GJ REAL ESTATE MARKET IS SIZZLING!
The real estate market in Grand Junction is “hot” – not only have three of the largest homes in town—the former Slininger’s funeral home building on East Main Street, the Watts property on the end of East Main, and the former St. Brigid’s rectory on East Hager Street—just sold, but no less than 4 realtor signs have popped up on the lawn of 406 East Hager! Holy multiple listings—Polking, Peckumm, Iowa, and Town & Farm realty companies are looking for a piece of the action on this one! It’s testimony to the level of the ladies in Greene County real estate as the four signs bear contacts for Linda, Linda, Laura and Karen. Update! Now there is a fifth sign on the property—Midland Realty with contact information for realtor Al Rowedder. That’s five!.. Fresh off their successful runs at the Greene County Fair, two of the Gunn sisters—Brittany and Hannah—brightened up the GJ Laundromat with a nice mural on the upper west wall (above the bank of dryers) this summer. Their artwork depicts clothes hanging on the line. Very nice—fresh and breezy. …Marty and Linda Hoffman are building a family room addition to the back of their home on Herron Street….A new sidewalk is gracing the 12th Street side and a bit of the Hager Street corner of the Ross residence on the northeast corner of Hager and 12th… Dennhardt Construction of Jefferson finished up a pavement project for the driveway and parking area at the northeast corner of the high school/middle school just before school started on Aug. 25. The new paving begins at the entry to the school property at Kelley and 13th Streets and extends to the wing that houses the art and ICN rooms and adjacent parking areas.
Friday, September 9, 2011
EG Beats Paton-Churdan In Volleyball
WIN MOVES HAWKETTES’ LEAGUE MARK TO 2-1
East Greene picked up a big volleyball win over arch rival Paton-Churdan on Tuesday, Sept. 6, in Rippey, 27-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-13.
EG was in top form at the service line with 91% accuracy and 11 aces. Chelsi Wilkens lead the serving corps with 23-24 for 96% and 3 aces. Bailey Godwin was perfect on 11 serves while Jolee Wessling was 12-14 with 3 aces; Brittany Gunn 11-12 with 2 aces; Hannah Onken 10-12 with 1 ace; and Emily Jacobsen 8-10 with 2 aces.
Paton-Churdan was 55 of 72 for 76% at the service line.
Wilkens was a formidable force at the net on offense with 27 kills on 47 attempts and 24 assists. She was good for two blocks on defense. Onken had one block.
The win over the Rockettes moved EG’s season record to 4-4 overall and 2-1 in the Rolling Hills Conference.
Rollings Hills Conference Standings
Adair-Casey 3-0
Iowa Christian 3-0
Walnut 3-0
East Greene 2-1
Glidden-Ralston 2-1
CAM 1-2
Exira/EHK 1-2
Ankeny Christian 0-3
Orient-Macksburg 0-3
Paton-Churdan 0-3
Rolling Hills Conference Scores, Tuesday, Sept. 6:
East Greene beat Paton-Churdan 27-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-13
Iowa Christian Academy beat Orient-Macksburg 25-23, 25-20, 25-27, 25-22
Adair-Casey beat CAM (Anita) 25-17, 25-15, 25-22
Glidden-Ralston beat Ankeny Christian Academy 25-15, 25-19, 25-22
Walnut beat Elk Horn-Kimballton 26-24, 25-19, 25-20
EYE ON GJ: The Hawkettes have two key road matches next week, traveling to Anita to take on CAM, 1-2 in the conference, and then to league co-leader Adair-Casey (7-1), ranked No. 7 in the state, on Thursday in Adair. Iowa Christian Academy (5-1), which is tied with AC and Walnut for the Rolling Hills lead at 3-0, is also ranked in the Top 10 in Class 1A, coming in at No. 10 this week. Area rival Coon Rapids-Bayard (10-2) is ranked eighth just behind another area team, Ar-We-Va (6-3), which is seventh. Ar-We-Va beat CRB at the Perry Tournament on Wednesday 21-16, 21-19. Ar-We-Va went 2-1 in the tourney at Perry with CRB finishing 1-2. Perry beat Des Moines Christian for the tourney championship with Ar-We-Va beating Earlham in the consolation match for third place.
These matches should indicate just what kind of season EG will have as these are two solid competitors. A road win over CAM would really put the Hawkettes in good standing in the conference race and give them some momentum heading into the contest at Adair. It will be interesting to see how this year’s regional pairings go as EG would see tough competition from teams to the south and west (ICA, AC, CRB, AWV) whereas the teams to the north and east don’t seem to be as daunting.
East Greene picked up a big volleyball win over arch rival Paton-Churdan on Tuesday, Sept. 6, in Rippey, 27-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-13.
EG was in top form at the service line with 91% accuracy and 11 aces. Chelsi Wilkens lead the serving corps with 23-24 for 96% and 3 aces. Bailey Godwin was perfect on 11 serves while Jolee Wessling was 12-14 with 3 aces; Brittany Gunn 11-12 with 2 aces; Hannah Onken 10-12 with 1 ace; and Emily Jacobsen 8-10 with 2 aces.
Paton-Churdan was 55 of 72 for 76% at the service line.
Wilkens was a formidable force at the net on offense with 27 kills on 47 attempts and 24 assists. She was good for two blocks on defense. Onken had one block.
The win over the Rockettes moved EG’s season record to 4-4 overall and 2-1 in the Rolling Hills Conference.
Rollings Hills Conference Standings
Adair-Casey 3-0
Iowa Christian 3-0
Walnut 3-0
East Greene 2-1
Glidden-Ralston 2-1
CAM 1-2
Exira/EHK 1-2
Ankeny Christian 0-3
Orient-Macksburg 0-3
Paton-Churdan 0-3
Rolling Hills Conference Scores, Tuesday, Sept. 6:
East Greene beat Paton-Churdan 27-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-13
Iowa Christian Academy beat Orient-Macksburg 25-23, 25-20, 25-27, 25-22
Adair-Casey beat CAM (Anita) 25-17, 25-15, 25-22
Glidden-Ralston beat Ankeny Christian Academy 25-15, 25-19, 25-22
Walnut beat Elk Horn-Kimballton 26-24, 25-19, 25-20
EYE ON GJ: The Hawkettes have two key road matches next week, traveling to Anita to take on CAM, 1-2 in the conference, and then to league co-leader Adair-Casey (7-1), ranked No. 7 in the state, on Thursday in Adair. Iowa Christian Academy (5-1), which is tied with AC and Walnut for the Rolling Hills lead at 3-0, is also ranked in the Top 10 in Class 1A, coming in at No. 10 this week. Area rival Coon Rapids-Bayard (10-2) is ranked eighth just behind another area team, Ar-We-Va (6-3), which is seventh. Ar-We-Va beat CRB at the Perry Tournament on Wednesday 21-16, 21-19. Ar-We-Va went 2-1 in the tourney at Perry with CRB finishing 1-2. Perry beat Des Moines Christian for the tourney championship with Ar-We-Va beating Earlham in the consolation match for third place.
