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.
Friday, September 4, 2009
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.
Friday, August 28, 2009
EG BACK TO SCHOOL
Students Start Classes in Rippey, G.J. Aug. 27
East Greene Community School opened its doors for the 2009-10 school year on Thursday at the elementary in Rippey and the high school-middle school (grades 6-8) in Grand Junction.
EG is going to a trimester academic calendar this year to be in synch with Jefferson-Scranton and Paton-Churdan, as high school students now take their advanced level classes at J-S along with students from P-C. The three schools are also now coordinating their curriculums at the elementary level. The first trimester ends Thursday, Nov. 19. School will dismiss early that day. Thanksgiving vacation is Nov. 25, 26 and 27. The second trimester will end Monday, March 1, 2010.
All three county school districts got things underway for 2009-10 with the County Kickoff Pep Rally on the square in Jefferson on Thursday, Aug. 20. The EG Booster Club hosted a supper followed by the annual pre-season football scrimmage the following night at Karber Field.
The Hawks open the 2009 grid season tonight with a road game in Westside versus the Ar-We-Va Rockets. Game time is 7 p.m. EG’s home opener is Friday, Sept. 4, against Charter Oak-Ute.
The Hawkettes traveled to Burnside last night (Thursday) to take on Southeast Webster-Grand in the season volleyball opener, downing the Eagles in three straight games.
East Greene Community School opened its doors for the 2009-10 school year on Thursday at the elementary in Rippey and the high school-middle school (grades 6-8) in Grand Junction.
EG is going to a trimester academic calendar this year to be in synch with Jefferson-Scranton and Paton-Churdan, as high school students now take their advanced level classes at J-S along with students from P-C. The three schools are also now coordinating their curriculums at the elementary level. The first trimester ends Thursday, Nov. 19. School will dismiss early that day. Thanksgiving vacation is Nov. 25, 26 and 27. The second trimester will end Monday, March 1, 2010.
All three county school districts got things underway for 2009-10 with the County Kickoff Pep Rally on the square in Jefferson on Thursday, Aug. 20. The EG Booster Club hosted a supper followed by the annual pre-season football scrimmage the following night at Karber Field.
The Hawks open the 2009 grid season tonight with a road game in Westside versus the Ar-We-Va Rockets. Game time is 7 p.m. EG’s home opener is Friday, Sept. 4, against Charter Oak-Ute.
The Hawkettes traveled to Burnside last night (Thursday) to take on Southeast Webster-Grand in the season volleyball opener, downing the Eagles in three straight games.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
STATE TOURNEY WRAP-UP
Hawks Fall to Newman in Class 1-A Opener
Newman (Mason City) proved to be too much to handle for East Greene, as the Hawks were eliminated in the opening round of the Class 1A State Tournament 12-1 in 5 innings on Friday, July 24. The game was the opener for the week-long tournament, which ended with championship games in four classes on Saturday, Aug. 1.
EG jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, taking advantage of two Newman errors and a walk from the Knight's little used sophomore pitcher Hunter King. Tyler Cooklin, the first batter up, got things moving when King walked him. Tom Beger's infield bunt was then mishandled by King in the throw to first, allowing Beger to reach first and advancing Cooklin to third.
BradLee Clark then reached first on error by Newman shortstop Kyle McCann, which moved Beger to second and allowed Cooklin to head home, putting the Hawks ahead 1-0. Jesse Luther and Josh Neese both struck out, but the Hawks were still threatening when Wes Onken singled. Clark advanced to second and Beger was headed for home but was nabbed at the plate on a throw from rightfielder Joe Nettleton to catcher Jordan Adams.
Newman then settled down, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first and holding the Hawks in check the rest of the game, as King moved his record to 3-0. Newman scored three runs in the second, four in the third, and four more in the fourth. EG was already up against it with the 10-run rule, and the Hawk's inability to score any more runs in the top half of the fifth ended the game with Newman moving on to the semifinal round to face Alta.
Cooklin took the loss, dropping his record to 7-3. He gave up six runs on four hits, while walking four, hitting one batter and striking out two. He was relieved by Onken after facing one batter in the third. Over two innings of relief, Onken gave up six runs on four hits, walked three, threw one wild pitch, and struck out one. Designated hitter Tory Beger, an 8th grader, got the Hawks' second hit
King gave up one run on two hits, walked two, hit one batter, and struck out six. Mike Bohl pitched the final inning for Newman, retiring the side in order.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: The score may have been a little lopsided but Newman was truly a force to be reckoned with. The Knights moved on to the semifinal round where they dispatched Alta, 4-0. A much anticipated match-up between Newman and Kee (Lansing), the No. 2 seed, did not happen as Kee was upset by Lenox in the semifinal round, 11-3, after Kee had drubbed Tri-County (Thornburgh) 17-1 in 4 innings in the first round. Newman continued its season-long juggernaut with an 11-1 win over Lenox in 5 innings, bringing its third state baseball championship back to Mason City.
