North Mahaska Again Leads the Way for Ranked Girls’ Basketball Teams

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Rick Watts

The latest rankings from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union have been released for girls’ basketball and four area teams remain in the rankings.

North Mahaska continues to be the highest ranked team in the area, as they continue to sit at #3 for the second straight week in Class 1A. The Warhawks already have wins over Lynnville-Sully and Montezuma, their two toughest opponents in the South Iowa Cedar League. NM is 7-0 to start the year.

Speaking of Montezuma, the Bravettes and first year Head Coach Janel Burgess are off to a great start at 7-1 and are at #9 this week. That is down one spot from their #8 ranking last week.

Two Little Hawkeye Conference teams are in the poll in Class 4A. Grinnell continues to be ranked 4th in the state with a 6-0 record including a big win over Pella. The Lady Dutch are #12 in Class 4A after falling out of the rankings the previous week. Pella is 4-2.

The next rankings from the IGHSAU will be released next Thursday night.

North Mahaska Leads the Way As Six Area Girls Teams Ranked

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Rick Watts

The latest poll from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union came out late last week and a half-dozen schools in the area are ranked in girls basketball.

In Class 1A, North Mahaska continues to lead the charge at #4 after a strong start. Their biggest test of the early portion of the season will be this Friday on the Game of the Week on 104.9 FM KBOE. The Warhawks will be hosting the Bravettes of Montezuma, who are ranked #9 for the second straight week. Both teams already boast early season wins over Lynnville-Sully, who is still in the rankings at #13.

Pekin joins the fray in Class 2A as the Panthers are #14 in the latest poll. Pekin has won three of their first four games, all of which came on the road. Their lone loss was at #13 Mediapolis.

In Class 4A, Grinnell and Pella are still representing the tough Little Hawkeye Conference. Grinnell is still in the #4 slot while Pella dropped three spots down to #13. Both teams are starting to get into the thick Little Hawkeye Conference.

The next rankings from the IGHSAU will come out later this week.

North Mahaska, Grinnell Highlight Area Girls’ Basketball Teams in First Rankings

Posted on November 20, 2017November 22, 2017 by Rick Watts

Basketball season is getting underway in the coming days for the girls and there are a handful of teams from the listening area that are in the initial rankings from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

In Class 1A, three teams from the South Iowa Cedar League were named. North Mahaska is a big surprise at #4 after a stellar 16-7 season last year with mostly freshman leading the way. Head Coach L.E. Moore and the Warhawks have state tournament experience but after a few down years, this year’s team will have high expectations to try to make it back with still a young core learning together.

Also in the Class 1A rankings are Montezuma and Lynnville-Sully. Montezuma went 17-7 last season under Cory Nikkel and will start this season at #9 under new Head Coach Janel Burgess. Their rivals from Lynnville-Sully had a great year last year, finishing 21-3. The Hawks start the year ranked #12.

In Class 4A, a couple of Little Hawkeye Conference teams made the list. Grinnell will start the year ranked 4^th after a 19-5 season. The Tigers return several key players to that team for Head Coach Trent Edsen. Pella will also be a factor in the LHC, as they are ranked 10^th after finishing 20-5 last season. Head Coach Jerod Garland will have to replace a couple of senior leaders, but there’s still plenty of talent for the Lady Dutch.

There are no area teams ranked in Class 2A, 3A, or 4A.

The No Coast Network will be releasing a full Game of the Week schedule later this week for the basketball season. The Game of the Week will air on 104.9 FM KBOE and kboeradio.com on Fridays throughout the season. Oskaloosa Basketball will be on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN and radiokmzn.com with video on MCG Channel 7 for most games, beginning on November 28 as the Indians travel to play Fairfield with the broadcast starting at 6 PM.

Class 1A and 2A Area Volleyball Playoff Breakdown

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Rick Watts

Postseason volleyball is just around the corner and the matchups are set.

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released the final brackets in all five classes for the 2017 volleyball playoffs. The two smallest classes will begin play on Tuesday, October 17^th at 7 PM.