These matches should indicate just what kind of season EG will have as these are two solid competitors. A road win over CAM would really put the Hawkettes in good standing in the conference race and give them some momentum heading into the contest at Adair. It will be interesting to see how this year’s regional pairings go as EG would see tough competition from teams to the south and west (ICA, AC, CRB, AWV) whereas the teams to the north and east don’t seem to be as daunting.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
EG Wins Home Opener, 36-34
BEAT TWIN CEDARS IN GAME THAT SPANS TWO DAYS
East Greene slipped past Twin Cedars (Bussey), 36-34, in a game that stretched over two days—Friday and Saturday, Sept. 2 and 3—to pick up its first win of the season.
The game got underway as scheduled Friday night with a bit of sprinkles and light rain. The two teams traded touchdowns with the Hawks holding the upper hand at the halftime break, 26-20. Twin Cedars came back in the third quarter to take the lead on a touchdown and a two-point conversion, 28-26. The Sabers had the momentum as the Hawks looked to be tiring and were whistled for some key penalties.
The rain had stopped by halftime but with 3:45 left in the third quarter, the officials suspended the game due to lighting to the north. What was hoped to be a mandatory 30-minute delay with the expectations that the lighting would stop, turned into a one-hour delay and still no letup from the lightning. At that point—9:45 p.m.—it was determined to suspend play and resume the game the next day at 2 p.m.
The delay worked to the Hawks’ advantage as the Twin Cedars players and fans would need to drive all the way back to southern Marion County Friday night, and then back up to Grand Junction on Saturday.
Some electrical problems had made the sound system inoperative at Karber Field on Friday but the system was working on Saturday, so the resumed game got underway with the playing of the national anthem. But a light rain began just as play started, so conditions were similar to the night before—just brighter and with no lightning.
Twin Cedars got out of the blocks fast as Jared Stephens scored on a 25-yard run on the first play of the resumed game, extending the Sabers’ lead to 34-26. The EG defense came to the fore, however, and stopped the two point conversion.
The defensive momentum carried forward into the fourth quarter as the Hawks punted down to the 1-yard-line and then stopped TC for a loss in the end zone to score a two-point safety, cutting the lead to 34-28.
Neither team mounted much of a threat rest of the fourth quarter, but in the late stages the Sabers were threatening in Hawk territory when EG intercepted the ball with enough time on the clock to mount one last drive.
EG moved downfield on a key Tory Beger-to-Reed Ostrander pass play with Beger running the ball in a few plays later to tie the game at 34-34. Beger connected with Harrison Johnston on a two-point conversion pass play to put EG in the lead, 36-34, with 40 seconds left in the game.
The Hawks kicked off with Twin Cedars running the ball back to midfield. The Sabers put together an all-out passing assault but the Hawks held them in check in four downs and took over with 17 seconds left on the clock. The Hawks downed the ball on the first snap and then just ran out the clock to pick up their first win of the season, evening their non-district record at 1-1. Twin Cedars fell to 1-1 in non-district play.
Beger passed was 22-38 in passing for a total of 253 yards with no interceptions. He connected for three touchdown passes—one a 56-yard strike to Ostrander. On the receiving end, Ostrander caught 10 passes for 179 total yards. T. J. Lint caught seven passes for 50 yards, Gathercoal caught two for 18 yards, and Broc Timm
Beger ran the ball 16 times for 32 yards and Ostrander gained 106 yards on six carries, most of that on a 63-yard touchdown run. Beger scored on an 8-yard jaunt. Lint had 1 carry for a -1 yard, giving the Hawks 390 total yards—137 on the ground and 253 in the air. Twin Cedars had 356 total yards—213 rushing and 143 passing.
Lint lead the defense with 15 total tackles (two solo and 13 assisted) with Beger right behind with 12 total tackles (2 solo and 10 assisted). Ostrander, Beger and Cody Hidelbaugh each had a sack.
Gathercoal has a big night on defense as he added a fumble recovery to his game-changing interception. Beger also recovered a fumble. The Hawks kicking game was in good form with Zach Hiller kicking off five times for 165 yards and Alex Gordon punting four times for 150 yards.
EG travels to Dunlap on Friday to face 2-1 Boyer Valley in the District 7 opener. This kicks off another season of the 8-Man Football “Lincoln League” as 5 of 7 teams in District 7 are located on the historic Lincoln Highway. The “Lincoln League” (8-Man District 7) is down to seven teams this season as Walnut has dropped its football program and is sharing football with Atlantic, a 3A school. Teams on the Lincoln are: East Greene, Glidden-Ralston, Ar-We-Va, Boyer Valley and Woodbine. The only non-Lincoln teams are within a dozen miles of the highway—Coon Rapids-Bayard and Charter Oak-Ute.
Towns that are on the Lincoln in the five school districts, heading westward, are Grand Junction, Ralston, Glidden, Arcadia, Westside, Vale, Arion, Dow City, Dunlap and Woodbine—a “Big 10” roster of Lincoln Highway/U.S. 30 towns.
Boyer Valley has had easy wins over Whiting and River Valley (Correctionville) and lost by one point on Friday in overtime to No. 6-ranked Kingsley-Pierson, 21-20. EG beat Boyer Valley last year in Grand Junction, 26-20. Both teams qualified for the playoffs last year with EG finishing third in District 7 and BV finishing fourth. Twin Cedars hosts Tri-County (Thornburgh) in a District 5 opener for both teams.
Season (Non-Districts) Records of Lincoln League Teams
Boyer Valley (Dunlap) 2-1
Coon Rapids-Bayard 1-1
East Greene 1-1
Glidden-Ralston 1-1
Woodbine 1-1
Charter Oak-Ute 0-2
Ar-We-Va (Westside) 0-3
District 7 Scores, Week 2 (Sept. 1):
EG 36, Twin Cedars (Bussey) 34
Woodbine 48, Whiting 8
Kingsley-Pierson 21, Boyer Valley 20 (OT), *KP ranked No. 6
CRB 42, Grandview Park Baptist 9
Newell-Fonda 45, GR 8
River Valley 64, Ar-We- 61
Remsen-Union 58, Charter Oak-Ute 8, *RU ranked No. 5
District 7 Scores, Week 1 (Aug. 26):
Melcher Dallas 44, EG 30
GR 62, Grandview Park Baptist 21
Boyer Valley (Dunlap) 61, Whiting 0
Kingsley-Pierson 47, Ar-We-Va 6
Northeast Hamilton (Blairsburg) 56, CRB 20
River Valley (Correctionville) 70, COU 28
District 7 Scores, Week 0 (Aug. 19):
Boyer Valley 66, River Valley (Correctionville) 22
CAM (Anita) 39, Woodbine 0
Armstrong-Ringsted 51, Ar-We-Va 12, *AR ranked No. 1
EYE ON GJ SAYS: The Hawks will have their hands full with the Boyer Valley Bulldogs, who look to be one of the top teams in the “Lincoln League” at this stage of the season. BV took sixth-ranked Kingsley-Pierson, a District 1 team, to overtime before falling by one point while unranked Newell-Fonda, also in District 1, rolled over Glidden-Ralston 45-8. Glidden-Ralston, Kingsley-Pierson and Newell-Fonda all advanced to the playoffs last year. KP lost to state champion Armstrong-Ringsted in the first round while NF was eliminated by Armstrong-Ringsted in the second round. GR made it to the quarterfinal round, losing to Fremont-Mills (Tabor) which was, in turn, eliminated by AR in the semifinals in the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.
