB Tourney @ Coon Rapids
Sept. 8 Van Meter @ Rippey
Sept. 15 Des Moines Christian @ Rippey
Sept. 22 @ Guthrie Center
Sept. 24 Coon Rapids-Bayard @ Rippey
Sept. 29 West Central Valley @ Menlo
Oct. 6 Woodward-Granger @ Woodward
Oct. 10 Walnut Tourney @ Walnut
Oct. 13 Panorama @ Rippey
Oct. 15 Madrid @ Rippey
EYE ON GJ SAYS: A win over SWG is a terrific start for the Hawkettes, as EG got by the Eagles in the regular season last year 3-1 in early October but two weeks later were sidelined by them in a rematch in the first round of the districts, 3-2. EG should have some solid competition in Saturday’s CRB Tourney at Coon Rapids. EG could cross paths with longtime rival Paton-Churdan, which moved from the West Central to the Rolling Hills three years ago. PC won its opening match of the season over conference opponent Elk Horn-Kimballton on Tuesday, 21-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-16. Along with host CRB, the tourney field includes Iowa Christian Academy, a team that went 20-8 and finished second to Exira in the Rolling Hills last year.
Overall, competition with six 2A schools in the West Central should help put EG in fighting shape for the 1A district and regional playoffs at the end of the season, In addition to EG at Earlham, other conference matches tonight are WCV @ DMC and Panorama @ CRB.
East Greene got the 2009 season off on the right note last Thursday, Aug. 27, with a quick, three-game sweep of Southeast Webster-Grand on the Eagles’ home court in Burnside.
The Hawkettes were firing on all cylinders as their defense held SWG to an average of just 11 points in the three games, while the offense took charge with a solid night serving, connecting on 69 of 75 serves attempted for a 92% success rate and 16 ace serves.
Leaders at the service line were Malarie Gilley going 19-21 for 91%, Bobbie Halterman 13-14 for 93%, and Heidi Kiner and Jessi Beaman, both at 100%. Kiner was perfect in 12 serve attempts, Beaman in 9.
Gilley was a force at the net with 11 kills in 27 attempts with 5 errors and 7 blocks. As a team, the Hawkettes were 22 of 57 kills with 10 errors and 9 blocks. Katlynn Gannon led the team in digs with 11 and Kiner was the assist leader with 15.
CONFERENCE PREVIEW: EG takes a 1-0 record in tonight’s conference opener at Earlham. The Hawkettes will build on last year’s 6-3 record in the West Central, the Hawkettes’ best finish since joining the league in 1996. EG will look to improve its play out of the conference, as last year’s team finished 11-15 overall. East Greene returns five of six starters, losing only Megan Johnston to graduation, and seven letter winners.
The Hawkettes will contend for the conference crown along with Woodward-Granger, which joins the West Central after many years in the Heart of Iowa; Coon Rapids-Bayard, last year’s conference champions at 9-0; and West Central Valley (Stuart) and Guthrie Center, who tied for second at 7-2, just ahead of EG and Des Moines Christian who tied for fourth at 6-3
WCV is solid in girls athletics, winning a volleyball championship in 2007 (9-0) and finishing as runner-up at 8-1 in both 2006 and 2005, in addition to its second place tie last year. The Wildcats have also won four consecutive West Central basketball championships. WCV returns Maggie Marnin, a junior who was first-team all-conference last year and honorable mention in 2007, her freshman season.
Guthrie Center will field a veteran team led by three senior all-conference picks from 2008: Kaitlin Rosenbeck, first team; Bailey Knudson, second team; and Hope Wilson, honorable mention. GC has finished in the upper division of the conference in each of the last four years. Rosenbeck is a two-time, first-team pick to the all-conference team and Knudson was named all-district in 2A last year.
Des Moines Christian has long been a league powerhouse, and last year’s victory over the Lions was the first for EG. Since 2002, the Lions had finished no lower than second in the West Central and won championships in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. DMC will be led by junior Emily Horstman, a second team all-league pick, and senior Hannah Heilskov, honorable mention.
CRB graduated five key players off a team that made it to the state 1A tournament in Cedar Rapids last year. Gentry Sheer, Heidi Eisdohr, Lindsey Reis, Taylor Hilgenberg and Casi Willenborg earned numerous all-conference and all-state honors after last year’s league championship and state tournament qualification. Those players also served as the core of CRB’s basketball team which made it to state and finished as runner-up in the conference with Panorama last year. Back from last year’s volleyball squad are all-conference honorable mention choice Karly Grettenberg and 5-11 Katie Dentlinger who had an outstanding freshman season last year as a starter on both of the Crusaders’ state tournament volleyball and basketball teams.
Woodward-Granger finished 18-6 last year and won the Heart of Iowa-Small title with a 5-0 record, winning the crown over Ogden, Colo-Nesco, South Hamilton, Colfax-Mingo and Grandview Park Baptist (Des Moines), all 2A schools with the exception of GPB, a 1A team that finished second in the HOI-Small at 4-1 and 32-11 overall and advanced to the state tournament along with CRB. WG returns four of their top seven players from last year. The Hawkettes beat Madrid in their season opener and inaugural West Central Conference game on Tuesday 25-8, 25-13, 25-8.