Newman (Mason City) proved to be too much to handle for East Greene, as the Hawks were eliminated in the opening round of the Class 1A State Tournament 12-1 in 5 innings on Friday, July 24. The game was the opener for the week-long tournament, which ended with championship games in four classes on Saturday, Aug. 1.
EG jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, taking advantage of two Newman errors and a walk from the Knight's little used sophomore pitcher Hunter King. Tyler Cooklin, the first batter up, got things moving when King walked him. Tom Beger's infield bunt was then mishandled by King in the throw to first, allowing Beger to reach first and advancing Cooklin to third.
BradLee Clark then reached first on error by Newman shortstop Kyle McCann, which moved Beger to second and allowed Cooklin to head home, putting the Hawks ahead 1-0. Jesse Luther and Josh Neese both struck out, but the Hawks were still threatening when Wes Onken singled. Clark advanced to second and Beger was headed for home but was nabbed at the plate on a throw from rightfielder Joe Nettleton to catcher Jordan Adams.
Newman then settled down, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first and holding the Hawks in check the rest of the game, as King moved his record to 3-0. Newman scored three runs in the second, four in the third, and four more in the fourth. EG was already up against it with the 10-run rule, and the Hawk's inability to score any more runs in the top half of the fifth ended the game with Newman moving on to the semifinal round to face Alta.
Cooklin took the loss, dropping his record to 7-3. He gave up six runs on four hits, while walking four, hitting one batter and striking out two. He was relieved by Onken after facing one batter in the third. Over two innings of relief, Onken gave up six runs on four hits, walked three, threw one wild pitch, and struck out one. Designated hitter Tory Beger, an 8th grader, got the Hawks' second hit
King gave up one run on two hits, walked two, hit one batter, and struck out six. Mike Bohl pitched the final inning for Newman, retiring the side in order.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: The score may have been a little lopsided but Newman was truly a force to be reckoned with. The Knights moved on to the semifinal round where they dispatched Alta, 4-0. A much anticipated match-up between Newman and Kee (Lansing), the No. 2 seed, did not happen as Kee was upset by Lenox in the semifinal round, 11-3, after Kee had drubbed Tri-County (Thornburgh) 17-1 in 4 innings in the first round. Newman continued its season-long juggernaut with an 11-1 win over Lenox in 5 innings, bringing its third state baseball championship back to Mason City.
Friday, July 24, 2009
STATE BB TOURNEY
EG Takes On Mason City Newman
East Greene is seeded eighth among eight teams in the Class 1A State Baseball Tournament and will face top-seeded Newman (Mason City) is the opening game of the four-class tournament at 6 p.m. tonight at Principal Park in Des Moines.
Newman finished the season ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 1-A at 30-1 and rolled through the district and substate outscoring opponents 59-3 to moves its season mark to 34-1. EG however put together its longest win streak of the season to go from the seventh-place team in the West Central Conference to a state tournament qualifier.
Interestingly, EG began sectional tournament play at 10-14 and by beating last year’s state tournament qualifier Grandview Park Baptist, 2-1, in the substate game, the Hawks not only evened their season record at 14-14, but they qualified for the state tournament, coming out the winner of a substate with some impressive teams, most notably Earlham, Van Meter, Martensdale-St. Mary’s and Iowa Christian Academy.
East Greene is making its first appearance in the state tournament along with Adair-Casey, Alta and Tri-County (Thornburgh). Calamus-Wheatland from eastern Iowa played in the 1955 tournament as Calamus, losing in the championship game.
Newman is making its 12th appearance at state. The Knights have qualified three out of the last four years. Newman won it all in 2002 and 1998 and finished as runner-up in 2004 and 1967, the first year it advanced to state.
Newman’s only loss this season was to cross-town rival Mason City, a 4-A school. The Knights have victories over nearby Clear Lake (twice), Webster City and Forest City--all 3A schools. Newman won the North Iowa Conference with a perfect 14-0 record. Other schools in the North Iowa are Belmond-Klemme, Lake Mills, Garner-Hayfield, North Iowa (Buffalo Center), Osage, West Hancock (Britt) and Forest City. Newman and North Iowa are 1A schools and other than 3A Forest City, the other league teams are all 2A.