EG will need to stop the running game of Michael Hanigan, BV’s standout junior quarterback/defensive back. Hanigan ran the ball 41 times for 131 yards and two touchdowns against Kingsley-Pierson. He was 4-9 with one interception and 51 yards passing. He has ran the ball 91 times for 601 yards in three games—an impressive 200 yards per game average.
BV will need to shut down the EG aerial assault. Beger is now finding success with a range of receivers, while he and Ostrander are also a threat running the ball. Ostrander is still the go-to guy on the EG passing attack, so how the Hawks hold up against the Bulldogs’ pass defense will go a long way in determining who gets the upper hand in Dunlap.
In the 44-30 loss to Melcher-Dallas, Beger put up 195 total yards on 16-24 passing with one interception, giving him a total of 448 yards for both games combined—an impressive 224 yards per game average.
In other D7/Lincoln League games this week, Ar-We-Va (0-3) is at Coon Rapids-Bayard (1-1) and Woodbine (1-1) is at Glidden-Ralston.
East Greene slipped past Twin Cedars (Bussey), 36-34, in a game that stretched over two days—Friday and Saturday, Sept. 2 and 3—to pick up its first win of the season.
The game got underway as scheduled Friday night with a bit of sprinkles and light rain. The two teams traded touchdowns with the Hawks holding the upper hand at the halftime break, 26-20. Twin Cedars came back in the third quarter to take the lead on a touchdown and a two-point conversion, 28-26. The Sabers had the momentum as the Hawks looked to be tiring and were whistled for some key penalties.
The rain had stopped by halftime but with 3:45 left in the third quarter, the officials suspended the game due to lighting to the north. What was hoped to be a mandatory 30-minute delay with the expectations that the lighting would stop, turned into a one-hour delay and still no letup from the lightning. At that point—9:45 p.m.—it was determined to suspend play and resume the game the next day at 2 p.m.
The delay worked to the Hawks’ advantage as the Twin Cedars players and fans would need to drive all the way back to southern Marion County Friday night, and then back up to Grand Junction on Saturday.
Some electrical problems had made the sound system inoperative at Karber Field on Friday but the system was working on Saturday, so the resumed game got underway with the playing of the national anthem. But a light rain began just as play started, so conditions were similar to the night before—just brighter and with no lightning.
Twin Cedars got out of the blocks fast as Jared Stephens scored on a 25-yard run on the first play of the resumed game, extending the Sabers’ lead to 34-26. The EG defense came to the fore, however, and stopped the two point conversion.
The defensive momentum carried forward into the fourth quarter as the Hawks punted down to the 1-yard-line and then stopped TC for a loss in the end zone to score a two-point safety, cutting the lead to 34-28.
Neither team mounted much of a threat rest of the fourth quarter, but in the late stages the Sabers were threatening in Hawk territory when EG intercepted the ball with enough time on the clock to mount one last drive.
EG moved downfield on a key Tory Beger-to-Reed Ostrander pass play with Beger running the ball in a few plays later to tie the game at 34-34. Beger connected with Harrison Johnston on a two-point conversion pass play to put EG in the lead, 36-34, with 40 seconds left in the game.
The Hawks kicked off with Twin Cedars running the ball back to midfield. The Sabers put together an all-out passing assault but the Hawks held them in check in four downs and took over with 17 seconds left on the clock. The Hawks downed the ball on the first snap and then just ran out the clock to pick up their first win of the season, evening their non-district record at 1-1. Twin Cedars fell to 1-1 in non-district play.
Beger passed was 22-38 in passing for a total of 253 yards with no interceptions. He connected for three touchdown passes—one a 56-yard strike to Ostrander. On the receiving end, Ostrander caught 10 passes for 179 total yards. T. J. Lint caught seven passes for 50 yards, Gathercoal caught two for 18 yards, and Broc Timm
Beger ran the ball 16 times for 32 yards and Ostrander gained 106 yards on six carries, most of that on a 63-yard touchdown run. Beger scored on an 8-yard jaunt. Lint had 1 carry for a -1 yard, giving the Hawks 390 total yards—137 on the ground and 253 in the air. Twin Cedars had 356 total yards—213 rushing and 143 passing.
Lint lead the defense with 15 total tackles (two solo and 13 assisted) with Beger right behind with 12 total tackles (2 solo and 10 assisted). Ostrander, Beger and Cody Hidelbaugh each had a sack.
Gathercoal has a big night on defense as he added a fumble recovery to his game-changing interception. Beger also recovered a fumble. The Hawks kicking game was in good form with Zach Hiller kicking off five times for 165 yards and Alex Gordon punting four times for 150 yards.
EG travels to Dunlap on Friday to face 2-1 Boyer Valley in the District 7 opener. This kicks off another season of the 8-Man Football “Lincoln League” as 5 of 7 teams in District 7 are located on the historic Lincoln Highway. The “Lincoln League” (8-Man District 7) is down to seven teams this season as Walnut has dropped its football program and is sharing football with Atlantic, a 3A school. Teams on the Lincoln are: East Greene, Glidden-Ralston, Ar-We-Va, Boyer Valley and Woodbine. The only non-Lincoln teams are within a dozen miles of the highway—Coon Rapids-Bayard and Charter Oak-Ute.
Towns that are on the Lincoln in the five school districts, heading westward, are Grand Junction, Ralston, Glidden, Arcadia, Westside, Vale, Arion, Dow City, Dunlap and Woodbine—a “Big 10” roster of Lincoln Highway/U.S. 30 towns.
Boyer Valley has had easy wins over Whiting and River Valley (Correctionville) and lost by one point on Friday in overtime to No. 6-ranked Kingsley-Pierson, 21-20. EG beat Boyer Valley last year in Grand Junction, 26-20. Both teams qualified for the playoffs last year with EG finishing third in District 7 and BV finishing fourth. Twin Cedars hosts Tri-County (Thornburgh) in a District 5 opener for both teams.
