Hawks Play On After District Tourney Win

FACE COON RAPIDS-BAYARD IN SECOND ROUND

The season marches on for East Greene baseball. The scheduled season-ending game against Glidden-Ralston last week was extended by two additional games. EG won that game 11-8 in Rippey on Tuesday, July 3, to move up to 4-10 in the Rolling Hills Conference and tie with Adair-Casey for sixth place. GR finished at 3-11 in last place.

The Hawks took to the field one last time on their home diamond on July 5 in Rippey against Southern Cal, but took a 19-2 thumping in five innings. The following night EG ventured to Guthrie Center to face the Tigers and lost 10-0 in five innings.

The additional games allowed coach Dana Fink to use some younger members of the pitching staff which resulted in the lopsided scores. Tyler Beger handled the bulk of the mound duties with some relief from Max Neese against Guthrie Center. Both are incoming freshman this fall.

The Hawks got back on the winning track Saturday night with a 7-4 win over Glidden-Ralston in the opening round of the Class 1A District 14 tournament at Coon Rapids. EG (6-22) moves on to the quarterfinal round to face Coon Rapids-Bayard (23-8), a team that finished third in the tough 11-team West Central Conference, comprised of both 1A and 2A teams.

District 14 includes three teams that advanced to the state tournament in the last three years—EG, CRB and Ar-We-Va. The Hawks made the state field in 2009. The following year they beat CRB and then Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton to win the district but lost to Ar-We-Va in the substate. CRB won its substate last year while the Hawks lost to North English (English Valleys). EG is seeking an unprecedented fourth straight district title.

Ar-We-Va takes on Audubon at 5 p.m. tonight in Coon Rapids followed by EG-CRB at 7 p.m. The winners advance to the semifinals on Thursday night in Coon Rapids. The opposite bracket has Adair-Casey taking on CAM at 5 p.m. in Guthrie Center with EEHK facing Guthrie Center in the nightcap. EEHK (19-3) and CRB are the district tourney favorites. EEHK won the Rolling Hills Conference with a 13-1 mark.

The District 14 finals will be played next Saturday in Coon Rapids at 7 p.m. The district winner from Coon Rapids will advance to the play the District 13 winner in the substate on Tuesday, July 17, in Adel. Van Meter (32-8), which edged out Des Moines Christian and CRB to win the West Central Conference, is a heavy favorite in District 13. Orient-Macksburg (9-17) won the first-round opening game over Nodaway Valley 8-4 to advance to the quarterfinal round tonight to face Earlham. Other quarterfinal games in District 14 tonight are Corning vs. Lenox, Van Meter vs. Iowa Christian, and Madrid vs. Woodward-Granger.

Hawks Win 9-3 at Orient-Macksburg

LAST REGULAR SEASON GAME TONIGHT IN RIPPEY
 
East Greene hosts Glidden-Ralston tonight in the last regular season baseball game and most likely the last high school game to be played at the venerable Rippey ball park. EG and Jefferson-Scranton will become Greene County in all sports beginning in the fall.
 
The Hawks are looking to beat the Wildcats and move out of the cellar of the Rolling Hills Conference. Both teams are 3-10 in league play.
 
East Greene picked up a win over Orient-Macksburg, 9-6, last night in Macksburg. The EG win followed completion of a game with OM suspended after 4½ innings by rain earlier in the season. The Bulldogs were leading 8-2 when play was halted due to rain. The two teams finished that game out last night with OM prevailing 12-5.
 
Reed Ostrander and T.J. Lint shared mound duties for the Hawks with Lint getting the win. He pitched for 3 2/3 innings and Ostrander pitched for 2 1/3. Combined, they struck out nine, walked two and gave up 10 hits.
 
Ostrander and Lint were solid on offense. Ostrander went 3-4 with two doubles and 3 RBIs. Lint had a double good for 3 RBIs. The Hawks totaled nine hits for the game. Lance Ross had two stolen bases and Lint one.
 
EYE ON GJ SAYS: After struggling to a 1-17 mark with a number of close one- and two-run losses, the young EG squad is now starting to click. The Hawks have won three of their last five games. The wins have come over solid competition—Walnut, Iowa Christian and Orient-Macksburg. Those teams finished third, fourth and fifth in the league.
 
EG beat Walnut in Rippey on Friday, 4-2. The conference win was sandwiched between non-conference losses on the road to Madrid, 10-0, and Colo-Nesco, 8-3.
 
District play begins Saturday in Coon Rapids and the EG and GR will face each other again in a first-round game. The winner will face Coon Rapids-Bayard on Tuesday in Coon Rapids.
 
Coon Rapids-Bayard is a favorite to take the district title along with Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton, winners of the Rolling Hills crown with a 13-1 mark.
 