Newman also has a 2-1 win over Don Bosco (Gilbertville), winner of the Iowa Star Conference and the No. 3 ranked team in Class 1A. The Dons were eliminated by Northern University High (Cedar Falls) 5-2 in the opening round of the district in Traer. NUH went into the game ranked No. 6. Kee of Lansing, ranked No. 4 in the state, sidelined NUH 7-2 in the substate final at Oelwein.
Kee (38-6) is seeded second in the tournament and faces seventh-seed Tri-County (19-6) in the second half a doubleheader tomorrow night at Principal Park. In the opener tomorrow night at 6 p.m., third-seeded Lenox (21-3) takes on sixth-seeded Calamus-Wheatland (18-9).
The EG-Newman game tonight is followed by an 8 p.m. match-up between Adair-Casey, seeded fifth, and fourth-seed Alta (30-3). Adair-Casey, a member of the Rolling Hills Conference, is 20-5, and advanced to state by winning the substate at Coon Rapids. The Bombers knocked out perennial West Central baseball power Coon Rapids-Bayard in the semifinal round of the district, also held on Crusaders’ home field in Coon Rapids.
First round winners advance to the semifinal games starting at noon and 2 p.m. next Thursday (July 30) at Principal Park with the winners of those games meeting for the 1A State Championship on Saturday (August 1) at noon at Principal.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: Well, Newman certainly brings some lofty credentials with them as they head down from Mason City. But the Hawks have been playing a “new season” since the districts got underway on July 14. And EG is a central Iowa team playing in its backyard. EG goes in and out of Des Moines year-round playing baseball and basketball at Iowa Christian at AIB on Fleur Drive, Des Moines Christian in Urbandale, Ankeny Christian in Ankeny and Grandview Park Baptist on the east side of Des Moines. So a quick drive back to DM and over to the stadium, could be regarded as just another game. And in years’ past some EG teams have had regular season games at the Principal.
Each team is playing on the same turf within the same seven-inning framework. And if the Hawks stayed focused on the matters at hand, anything came happen. EG is the upstart here so the pressure is really on the hands-down favorite, Newman, and its veteran-laden team. EG is lead by two sophomore pitchers, Tyler Cooklin and Wes Onken. Leading hitter is senior BradLee Clark. Conference rival Van Meter rolled into the state tournament in 2003 relatively unknown as Martensdale-St. Mary’s, the top-ranked team in the state, was the favorite and northwest Iowa power Granville (Spalding) was in the field. Yet the Bulldogs emerged the champion. So, anything can happen.
EG is central Iowa’s representative in 1A, having bested such Des Moines area teams at Madrid in the district in Ames and Grandview Park Baptist in the substate in Ankeny. Hopefully the home folks in Des Moines will get behind the East Greeners! Other central Iowa/Des Moines area teams qualifying for state are Gilbert and I-35 (Truro) in 2A, Boone and Norwalk in 3A, and Dowling (West Des Moines) and Johnston in 4A. Go Hawks!
East Greene is seeded eighth among eight teams in the Class 1A State Baseball Tournament and will face top-seeded Newman (Mason City) is the opening game of the four-class tournament at 6 p.m. tonight at Principal Park in Des Moines.
Newman finished the season ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 1-A at 30-1 and rolled through the district and substate outscoring opponents 59-3 to moves its season mark to 34-1. EG however put together its longest win streak of the season to go from the seventh-place team in the West Central Conference to a state tournament qualifier.
Interestingly, EG began sectional tournament play at 10-14 and by beating last year’s state tournament qualifier Grandview Park Baptist, 2-1, in the substate game, the Hawks not only evened their season record at 14-14, but they qualified for the state tournament, coming out the winner of a substate with some impressive teams, most notably Earlham, Van Meter, Martensdale-St. Mary’s and Iowa Christian Academy.
East Greene is making its first appearance in the state tournament along with Adair-Casey, Alta and Tri-County (Thornburgh). Calamus-Wheatland from eastern Iowa played in the 1955 tournament as Calamus, losing in the championship game.
Newman is making its 12th appearance at state. The Knights have qualified three out of the last four years. Newman won it all in 2002 and 1998 and finished as runner-up in 2004 and 1967, the first year it advanced to state.
Newman’s only loss this season was to cross-town rival Mason City, a 4-A school. The Knights have victories over nearby Clear Lake (twice), Webster City and Forest City--all 3A schools. Newman won the North Iowa Conference with a perfect 14-0 record. Other schools in the North Iowa are Belmond-Klemme, Lake Mills, Garner-Hayfield, North Iowa (Buffalo Center), Osage, West Hancock (Britt) and Forest City. Newman and North Iowa are 1A schools and other than 3A Forest City, the other league teams are all 2A.