Gilley will serve as the anchor of the East Greene team this year. A 6-1 middle hitter, she was a unanimous first-team all-conference choice and one of 15 area Class 1A players named all-district. Like WCV’s Marnin, she moved up from honorable mention to first team for all-conference honors last year. Gilley was the only unanimous first team pick among the league’s 10 coaches.
Halterman and Gannon were all-conference honorable mention. Kiner, Beaman, Molly Neese and Tia Lowe are returning letter winners. Rounding out this years squad are senior Brittney Moss; junior Jasmine Kinney; and freshmen Tori Lowe, Alanna Orfield, Kim Hatfield, Brandy Burrows, Megan McElheney, Tylar Elliott, Brittany Gunn and Elizabeth Gunn. There are no sophomores on the team.
THE BIG PICTURE: Last year, the West Central was evenly divided with five teams competing in Class 1A (EG, CRB, Glidden-Ralston, Madrid and Van Meter) and five teams in Class 2A (DMC, WCV, GC, Earlham and Panorama). With WG now in the conference replacing 1A Glidden-Ralston, which has moved to the Rolling Hills, the balance shifts in volleyball classifications with WG joining WCV, GC, Panorama, Earlham and Van Meter in 2A, and DMC now in 1A with CRB, EG and Madrid, making a 6-4 split between 2A and 1A schools. Due to enrollment changes, VM and DMC have essentially switched from last year’s classifications.
EG will face each of the West Central teams once in conference competition-- four matches on the road and five on the home court in Rippey. The lone non-conference match on the schedule was SWG, and the rest of EG’s non-conference slate will come in tourney play at Coon Rapids on Saturday and at Walnut on Oct. 10 with playoffs getting underway on Oct. 19 in the districts.
The strongest area teams in 1A will be Exira to the west, Southern Cal to the north, and GPB to the east/southeast. The Defenders are the pick of the litter among a cluster of 1A central Iowa/Des Moines area schools including DMC, Iowa Christian Academy, Ankeny Christian and Madrid. South of Des Moines are two very strong teams: Martensdale-St. Mary’s and Twin Cedars (Bussey). GPB went 32-11 in 2008 and lost just two starters and one key reserve from its state tournament team. Victoria Weatherly, who was 1A First Team All State and 1A Player of the Year as a setter and outside hitter has graduated, but GPB returns junior Amanda Bell, second team all-state as an outside hitter last year, and senior Kayla Nikkel, honorable mention all-state as a setter.
GPB, ranked 8th in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) pre-season rankings, lost to Gilbert (1-3) in a four-game match last Tuesday (Aug. 25) but came back to sweep West Central Valley this Tuesday (Sept. 1) 25-11, 25-15, 30-28. Gilbert, a 2A school, dropped all three of its matches in a tournament on Saturday. GPB has maintained its No. 8 spot in the IGHSAU rankings released today.
Exira (20-5) is ranked seventh in the IGHSAU rankings. The Vikettes return senior Hallie Christofferson, an all-state special mention pick and all-district in the West Central district, as was Ann Walker, another senior veteran. Exira graduated just two players from last year’s team that won the Rolling Hills with an 8-0 mark. The Vikettes return two other starters along with Christofferson and Walker, and three key reserves.
Southern Cal was ranked fifth in the preseason by the IGHSAU after rolling up a 26-7 record last season and finishing as runner-up to Class 2A East Sac in the Twin Lakes Conference at 5-1. The Mustangs field a veteran team this year, losing just two starters and one key reserve off last year’s team which made it to the regional finals before falling to Schaller-Crestland, which is ranked fourth in the preseason rankings. Schaller-Crestland went 27-7 last season, falling to state runner-up AGWSR in the first round of the state tournament. Southern Cal is led this year by Meghan Monahan, a senior who was special mention all-state and all-district last year.
No 2A teams from central or west central Iowa are ranked in the Class 2A Top 15 poll.
EG’s 2009 Schedule:
(All WC Conference games start at 6 p.m. with the freshmen and junior varsity games preceding the varsity match)
Aug. 27 Southeast Webster-Grand @ Burnside
Sept. 3 @ Earlham
Sept. 5 CRB Tourney @ Coon Rapids
Sept. 8 Van Meter @ Rippey
Sept. 15 Des Moines Christian @ Rippey
Sept. 22 @ Guthrie Center
Sept. 24 Coon Rapids-Bayard @ Rippey
Sept. 29 West Central Valley @ Menlo
Oct. 6 Woodward-Granger @ Woodward
Oct. 10 Walnut Tourney @ Walnut
Oct. 13 Panorama @ Rippey
Oct. 15 Madrid @ Rippey
EYE ON GJ SAYS: A win over SWG is a terrific start for the Hawkettes, as EG got by the Eagles in the regular season last year 3-1 in early October but two weeks later were sidelined by them in a rematch in the first round of the districts, 3-2. EG should have some solid competition in Saturday’s CRB Tourney at Coon Rapids. EG could cross paths with longtime rival Paton-Churdan, which moved from the West Central to the Rolling Hills three years ago. PC won its opening match of the season over conference opponent Elk Horn-Kimballton on Tuesday, 21-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-16. Along with host CRB, the tourney field includes Iowa Christian Academy, a team that went 20-8 and finished second to Exira in the Rolling Hills last year.
Overall, competition with six 2A schools in the West Central should help put EG in fighting shape for the 1A district and regional playoffs at the end of the season, In addition to EG at Earlham, other conference matches tonight are WCV @ DMC and Panorama @ CRB.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