In Class 1A Region 4, four area teams are in the top half of the bracket. Lynnville-Sully (9-9) will host Collins-Maxwell (15-4). That match is in Sully even though C-M has the better record. This is their first year without Baxter as a part of the athletic teams. Winner of that matchup will face #8 North Tama (21-6) in the second round.

Also in that bracket is #9 Montezuma (19-3), who will host North Mahaska (10-12) in the first round. That match can be heard on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app starting around 6:45 PM on October 17^th. Monte is 2-0 this season against North Mahaska. Winner of that match will face the winner of Melcher-Dallas (2-8) and Grand View Christian School (19-20). M-D will host that game.

BGM is the only area team in Class 1A Region 6. The Bears (0-22) will host Meskwaki Settlement School (4-15) in the first round with the winner drawing #10 Iowa Valley in the quarterfinals.

Region 7 has a trio of teams from the area in Class 1A. English Valleys (8-11) will host Tri-County (0-13) in North English. The winner will draw #14 HLV in the quarterfinals. Also in the top half of that bracket is Keota. The Eagles (2-11) are on the road to face Winfield-Mount Union (11-18). Winner of that match will face either Iowa Mennonite School (12-9) or WACO (5-15).

Class 1A Region 8 involves Moravia and Twin Cedars. The Mohawks (9-12) will host Moulton-Udell (0-14) in the first round. Winner will play at #5 New London in the quarterfinals. Also in the top half of that Region 8 bracket, the Twin Cedars (3-10) will face Seymour (14-5) in Centerville. Winner will matchup with either #7 Holy Trinity Catholic (24-5) or Notre Dame (13-20).

In Class 2A, Pleasantville is the lone area team in Region 4. The Trojans (3-7) will play at home in the first round against Martensdale-St. Marys (4-11). Winner draws Des Moines Christian (19-8) in the quarters.

In Region 5 of Class 2A, Pella Christian (13-12) will play host to Colfax-Mingo (9-10). PC has been ranked for much of the year and their strength of schedule is one of the best in Class 2A. Also in the bottom of the bracket, Sigourney (6-10) will host Cardinal (6-16) with the winner taking on Pekin (19-11) in the quarterfinals.

We’ll be keeping close tabs with all of these games when they happen. You can check out a preview of Class 3A, 4A, and 5A in the coming days. Check out South By South Central on Wednesdays at 5:15 PM on 104.9 FM KBOE and kboeradio.com to hear more volleyball coverage as well.

Five Schools Start the Year In Radio Iowa Football Rankings

Posted on August 22, 2017 by Rick Watts

The Radio Iowa High School Football Poll has been released for Week 1 and it favors the reigning state champions at the top of the list.

In Class 3A, Pella starts the year ranked #1. The Dutch have won 41 straight games and are 51-1 in the last four seasons. They have won the last three Class 3A state titles. They will open their season up on Friday night against Oskaloosa at the Lacey Recreation Complex. You can hear that game live on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, and watch a live video stream on radiokmzn.com and the KMZN mobile app. The pregame show starts at 7 PM for the 7:30 PM kickoff.

West Delaware, Sioux City Heelan, Norwalk, and Cedar Rapids Xavier round out the Class 3A top 5. Solon is ranked #9 and should be the preseason favorites in Oskaloosa’s district.

In Class 2A, PCM is looking to build off a great season and they start the year ranked #5. Williamsburg is #1, followed by Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, Carroll Kuemper, and Union ahead of the Mustangs.

Sigourney/Keota has been a very successful team under Jared Jensen the last few years and they start the year ranked #8 in the Class 1A poll. Pleasantville will start their second season in Class 1A and they are ranked tenth the start the season. Perennial powerhouse Iowa City Regina is ranked #1, followed by West Lyon, Western Christian, Denver, and Van Meter to round out the top five.