Newman also has a 2-1 win over Don Bosco (Gilbertville), winner of the Iowa Star Conference and the No. 3 ranked team in Class 1A. The Dons were eliminated by Northern University High (Cedar Falls) 5-2 in the opening round of the district in Traer. NUH went into the game ranked No. 6. Kee of Lansing, ranked No. 4 in the state, sidelined NUH 7-2 in the substate final at Oelwein.
Kee (38-6) is seeded second in the tournament and faces seventh-seed Tri-County (19-6) in the second half a doubleheader tomorrow night at Principal Park. In the opener tomorrow night at 6 p.m., third-seeded Lenox (21-3) takes on sixth-seeded Calamus-Wheatland (18-9).
The EG-Newman game tonight is followed by an 8 p.m. match-up between Adair-Casey, seeded fifth, and fourth-seed Alta (30-3). Adair-Casey, a member of the Rolling Hills Conference, is 20-5, and advanced to state by winning the substate at Coon Rapids. The Bombers knocked out perennial West Central baseball power Coon Rapids-Bayard in the semifinal round of the district, also held on Crusaders’ home field in Coon Rapids.
First round winners advance to the semifinal games starting at noon and 2 p.m. next Thursday (July 30) at Principal Park with the winners of those games meeting for the 1A State Championship on Saturday (August 1) at noon at Principal.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: Well, Newman certainly brings some lofty credentials with them as they head down from Mason City. But the Hawks have been playing a “new season” since the districts got underway on July 14. And EG is a central Iowa team playing in its backyard. EG goes in and out of Des Moines year-round playing baseball and basketball at Iowa Christian at AIB on Fleur Drive, Des Moines Christian in Urbandale, Ankeny Christian in Ankeny and Grandview Park Baptist on the east side of Des Moines. So a quick drive back to DM and over to the stadium, could be regarded as just another game. And in years’ past some EG teams have had regular season games at the Principal.
Each team is playing on the same turf within the same seven-inning framework. And if the Hawks stayed focused on the matters at hand, anything came happen. EG is the upstart here so the pressure is really on the hands-down favorite, Newman, and its veteran-laden team. EG is lead by two sophomore pitchers, Tyler Cooklin and Wes Onken. Leading hitter is senior BradLee Clark. Conference rival Van Meter rolled into the state tournament in 2003 relatively unknown as Martensdale-St. Mary’s, the top-ranked team in the state, was the favorite and northwest Iowa power Granville (Spalding) was in the field. Yet the Bulldogs emerged the champion. So, anything can happen.
EG is central Iowa’s representative in 1A, having bested such Des Moines area teams at Madrid in the district in Ames and Grandview Park Baptist in the substate in Ankeny. Hopefully the home folks in Des Moines will get behind the East Greeners! Other central Iowa/Des Moines area teams qualifying for state are Gilbert and I-35 (Truro) in 2A, Boone and Norwalk in 3A, and Dowling (West Des Moines) and Johnston in 4A. Go Hawks!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
ON TO STATE!!
EG Beats Grandview Park Baptist, 3-2
East Greene downed Grandview Park Baptist 3-2 in the substate championship in Ankeny tonight to secure its first-ever state baseball tournament berth.
The Hawks are one of eight teams to qualify for the Class 1A State Tournament which gets underway Friday at 6 p.m. at Principal Park in Des Moines. Seedings and pairings will be announced Wednesday after the completion of three substate finals around the state that were postponed tonight due to rain.
Other winners tonight in substate finals were Adair-Casey, Lenox, Alta and Kee (Lansing). Adair-Casey, a Rolling Hills Conference member, beat AHST (Avoca) 6-4, in Coon Rapids to advance to state.
Tomorrow night’s substate games are Newman (Mason City) at Garrigan (Algona), Notre Dame (Burlington) vs. Tri-County (Thornburgh) in Fairfield, and Calamus-Wheatland vs. New London in Lisbon.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: This is the first trip to state for East Greene of Grand Junction, but not the first trip for Grand Junction, as the Bluejays were the State Fall Baseball Champions in 1939. This flock (of Hawks) is clearly flying high with the spirit of that '39 team which will mark the 70th anniversary of that championship this fall. The 1939 Bluejays played their baseball games on what was then the recently built Dutton Memorial Park field which is now the home of the East Greene Hawkettes softball team on the East Greene campus in the heart of Grand Junction. The historic Dutton Memorial Park grandstand is at the corner of Kelly and 14th Streets. The Hawks’ home baseball park in Rippey also has a deep history as it was the longtime home of the Rippey Merchants and Rippey Demons semipro teams and the Rippey High Bulldogs, and site of the Iowa State Summer High School Baseball Championship in 1953, 1959 and 1960 and the state high school Fall Baseball Championship in 1962. Go Hawks!