Season (Non-Districts) Records of Lincoln League Teams
Boyer Valley (Dunlap) 2-1
Coon Rapids-Bayard 1-1
East Greene 1-1
Glidden-Ralston 1-1
Woodbine 1-1
Charter Oak-Ute 0-2
Ar-We-Va (Westside) 0-3
District 7 Scores, Week 2 (Sept. 1):
EG 36, Twin Cedars (Bussey) 34
Woodbine 48, Whiting 8
Kingsley-Pierson 21, Boyer Valley 20 (OT), *KP ranked No. 6
CRB 42, Grandview Park Baptist 9
Newell-Fonda 45, GR 8
River Valley 64, Ar-We- 61
Remsen-Union 58, Charter Oak-Ute 8, *RU ranked No. 5
District 7 Scores, Week 1 (Aug. 26):
Melcher Dallas 44, EG 30
GR 62, Grandview Park Baptist 21
Boyer Valley (Dunlap) 61, Whiting 0
Kingsley-Pierson 47, Ar-We-Va 6
Northeast Hamilton (Blairsburg) 56, CRB 20
River Valley (Correctionville) 70, COU 28
District 7 Scores, Week 0 (Aug. 19):
Boyer Valley 66, River Valley (Correctionville) 22
CAM (Anita) 39, Woodbine 0
Armstrong-Ringsted 51, Ar-We-Va 12, *AR ranked No. 1
EYE ON GJ SAYS: The Hawks will have their hands full with the Boyer Valley Bulldogs, who look to be one of the top teams in the “Lincoln League” at this stage of the season. BV took sixth-ranked Kingsley-Pierson, a District 1 team, to overtime before falling by one point while unranked Newell-Fonda, also in District 1, rolled over Glidden-Ralston 45-8. Glidden-Ralston, Kingsley-Pierson and Newell-Fonda all advanced to the playoffs last year. KP lost to state champion Armstrong-Ringsted in the first round while NF was eliminated by Armstrong-Ringsted in the second round. GR made it to the quarterfinal round, losing to Fremont-Mills (Tabor) which was, in turn, eliminated by AR in the semifinals in the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.
EG will need to stop the running game of Michael Hanigan, BV’s standout junior quarterback/defensive back. Hanigan ran the ball 41 times for 131 yards and two touchdowns against Kingsley-Pierson. He was 4-9 with one interception and 51 yards passing. He has ran the ball 91 times for 601 yards in three games—an impressive 200 yards per game average.
BV will need to shut down the EG aerial assault. Beger is now finding success with a range of receivers, while he and Ostrander are also a threat running the ball. Ostrander is still the go-to guy on the EG passing attack, so how the Hawks hold up against the Bulldogs’ pass defense will go a long way in determining who gets the upper hand in Dunlap.
In the 44-30 loss to Melcher-Dallas, Beger put up 195 total yards on 16-24 passing with one interception, giving him a total of 448 yards for both games combined—an impressive 224 yards per game average.
In other D7/Lincoln League games this week, Ar-We-Va (0-3) is at Coon Rapids-Bayard (1-1) and Woodbine (1-1) is at Glidden-Ralston.
Hawkettes Get By OM In Tight Match
TAKE DECIDING FIFTH GAME BY TWO POINTS
East Greene evened its Rolling Hills volleyball record at 1-1 with a squeaker over Orient-Macksburg on Thursday, Sept. 1, in Orient, 16-25, 25-23, 25-23, 7-25, 17-15.
It was a solid comeback for the Hawkettes after losing the first game but winning the next two, only to lose the momentum in a 25-7 drubbing in a fourth game that would have clinched the match. In matches that go to the fifth—and deciding—game in a best-of-five match, the scoring is only to 15 but the winning team must win by two points.
The Hawkettes were tested to the limit as OM forced them to “extra digits” but EG prevailed, getting the last two points of game five for the 17-15 win.
EG opened the conference season with a loss to Walnut 25-18, 25-22, 25-21 on Tuesday, Aug. 30, in Rippey. The previous week, EG fell to Southeast Webster on Tuesday and then went 2-2 in the Coon Rapids-Bayard Invitational on Saturday, beating Ankeny Christian and Paton-Churdan but losing to Adair-Casey and Coon Rapids-Bayard, both ranked teams. CRB beat Adair-Casey in the championship game to win the tournament.
EG, now 3-4 on the season, hosts Paton-Churdan tonight in Rippey in a conference match.
ROLING HILLS CONFERENCE
Adair-Casey 2-0
Iowa Christian 2-0
Walnut 2-0
East Greene 1-1
CAM 1-1
Glidden-Ralston 1-1
Exira/EHK 1-1
Ankeny Christian 0-2
Orient-Macksburg 0-2
Paton-Churdan 0-2
Thurs., Sept. 1:
East Greene 16-25-25-7-17, Orient-Macksburg 25-23-23-25-15
Exira-EHK 25-24-25-25, Paton-Churdan 22-26-23-22
Iowa Christian Academy 25-20-25-25, Glidden-Ralston 20-25-18-21
Adair-Casey 25-22-25-25, Ankeny Christian Academy 6-25-8-13
Walnut 20-25-25-26, CAM, Anita 25-18-17-24
Tues., Aug. 30:
Adair-Casey 25-25-24-25, Exira-EHK 17-20-26-18
CAM, Anita 25-25-25, Ankeny Christian Academy 17-14-18
Glidden-Ralston 20-25-25-25-16, Orient-Macksburg 25-14-16-27-14
Iowa Christian Academy 25-25-25, Paton-Churdan 11-16-13
Walnut 25-25-25, East Greene 18-22-21
EYE ON GJ SAYS: EG is playing among some of the best teams in Class 1A as two conference foes—Iowa Christian and Adair-Casey—are both ranked along with two non-conference teams in west central Iowa—Coon Rapids-Bayard and Ar-We-Va.
Through Thursday, Sept. 1, Ar-We-Va (3-0) is ranked sixth; Adair-Casey (5-1) is eighth; CRB (8-2), ninth; and Iowa Christian (3-1), 13th. AC and ICA are the pre-season favorites in the Rolling Hills with ICA winning the regular conference crown with a perfect 9-0 mark, just ahead of AC at 8-1, but AC came back to beat ICA in the conference tournament championship final. Walnut however is also off to a good start with wins over East Greene and CAM (Anita) putting the Warriors in a tie for first with AC and ICA at 2-0.
ICA, AC, Ar-We-Va and CRB are the only ranked teams in central and west central Iowa in Classes 1A, 2A and 3A with the exception of Bondurant-Farrar in Polk County, which moved in the 3A rankings last week in 13th place. BF was a member of the Heart of Iowa Conference as in Jefferson-Scranton but moved this season to the all 3A Raccoon River Valley Conference. Other teams in the 10-team league are ADM (Adel), Ballard (Huxley), Boone, Carlisle, Carroll, Dallas Center-Grimes, Perry, Saydel and Winterset.
East Greene evened its Rolling Hills volleyball record at 1-1 with a squeaker over Orient-Macksburg on Thursday, Sept. 1, in Orient, 16-25, 25-23, 25-23, 7-25, 17-15.
It was a solid comeback for the Hawkettes after losing the first game but winning the next two, only to lose the momentum in a 25-7 drubbing in a fourth game that would have clinched the match. In matches that go to the fifth—and deciding—game in a best-of-five match, the scoring is only to 15 but the winning team must win by two points.