Rolling Hills Conference
Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton                  13-1
CAM (Anita)                                         11-3
Walnut                                                    9-5
Iowa Christian/Ankeny Christian           7-7
Orient-Macksburg                                  5-9
Adair-Casey                                           4-10
Glidden-Ralston                                     3-10
East Greene (Grand Junction)                3-10

Greene County Retakes Lead in HOI Softball

WIN OVER PCM TODAY CAN CLINCH TIE FOR CROWN

Greene County swept a doubleheader from Gilbert, 4-0 and 6-0, last night in Jefferson to move back into first place in the Heart of Iowa Conference. The Rams meet Prairie City-Monroe today at 2 p.m. to finish out a game interrupted on June 21 in Jefferson. GC was ahead 4-2 with no outs and the bases loaded when the game was stopped in the fourth inning due to rain.

GC can clinch at least tie for the league crown if they can finish off PCM. The wins over Gilbert moved the Rams to 12-2 in the league with only the PCM game today and a tilt at Roland-Story on Friday left on the regular and conference season schedule. PCM (11-2) played North Polk last night in Alleman, but a score from that game has not yet been reported.

If the Rams win today and again tomorrow night in Roland, they would win the crown outright with a 14-2 mark. A win today and loss tomorrow would leave them at 13-3, and PCM would need to have won last night over North Polk and then take care of Gilbert tonight in its conference finale to forge a tie the league title. Losses today and tomorrow would drop the Rams at 12-4 and open the door for PCM to secure the crown with a win tonight over Gilbert.

Gilbert played Nevada on Tuesday, but no score has been reported. The GC wins over Gilbert dropped Gilbert to 8-6 in the league with the Tuesday game and the PCM tilt tonight still to be added.

 
A PCM loss to North Polk last night or a loss tonight to Gilbert would also boost the Ram’s chances of winning the conference championship.
 
HEART OF IOWA CONFERENCE SOFTBALL STANDINGS
Greene County                        12-2
PCM (Monroe)                        11-2
North Polk                                9-4
Roland-Story                            9-5
Gilbert                                       8-6
Colfax-Mingo                           4-9
CMB (Maxwell)                        5-10
South Hamilton                         2-11
Nevada                                      1-13
 
Games not included: North Polk at PCM and CMB at South Hamilton (Wed.), Nevada at Gilbert (Tues.)
Games remaining: PCM and Greene County, completion (today); PCM at Gilbert, South Hamilton at Roland-Story, North Polk at Colfax-Mingo (tonight); Greene County at Roland-Story, Nevada at South Hamilton (Friday); Colfax-Mingo at North Polk

Greene County Softball Vies for League Title

KEY GAMES WITH GILBERT, PCM THIS WEEK

It’s “clutch time” for the Greene County softball team. After leading the Heart of Iowa Conference all summer, the Rams dropped a 2-1 game to North Polk (Alleman) last night to fall into second place behind Prairie City-Monroe.

PCM is 11-2 with Greene County right behind at 10-2. North Polk (9-4) is in a three-way race for third place with Gilbert (8-4) and Roland-Story (8-5). Gilbert played at Nevada (1-12) on Tuesday but no score has yet been reported.

The Rams have four games left in conference play. They take on Gilbert tonight in Jefferson in a doubleheader and then host PCM in another key game tomorrow. The PCM battle is actually a resumption of a game stopped by rain on June 15. Greene County had the lead, 4-2, when play was stopped in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Rams had the bases loaded and no outs.

The outcome of the PCM game will have considerable impact on who wins the conference. Greene County closes out league play on Friday at Roland-Story. PCM has games remaining this week with Gilbert and North Polk.

Hawks Snap 15-Game Losing Streak

BEAT ICA/ACA IN 4-0 SHUTOUT AT RIPPEY

East Greene snapped a 15-game losing streak in a 4-0 shutout of Iowa Christian Academy (West Des Moines)/Ankeny Christian Academy in Rippey on Tuesday night, June 26. It was the first win of the season in Rolling Hills Conference play for the Hawks. EG improved to 2-17 for the season.

Reed Ostrander got the win, striking out 11, walking two and giving up just one hit. The Hawks rapped out six singles, two from Tyler Beger and one each from Ostrander, T.J. Lint, Max Neese and Jacob Vreugdenhil.

EG takes on non-conference opponent Madrid tonight in Madrid. The Hawks will look to pick up another conference win when they host Walnut on Thursday. They are back in action on Friday at Colo-Nesco. The regular season ends next week with games on Monday at Orient-Macksburg and Tuesday in Rippey against Glidden-Ralston. The OM game will be a partial doubleheader as the teams will first complete a game suspended June 14 in Rippey. The game will resume with OM leading 8-2 after 4 ½ innings. The GR game is a makeup from May 31. It will be last East Greene baseball game ever at the Walt Anderson field in Rippey as next year East Greene begins sports sharing with Jefferson-Scranton as Greene County.

The Hawks and Glidden-Ralston will meet up again on Saturday, July 7, in an opening round district game at Coon Rapids. The winner moves on to face top-seeded Coon Rapids-Bayard on Tuesday, July 10, in Coon Rapids.