East Greene downed Grandview Park Baptist 3-2 in the substate championship in Ankeny tonight to secure its first-ever state baseball tournament berth.
The Hawks are one of eight teams to qualify for the Class 1A State Tournament which gets underway Friday at 6 p.m. at Principal Park in Des Moines. Seedings and pairings will be announced Wednesday after the completion of three substate finals around the state that were postponed tonight due to rain.
Other winners tonight in substate finals were Adair-Casey, Lenox, Alta and Kee (Lansing). Adair-Casey, a Rolling Hills Conference member, beat AHST (Avoca) 6-4, in Coon Rapids to advance to state.
Tomorrow night’s substate games are Newman (Mason City) at Garrigan (Algona), Notre Dame (Burlington) vs. Tri-County (Thornburgh) in Fairfield, and Calamus-Wheatland vs. New London in Lisbon.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: This is the first trip to state for East Greene of Grand Junction, but not the first trip for Grand Junction, as the Bluejays were the State Fall Baseball Champions in 1939. This flock (of Hawks) is clearly flying high with the spirit of that '39 team which will mark the 70th anniversary of that championship this fall. The 1939 Bluejays played their baseball games on what was then the recently built Dutton Memorial Park field which is now the home of the East Greene Hawkettes softball team on the East Greene campus in the heart of Grand Junction. The historic Dutton Memorial Park grandstand is at the corner of Kelly and 14th Streets. The Hawks’ home baseball park in Rippey also has a deep history as it was the longtime home of the Rippey Merchants and Rippey Demons semipro teams and the Rippey High Bulldogs, and site of the Iowa State Summer High School Baseball Championship in 1953, 1959 and 1960 and the state high school Fall Baseball Championship in 1962. Go Hawks!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Hawks Advance to Ankeny!
EG Wins District Championship
East Greene beat GMG of Garwin 6-1 in the district championship at Ames tonight.
The Hawks now head to Ankeny on Tuesday to take on Grandview Park Baptist of Des Moines in the Substate 6 Championship. The winner qualifies for the 1A State Baseball Tournament at Principal Park (formerly Sec Taylor Stadium) in Des Moines. Game time Tuesday is 7 p.m.
EG moves on with a 13-14 mark while GMG's season ends at 12-15.
Grandview Park Baptist beat Martensdale-St. Mary's on MStM's home field in St. Mary's tonight, 11-3. The Defenders, 12-11, are members of the Heart of Iowa-Small Conference, where they finished in fourth place at 7-9. Martensdale-St. Mary's ends its season at 25-11.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: East Greene is the lone team remaining from the West Central Conference in post-season play, as co-champ Panorama fell to Bondurant-Farrar 11-1 in six innings in a 2A district championship game in Adel. Woodward-Granger, another area 2A school, ended its season in a 5-3 loss to East Sac in the district hosted by Kuemper in Carroll. Adair-Casey won the 1A district at Coon Rapids, downing Walnut 9-1. The Bombers take on the winner of the AHST (Avoca) vs. Odebolt-Arthur game being played in Dunlap in the Substate 8 Championship on Tuesday, also in Coon Rapids.
East Greene beat GMG of Garwin 6-1 in the district championship at Ames tonight.
The Hawks now head to Ankeny on Tuesday to take on Grandview Park Baptist of Des Moines in the Substate 6 Championship. The winner qualifies for the 1A State Baseball Tournament at Principal Park (formerly Sec Taylor Stadium) in Des Moines. Game time Tuesday is 7 p.m.
EG moves on with a 13-14 mark while GMG's season ends at 12-15.
Grandview Park Baptist beat Martensdale-St. Mary's on MStM's home field in St. Mary's tonight, 11-3. The Defenders, 12-11, are members of the Heart of Iowa-Small Conference, where they finished in fourth place at 7-9. Martensdale-St. Mary's ends its season at 25-11.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: East Greene is the lone team remaining from the West Central Conference in post-season play, as co-champ Panorama fell to Bondurant-Farrar 11-1 in six innings in a 2A district championship game in Adel. Woodward-Granger, another area 2A school, ended its season in a 5-3 loss to East Sac in the district hosted by Kuemper in Carroll. Adair-Casey won the 1A district at Coon Rapids, downing Walnut 9-1. The Bombers take on the winner of the AHST (Avoca) vs. Odebolt-Arthur game being played in Dunlap in the Substate 8 Championship on Tuesday, also in Coon Rapids.
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