The Hawkettes were tested to the limit as OM forced them to “extra digits” but EG prevailed, getting the last two points of game five for the 17-15 win.
EG opened the conference season with a loss to Walnut 25-18, 25-22, 25-21 on Tuesday, Aug. 30, in Rippey. The previous week, EG fell to Southeast Webster on Tuesday and then went 2-2 in the Coon Rapids-Bayard Invitational on Saturday, beating Ankeny Christian and Paton-Churdan but losing to Adair-Casey and Coon Rapids-Bayard, both ranked teams. CRB beat Adair-Casey in the championship game to win the tournament.
EG, now 3-4 on the season, hosts Paton-Churdan tonight in Rippey in a conference match.
ROLING HILLS CONFERENCE
Adair-Casey 2-0
Iowa Christian 2-0
Walnut 2-0
East Greene 1-1
CAM 1-1
Glidden-Ralston 1-1
Exira/EHK 1-1
Ankeny Christian 0-2
Orient-Macksburg 0-2
Paton-Churdan 0-2
Thurs., Sept. 1:
East Greene 16-25-25-7-17, Orient-Macksburg 25-23-23-25-15
Exira-EHK 25-24-25-25, Paton-Churdan 22-26-23-22
Iowa Christian Academy 25-20-25-25, Glidden-Ralston 20-25-18-21
Adair-Casey 25-22-25-25, Ankeny Christian Academy 6-25-8-13
Walnut 20-25-25-26, CAM, Anita 25-18-17-24
Tues., Aug. 30:
Adair-Casey 25-25-24-25, Exira-EHK 17-20-26-18
CAM, Anita 25-25-25, Ankeny Christian Academy 17-14-18
Glidden-Ralston 20-25-25-25-16, Orient-Macksburg 25-14-16-27-14
Iowa Christian Academy 25-25-25, Paton-Churdan 11-16-13
Walnut 25-25-25, East Greene 18-22-21
EYE ON GJ SAYS: EG is playing among some of the best teams in Class 1A as two conference foes—Iowa Christian and Adair-Casey—are both ranked along with two non-conference teams in west central Iowa—Coon Rapids-Bayard and Ar-We-Va.
Through Thursday, Sept. 1, Ar-We-Va (3-0) is ranked sixth; Adair-Casey (5-1) is eighth; CRB (8-2), ninth; and Iowa Christian (3-1), 13th. AC and ICA are the pre-season favorites in the Rolling Hills with ICA winning the regular conference crown with a perfect 9-0 mark, just ahead of AC at 8-1, but AC came back to beat ICA in the conference tournament championship final. Walnut however is also off to a good start with wins over East Greene and CAM (Anita) putting the Warriors in a tie for first with AC and ICA at 2-0.
ICA, AC, Ar-We-Va and CRB are the only ranked teams in central and west central Iowa in Classes 1A, 2A and 3A with the exception of Bondurant-Farrar in Polk County, which moved in the 3A rankings last week in 13th place. BF was a member of the Heart of Iowa Conference as in Jefferson-Scranton but moved this season to the all 3A Raccoon River Valley Conference. Other teams in the 10-team league are ADM (Adel), Ballard (Huxley), Boone, Carlisle, Carroll, Dallas Center-Grimes, Perry, Saydel and Winterset.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Council Discusses Main Street Tear-Downs
FOUR BUILDINGS AT MAIN & 11TH WOULD COME DOWN
City Attorney David Morain outlined a plan of action for the Grand Junction City Council to remove four buildings on Main Street at the Monday, Aug. 8, council meeting.
Morain noted that of the four properties on the south side of Main at 11th Street, “some are more run down than others but all are eyesores.” The council has discussed using the site of the four buildings as a new community center, and Morain noted that clearing out the buildings “will be a heck of a project. You will run into a lot of headaches. The four lots each have possible background issues—mortgages, problems with creditors, or a judgment lien on a property.”
Morain has been in contact with Area XII Council of Governments (COG) for assistance on the project. Further, he has directly communicated with the owners of the properties—Keith Light, Wayne Tomlinson, Kim Rueter and Duane Delp.
Morain said Rueter had earlier indicated the cost of his building would be $10,000, but since then “he is ready to play ball. All he wants out of the building is the safe.”
The Delp building—the fourth one from the intersection of 11th Street and Main—is presently used by Donna Delp as the Hair Junction salon. Council member Pat Fagen and Linda Hoffman noted they have been in discussion with Donna Delp about moving her business to the Dustin Fouch building at the northeast corner of Main and 13th Streets, next door to the post office.
Morain said the Delp building “is not perfect. It has structural issues, but we do have permission to go in and inspect it. If it is an unsafe building, that might hasten their degree of agreeability.”
Mayor Jerry Herrick said he approached the Greene County Board of Supervisors for possible help for tear-downs, but no funds are available. But Herrick has also been in discussion with officials of LDC Grand Junction ethanol plant for funds to support the rehabilitation of Main Street.
Herrick has been exploring the creation and availability of the “Dreyfus funds,” which he said were created when the LDC Grand Junction plant was built in relation to tax abatement granted Louis Dreyfus Commodities. He said it has been difficult to determine who controls the funds and how they are dispersed, adding that no funds have even been distributed to Junction Township or the East Greene Community School District. He has been communicating with the Greene County Board of Supervisors about the funds since they are under the county’s jurisdiction as the LDC Grand Junction plant is in rural Greene County, but it is less than one mile from the city’s northern border.
City Clerk Rita Jenkins noted that the Greene County Foundation, which supports a wide range of projects throughout the county, does not distribute any funds for “tear downs” but only for building projects.
Morain also addressed the asbestos issue involving a tear-down, pointing out that the inspection process can be as much as $500 per building and there are samples taken based on the number of rooms, which are $10 each. So, for example, 30 samples could cost an additional $300.
Morain also roughly outlined the process for inspection, remediation and posting a demolition notice, and added a remark “about jumping through hoops from beginning to end.”
Earlier in the meeting, Ken Paxton, executive director, Greene County Chamber Commerce, discussed with the council the town’s rehabilitation efforts. In addition to the county supervisors, Herrick has been in discussion with chamber officials about helping moving the town forward. Following up on those discussions, Paxton noted that Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge has a “deconstruction class” that is geared toward teaching students how to properly tear down buildings. He said these students could help Grand Junction accomplish its goals. He urged Herrick to put a plan together addressing to present to ICCC officials regarding the town’s tear-down efforts.
Council agreed to move forward with the tear-down project. “We are not doing our job as city leaders if we don’t do something,” said Herrick.
“We have to move forward,” said Fagen. “It is hazardous, it’s dangerous. We need to find what revenue streams will lessen the burden.”
The first step is to inspect the properties, but it was agreed to not instruct the city’s usual inspector, Wayne Emmett of Grand Junction, to inspect but to use an inspector who lives outside of town. Morain said he would contact the city inspector in Jefferson.