Rolling Hills Conference

Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton                 10-1
CAM (Anita)                                         8-3
Walnut                                                   7-4
Iowa Christian/Ankeny Christian          6-6
Orient-Macksburg                                  4-6
Adair-Casey                                           3-5
Glidden-Ralston                                     3-7
East Greene (Grand Junction)                1-9


                                       

Griffiths to Serve as LHD Parade Marshals

CARSON AND BETTY TO LEAD OFF ANNUAL GJ PARADE

The parade committee for the Lincoln Highway Day Parade in Grand Junction is urging all area businesses, clubs, organizations and nonprofit groups to participate in the parade on Saturday, July 28, on Main Street in Grand Junction. The parade will begin at 11 a.m.

“Join us as we celebrate our Lincoln Highway heritage in Grand Junction and Greene County at our annual parade,” said a committee spokesperson. The parade is part of the annual Fun Day in Grand Junction which has been renamed Lincoln Highway Day.

Carson and Betty Griffith, longtime Grand Junction residents, will be honored as Grand Marshals of the Lincoln Highway Day parade.

The Griffiths moved to Grand Junction in 1960 when Carson became the vocal music teacher at East Greene. He retired several years ago after a long career teaching music at East Greene. He continues to be involved in musical activities locally and throughout the state. Betty was a beautician for several years, and later worked at the East Greene school junior high-elementary school in Rippey and at Royal Jewelers in Jefferson.

Carson is beloved among his many former students at East Greene where he was known as “Mr. G” and “Griff.” He was recently awarded the Impact Award given annually to a Greene County resident honored for his or her volunteer work. The Griffiths are active with the Elk’s Lodge in Jefferson and have been longtime members of First Presbyterian Church in Grand Junction. Betty is a member of Presbyterian Women, El Carim Club and serves as chairman of the Grand Junction Library Board of Trustees.

The Griffiths have two daughters, Kim Hartley and Kelley Bruns, and two grandchildren, Emily and Alyssa Hartley.

The Griffiths will lead off the parade which features the theme, “Locomoting Along the Lincoln Highway.” The theme focuses on transportation and movement. “Along with floats, we encourage all types of transportation such as motor homes, farm machinery, horse-drawn buggies, and classic antique cars and trucks to join us in the parade. Feel free to use your imagination!”

“We are also encouraging all classic car owners and enthusiasts to enter their vehicles in the parade and the classic car show in the afternoon along 12^th Street south of Hager Street,” said the spokesperson.

Lincoln Highway Day will also mark the grand opening of Lincoln Highway Association Building located in the former Watts Building at the corner of Main and 11^th Streets in Grand Junction. “Local members of LHA and members of Grand Junction Horizons will be putting out the welcome mat to Lincoln Highway enthusiasts, LHA members statewide, and classic are enthusiasts,” the spokesperson added.

The parade will also feature representatives from the fire departments participating in the Fire Department Water Fights, sponsored by Grand Junction Fire and Rescue. The water fights will be held on Main Street at 1 p.m.

A short reception in the foyer of First Presbyterian Church will held after right the parade to honor the Griffiths. “Alumni returning for the All-East Greene alumni on Lincoln Highway Day are encouraged to stop by and say hello to Carson and Betty,” said the spokesperson. “We want to encourage the alumni reunion classes to enter their own floats in the parade too.”

The All-East Greene Alumni event will be held at Ferg’s/My Tighes on U.S. Highway 30 and North 18^th Street with a dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. at cost of $7.50 and a reunion party from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. with a cash bar. Menus is pulled pork sandwich with two sides. An All-East Greene Alumni golf event is planned for 12:30 p.m. at Lakeside Golf Course at Grand Junction. Regular Lakeside fees apply.

Businesses and organizations interested in participating in the parade can contact a member of the parade committee by phone or email: Joyce Nelsen at 515-738-5430 or joyfullnana@iowatelecom.net, Pierre Kellogg at 515-370-1123 or firemanpjk@yahoo.com, and Alan Robinson at 515-738-2612 or eyeongj@gmail.com.

Gordon Honored for June Yard of the Month

HOME, YARD SITE OF OLD ST. BRIGID’S CHURCH

The yard of Richard Gordon, 301 South 16^th Street, has been named “Yard of the Month” in Grand Junction. Gordon operated a welding business on Main Street in Grand Junction for many years until he retired. He also served several terms as mayor of Grand Junction.

The Gordon property at the corner of South 16^th and East Hager streets is familiar to longtime area residents as the former site of St. Brigid’s Church. The Gordon yard is three-quarters of a city block and is well landscaped with a variety of flowers, plants, shrubs and trees while incorporating the stately trees that dotted the church property when the church building was on the site.

The house is situated at an interesting angle facing the corner of 16^th and Hager. Two outbuildings are located on the opposite corner at 17^th and Kelley. Interesting plants and shrubbery have been planted along the Kelley Street side, which is blocked off to vehicular traffic but open to pedestrians.

Yard of the Month in Grand Junction is sponsored by Grand Junction Horizons.