Herrick has also been discussing with the council access to funds that were created when the LDC Grand Junction plant opened. These “Dreyfus funds,” he said, were
RESIDENTIAL TEAR-DOWN PROGRESS
Morain also updated the council on progress in tearing down the dilapidated barn and house at the corner of Fifth Street and West Hager Street. The property is known as the “Grundon property” and would have been initially platted on the western one-half of Block 14 of the corner of Fifth Street and M Street in West Grand Junction. M Street was later changed to Hager Street.
The property has been slated as a tear-down for awhile, but Morain noted there has been a slight glitch in communicating to the property owners of record. Apparently, the information about the property at the county auditor’s office and the county assessor’s office does not match up. One piece of information indicates the property went from Grant Grundon, after his death, to his son and two daughters. The share that went to his son, Gerald Grundon, who is deceased, then passed on to Gerald’s widow, Betty Grundon. However, said Morain, there is no information about the sisters of Gerald Grundon (Grant Grundon’s daughters), and if they are also deceased, and if so, who is the executor of each of their estates.
That hurdle could be overcome, Morain explained, by using a little known state statute, 675A.10A where “the city can take title to properties that are unstable or unsafe.” The next steps would be to publish the information as per the statute as a legal proceeding in the local newspaper and do some title searching to determine if there are any mortgages or liens on the property.
“Scranton looked at using this statute but they didn’t and now they wish they had,” said Morain. The property fell into the hands of an out-of-town owner who has made no effort to improve it.
DRAINAGE PROGRESS ON SANDOE STREET
Greene County Engineer Wade Weiss met with the council regarding a drainage problem on land owned by the Union Pacific Rail Road at Sandoe Street and North 17th Street.
At issue, is the need for new drainage tile that runs under the railroad and the adjacent right of way. The water is not draining properly and remains standing. “Springtime is the biggest problem,” said Councilmember Barb Walker. “The water stays there a long time.”
Weiss noted that a town municipality is not in his jurisdiction, But Weiss did offer to help move the process along and to share any pertinent information that the county engineer’s office has to help the city improve the drainage.
He and the council discussed hiring Mer Engineering to look at the problem and determine what type and size of tile is needed.
Weiss was not aware that the railroad owned the property where the drainage problem occurs. “They came through years ago and bought all the land [small parcels north of the tracks] up,” Herrick explained.
The council is looking at how to fund the improved drainage. The Union Pacific wants to close one of the railroad crossings in town and if they do that, the town would be compensated financially. Herrick said the funds coming from the railroad could offset the costs of drainage repair.
The city is looking at closing either 13th Street or 19th Street. If the 19th Street crossing is closed, that would be a setback for residents there, noted Councilmember Pierre Kellogg, but they would gain by having the nearby drainage problem alleviated.
“We need to do it,” said Kellogg. “Whatever it takes, even it means closing the crossing.”
“We’ll catch some flack,” said Herrick. “There will be some complaining.”
Later in the meeting, Terry Hoefle, chief of Grand Junction Fire Rescue, expressed concern about closing off 19th Street as an access route to that part of town if there is a fire or rescue call. Council members also noted that 19th Street serves as a route for area farmers to move machinery.
In other business, the council:
*Discussed with Morain the current city ordinance against pit bulls. Three families currently have pit bulls and are in violation of the ordinance. The city took one family to court but the judgment went against the city, said Jenkins. She pointed out that some people try to say they don’t have pit bulls but have some other breed, but it’s really a pit bull. “The American bulldog is a pit bull.” She suggested rewriting the ordinance “so we have the exact wording.”
*Approved a Class E liquor license for Casey’s, 504 Sixteenth Street North. The Class E license will allow Casey’s to sell “hard liquor” in addition to its current beer and wine sales. Council approved 3-0 with Kellogg, Walker and Linda Herrick voting yes; Walker abstaining; and Councilmember Dave Kersey was absent.
*Herrick updated the council about the progress of the problem at the South Pumping Station on Sunset Drive. Earlier this summer, an increased level of discharge from the sewer system had put the town in violation with the Department of Natural Resources. Herrick said a camera placed down in there had determined that there is a leak, but the leak is actually in the county drainage tile which caused damage to the city tile. So that created the leak and the county is responsible.
Herrick said normally, the flow from the water tower and wells is between 79K and 115K a day but due to the problem at the South Pumping Station the city is pumping 1 million gallons of water a day—10 times as much.
*Hoefle’s fire and rescue department report noted that there was a trailer house fire in the previous month.
City Attorney David Morain outlined a plan of action for the Grand Junction City Council to remove four buildings on Main Street at the Monday, Aug. 8, council meeting.
Morain noted that of the four properties on the south side of Main at 11th Street, “some are more run down than others but all are eyesores.” The council has discussed using the site of the four buildings as a new community center, and Morain noted that clearing out the buildings “will be a heck of a project. You will run into a lot of headaches. The four lots each have possible background issues—mortgages, problems with creditors, or a judgment lien on a property.”
Morain has been in contact with Area XII Council of Governments (COG) for assistance on the project. Further, he has directly communicated with the owners of the properties—Keith Light, Wayne Tomlinson, Kim Rueter and Duane Delp.
Morain said Rueter had earlier indicated the cost of his building would be $10,000, but since then “he is ready to play ball. All he wants out of the building is the safe.”
The Delp building—the fourth one from the intersection of 11th Street and Main—is presently used by Donna Delp as the Hair Junction salon. Council member Pat Fagen and Linda Hoffman noted they have been in discussion with Donna Delp about moving her business to the Dustin Fouch building at the northeast corner of Main and 13th Streets, next door to the post office.
Morain said the Delp building “is not perfect. It has structural issues, but we do have permission to go in and inspect it. If it is an unsafe building, that might hasten their degree of agreeability.”
Mayor Jerry Herrick said he approached the Greene County Board of Supervisors for possible help for tear-downs, but no funds are available. But Herrick has also been in discussion with officials of LDC Grand Junction ethanol plant for funds to support the rehabilitation of Main Street.
Herrick has been exploring the creation and availability of the “Dreyfus funds,” which he said were created when the LDC Grand Junction plant was built in relation to tax abatement granted Louis Dreyfus Commodities. He said it has been difficult to determine who controls the funds and how they are dispersed, adding that no funds have even been distributed to Junction Township or the East Greene Community School District. He has been communicating with the Greene County Board of Supervisors about the funds since they are under the county’s jurisdiction as the LDC Grand Junction plant is in rural Greene County, but it is less than one mile from the city’s northern border.
City Clerk Rita Jenkins noted that the Greene County Foundation, which supports a wide range of projects throughout the county, does not distribute any funds for “tear downs” but only for building projects.
Morain also addressed the asbestos issue involving a tear-down, pointing out that the inspection process can be as much as $500 per building and there are samples taken based on the number of rooms, which are $10 each. So, for example, 30 samples could cost an additional $300.
Morain also roughly outlined the process for inspection, remediation and posting a demolition notice, and added a remark “about jumping through hoops from beginning to end.”
Earlier in the meeting, Ken Paxton, executive director, Greene County Chamber Commerce, discussed with the council the town’s rehabilitation efforts. In addition to the county supervisors, Herrick has been in discussion with chamber officials about helping moving the town forward. Following up on those discussions, Paxton noted that Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge has a “deconstruction class” that is geared toward teaching students how to properly tear down buildings. He said these students could help Grand Junction accomplish its goals. He urged Herrick to put a plan together addressing to present to ICCC officials regarding the town’s tear-down efforts.
Council agreed to move forward with the tear-down project. “We are not doing our job as city leaders if we don’t do something,” said Herrick.
“We have to move forward,” said Fagen. “It is hazardous, it’s dangerous. We need to find what revenue streams will lessen the burden.”
The first step is to inspect the properties, but it was agreed to not instruct the city’s usual inspector, Wayne Emmett of Grand Junction, to inspect but to use an inspector who lives outside of town. Morain said he would contact the city inspector in Jefferson.
Herrick has also been discussing with the council access to funds that were created when the LDC Grand Junction plant opened. These “Dreyfus funds,” he said, were
RESIDENTIAL TEAR-DOWN PROGRESS
Morain also updated the council on progress in tearing down the dilapidated barn and house at the corner of Fifth Street and West Hager Street. The property is known as the “Grundon property” and would have been initially platted on the western one-half of Block 14 of the corner of Fifth Street and M Street in West Grand Junction. M Street was later changed to Hager Street.
The property has been slated as a tear-down for awhile, but Morain noted there has been a slight glitch in communicating to the property owners of record. Apparently, the information about the property at the county auditor’s office and the county assessor’s office does not match up. One piece of information indicates the property went from Grant Grundon, after his death, to his son and two daughters. The share that went to his son, Gerald Grundon, who is deceased, then passed on to Gerald’s widow, Betty Grundon. However, said Morain, there is no information about the sisters of Gerald Grundon (Grant Grundon’s daughters), and if they are also deceased, and if so, who is the executor of each of their estates.
That hurdle could be overcome, Morain explained, by using a little known state statute, 675A.10A where “the city can take title to properties that are unstable or unsafe.” The next steps would be to publish the information as per the statute as a legal proceeding in the local newspaper and do some title searching to determine if there are any mortgages or liens on the property.
“Scranton looked at using this statute but they didn’t and now they wish they had,” said Morain. The property fell into the hands of an out-of-town owner who has made no effort to improve it.
DRAINAGE PROGRESS ON SANDOE STREET
Greene County Engineer Wade Weiss met with the council regarding a drainage problem on land owned by the Union Pacific Rail Road at Sandoe Street and North 17th Street.
At issue, is the need for new drainage tile that runs under the railroad and the adjacent right of way. The water is not draining properly and remains standing. “Springtime is the biggest problem,” said Councilmember Barb Walker. “The water stays there a long time.”
Weiss noted that a town municipality is not in his jurisdiction, But Weiss did offer to help move the process along and to share any pertinent information that the county engineer’s office has to help the city improve the drainage.
He and the council discussed hiring Mer Engineering to look at the problem and determine what type and size of tile is needed.
Weiss was not aware that the railroad owned the property where the drainage problem occurs. “They came through years ago and bought all the land [small parcels north of the tracks] up,” Herrick explained.
The council is looking at how to fund the improved drainage. The Union Pacific wants to close one of the railroad crossings in town and if they do that, the town would be compensated financially. Herrick said the funds coming from the railroad could offset the costs of drainage repair.
The city is looking at closing either 13th Street or 19th Street. If the 19th Street crossing is closed, that would be a setback for residents there, noted Councilmember Pierre Kellogg, but they would gain by having the nearby drainage problem alleviated.
“We need to do it,” said Kellogg. “Whatever it takes, even it means closing the crossing.”
“We’ll catch some flack,” said Herrick. “There will be some complaining.”
Later in the meeting, Terry Hoefle, chief of Grand Junction Fire Rescue, expressed concern about closing off 19th Street as an access route to that part of town if there is a fire or rescue call. Council members also noted that 19th Street serves as a route for area farmers to move machinery.
In other business, the council:
*Discussed with Morain the current city ordinance against pit bulls. Three families currently have pit bulls and are in violation of the ordinance. The city took one family to court but the judgment went against the city, said Jenkins. She pointed out that some people try to say they don’t have pit bulls but have some other breed, but it’s really a pit bull. “The American bulldog is a pit bull.” She suggested rewriting the ordinance “so we have the exact wording.”
*Approved a Class E liquor license for Casey’s, 504 Sixteenth Street North. The Class E license will allow Casey’s to sell “hard liquor” in addition to its current beer and wine sales. Council approved 3-0 with Kellogg, Walker and Linda Herrick voting yes; Walker abstaining; and Councilmember Dave Kersey was absent.
*Herrick updated the council about the progress of the problem at the South Pumping Station on Sunset Drive. Earlier this summer, an increased level of discharge from the sewer system had put the town in violation with the Department of Natural Resources. Herrick said a camera placed down in there had determined that there is a leak, but the leak is actually in the county drainage tile which caused damage to the city tile. So that created the leak and the county is responsible.
Herrick said normally, the flow from the water tower and wells is between 79K and 115K a day but due to the problem at the South Pumping Station the city is pumping 1 million gallons of water a day—10 times as much.
*Hoefle’s fire and rescue department report noted that there was a trailer house fire in the previous month.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Kennedys Named GJ ‘Yard of the Month’
FIRST YARD HONORED IN MONTHLY SHOWCASE
The yard of Jerry and Janice Kennedy at Elizabeth and 15th Streets was selected as the July “Yard of the Month” by the Grand Junction Horizons Club.
Yard of the Month is selected from a list of semifinalists each month that meet the criteria for the honor—proportionality and balance among ornamentals, shrubs, flowers and trees; perspective from various angles and frontage streets; not overly done or too “busy” looking; general upkeep and ongoing improvement; and overall aesthetic.
“We want to thank the Naked Ladies Garden Club of Grand Junction for suggesting and supporting the Yard of the Month idea and to the Jefferson Garden Club for serving as our monthly judges,” says a Grand Junction Horizons spokesperson.
“The Kennedy’s yard truly embraces the concepts of aesthetic and perspective in creating and maintaining what clearly qualifies as great looking lawn,” said the spokesperson. “It is a beautiful yard on its own, but when viewed in context of the open spaces to the south across Elizabeth Street and the sloping landscape and tree lines of Mt. Calvary Cemetery to the east, and to the adjacent yards and homes, it helps to make for a really top-notch neighborhood.”
To nominate a yard in Grand Junction for Yard of the Month, contact any Grand Junction Horizons member or send an email to eyeongj@gmail.com with “GJ Yard of the Month” in the message line.
The yard of Jerry and Janice Kennedy at Elizabeth and 15th Streets was selected as the July “Yard of the Month” by the Grand Junction Horizons Club.
“We want to thank the Naked Ladies Garden Club of Grand Junction for suggesting and supporting the Yard of the Month idea and to the Jefferson Garden Club for serving as our monthly judges,” says a Grand Junction Horizons spokesperson.
“The Kennedy’s yard truly embraces the concepts of aesthetic and perspective in creating and maintaining what clearly qualifies as great looking lawn,” said the spokesperson. “It is a beautiful yard on its own, but when viewed in context of the open spaces to the south across Elizabeth Street and the sloping landscape and tree lines of Mt. Calvary Cemetery to the east, and to the adjacent yards and homes, it helps to make for a really top-notch neighborhood.”
To nominate a yard in Grand Junction for Yard of the Month, contact any Grand Junction Horizons member or send an email to eyeongj@gmail.com with “GJ Yard of the Month” in the message line.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Cooklin, Gannon Earn Diamond ‘High Honors’
EG PITCHER NAMED ALL-STATE SECOND TEAM
Graduated seniors Tyler Cooklin and Katlynn Gannon closed out the summer baseball and softball seasons for East Greene by earning all-state recognition. Cooklin joined an elite group of baseball athletes by being named to the Class 1A All-State Second Team by the Iowa Newspaper Association.
Gannon, a catcher and senior leader on a young East Greene softball squad that saw great improvement throughout the season, was named All State Honorable Mention by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.
Cooklin, an outfielder and pitcher, helped lead the Hawks to their third straight 1A District baseball title and a berth in the substate game at Marshalltown, where they came up two runs short of advancing to the state tournament. Unheralded English Valleys (North English) beat the Hawks 6-4 and advanced to the tourney at Principal Park where they gave heavily favored Martensdale-St. Mary’s a run for its money, falling 2-1 in the opening round. MSt.M continued on with its nation’s longest unbeaten streak—set and broke during the district and substate rounds—to win its second straight 1A tourney with a 5-4 win over Kee (Lansing) in the championship game.
The Hawks struggled early in the season, dropping a number of conference games they were expected to handle, and finished in sixth place among eight teams in the Rolling Hills Conference with a 5-9 mark. However, they were just behind Orient-Macksburg and Glidden-Ralston at 6-8, so a win in their season finale over co-champion Iowa Christian (a shared program with Ankeny Christian) would have put them in tie for fourth-place and technically an “upper division” finish in their inaugural season in the Rolling Hills. Alas, Iowa Christian got the upper hand and won 8-4 to tie Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira (another shared program) for the Rolling Hills title with a 12-2 mark.
As it was, the Hawks put together a four-game winning season and won four of five games heading into district tourney action. The Hawks had the home field advantage, hosting the first round games and a semifinal matchup at Walt Anderson Field in Rippey, which moved them on to State Center where they upset state-ranked Northern University (Cedar Falls) to win the district title, 6-4.
And the Rolling Hills proved to be a group of formidable opponents. Orient-Macksburg, Walnut and East Greene all won district titles and advanced to substate, with O-M downing Nishnabotna, 13-3, to make it on to state. Nishnabotna was a qualifier in last year’s state tournament. Walnut fell to state-ranked Coon Rapids-Bayard, 2-0, which ended years of frustration in post-season setbacks, to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2007. It was the Crusaders’ fourth state tournament appearance. CRB won its first round game at state and almost upended MSt.M in the semifinals, falling by just one run, 5-4.
The Hawkettes ended their season on a high note with a two-game winning streak, a come-from-behind win 6-5 over O-M that ended on a sharp “heads up” double-play between Gannon and first baseman Jolee Wessling, and a drubbing of rival Glidden-Ralston, 14-2 in 3 innings.
EG hosted a first-round regional softball game at Dutton Field in Grand Junction against Ar-We-Va “under the lights” and put forth a good effort, falling 11-9, to end the season at 4-13.
Gannon was named second team all-conference in the Rolling Hills and freshman outfielder Chelsi Wilkens was named all-conference honorable mention. Gannon was also named to the Class 1A All-District Team for the Central District by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. Twenty players are honored in each of six geographic districts by the IGHSAU in Class 1A: Central, West Central, North Central, Northeast, South and Southeast.
The Hawks reaped a number of post-season honors. Rolling Hills All-Conference recognition went to: Cooklin, senior, first team, outfielder; Wes Onken, senior, first team, first baseman; Aaron Lyons, senior, second team, outfielder; and Reed Ostrander, honorable mention.
Three of the Hawk seniors were also named to the all-district team. Similar to the IGHSAU, the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association names all-district teams, honoring 15 players on the first team and 15 on the second team for five geographic districts: Northeast, Northwest, Central, Southeast and Southwest.
Cooklin and Onken were both named first-team Central All-District and Lyons was named to the second team. Cooklin was named as an outfielder. He batted .478 for the season. Onken was named to a utility position, which honors his performance as both a pitcher and first baseman. He batted .380 and was 4-4 on the mound. Cooklin was 5-4 as a pitcher. Down the tournament trail, he was the winning pitcher against Colo-Nesco in the first round at Rippey and in the upset of Northern University in the district championship. Onken got the win in the semifinal round victory over Madrid at Rippey and Cooklin took the loss against English Valleys.
Lyons was named to the second all-district team as an outfielder and was known for his clutch plays from centerfield in key games. His batting average for the season was .373.
Onken will be heading to Coe College in Cedar Rapids this fall where he will be a member of the KoHawks baseball team. Coe finished the 2011 season ranked No. 27 among all NCAA Division III baseball teams this season.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: Hats off the all the Hawks and Hawkettes for great seasons. Along with Gannon, senior Jasmine Kinney was a steady force at shortstop for the Hawkettes along with seniors Tia Lowe, who played the first part of the season, and Molly Neese, who played third base for the latter two-thirds of the season. Great job, seniors, and thanks for all your efforts wearing on behalf of East Greene in softball, track, volleyball, basketball and cheerleading.
EG bids farewell to Cooklin, Lyons, Onken and fellow seniors Zach Dearborn (pitcher and shortstop) and Rob Ritchie, a key reserve on the baseball team. They have been part of a remarkable run in EG Hawk athletic success along with seniors Schyler Bardole in football, track and basketball; Bret Kersey in football and wrestling (as part of the JS/PC/EG shared team); and Nic Nicolaisen in football and basketball that saw the Hawks finish third among eight teams in District 7 8-man football and qualify for the state playoffs; finish as runner-up in the Rolling Hills to state tourney qualifier Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira in the basketball with a 15-3 conference record and 18-5 overall; score points at the state track meet for the first time in many years; and win a third straight district baseball title and a trip to the substate. These senior baseball players played key roles on the EG state tournament team of 2009, when they were sophomores. EG’s track points this year were earned by Ostrander, but Dearborn, Bardole and Lyons were standout sprinters for the Hawks and were part of the successful 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 relay titles for EG the last several track seasons.
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