Class A football has been very exciting in our listening area recently, and Lynnville-Sully has been near the top of the state in the playoff hunt the last couple of seasons. The Hawks will start as the #3 team in the state. Defending champs Gladbrook-Reinbeck, who eliminated both Lynnville-Sully and Montezuma on their way through the playoffs, start the year ranked #1. Council Bluffs St. Albert is ranked second, followed by Lynnville-Sully, West Sioux, and Lisbon in the top five.

There are no area teams ranked in the top ten in either Class 4A or 8-Player football.

In Class 4A, Dowling Catholic is #1, followed by Ankeny Centennial, Iowa City West, West Des Moines Valley, and Cedar Rapids Washington. In 8-Player football, the top five features #1 Harris-Lake Park, #2 Don Bosco, #3 Audubon, #4 Fremont-Mills, and #5 Newell-Fonda.

Sigourney, Montezuma Lead Area All-State Softball Honorees in Class 1A

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Rick Watts

Our final look at summer sports honors is today with the Class 1A All-State softball teams.

On the First Team, Sigourney junior Autum Barthelman was honored after a great season in which she used her bat and her speed. Barthelman hit .480 with 8 triples and went 43 for 43 stealing bases for the state tournament qualifying Savages.

Her teammate Kendall Streigle made the Second Team. Streigle was the pitcher for Sigourney and is the only senior the team loses from their 4^th place finish in 2017.

Two other South Iowa Cedar League players made the Second Team All-State list: North Mahaska junior Mallory Klinker and Tri-County senior Katlyn Little.

Klinker had a huge year for the Warhawks, batting .451 with a team leading 5 home runs and 5 triples. Little went huge her senior year for the Trojans, hitting .459 and doing a great job as the ace pitcher, holding an ERA of just 1.85 and striking out 154 in 136 innings.

Another trio of players made the Third Team: BGM sophomore Kelsey Lint, Lynnville-Sully senior Brenna Lanser, and Montezuma junior Cassidy Watts.

Lint was a .425 hitter in 2017 while leading the Bears with 25 RBI. She also was the ace pitcher with an ERA of 1.83 and 222 strikeouts in 176 innings.

Lanser helped the Hawks have a nice bounceback season, hitting .363 with a team leading 10 doubles, 4 homers and 27 RBI. She also struck out only eight times while going 15 for 16 in steals.

Watts was an important piece to Monte’s first ever state tourney qualifying team as the everyday catcher, but her offensive numbers were big as well. She hit .397 with a team-leading 7 triples, 4 homers, and 34 runs driven in. She also was 13 for 13 in steals on the year.

The Honorable Mention list is long as well, with a few players named from the area.

BGM senior Aimee Hochstetler, English Valleys junior Audrey Grove, the Melcher-Dallas pair of 8^th grader Riley Enfield and sophomore Emillie Krpan, Montezuma junior Hanna Jones, the North Mahaska duo of sophomore Emma Deucore and senior Jenson Kelderman, and Sigourney sophomore Summer Barthelman were all named Honorable Mention All-State.

You can check out complete lists of all five classes of players honored in our listening area on kboeradio.com and radiokmzn.com.

Softball Regional Finals To Be Decided Monday and Tuesday Nights

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Rick Watts

Over the next two days, 40 schools will punch their ticket to the Iowa High School Softball State Tournament at Harlan Rogers Park in Fort Dodge. In the No Coast Network listening area, there are seven who are looking to do just that.

On Monday night, Class 1A, 2A, and 3A will all be looking to raise a banner.

Class 1A Region 3 is one of the most incredible matchups in the state, as Montezuma (18-12) will host Fort Dodge St. Edmond (12-17). Monte finished the season strong but still had to win a play-in game against Tri-County, which they barely survived in walkoff fashion last Monday, 4-3. Then, the Bravettes came from behind to walkoff again on Wednesday, this time against North Mahaska, 2-1 in 10 innings. They made things a little easier on themselves last Friday, exploding late to defeat Lynnville-Sully on the road, 10-4.

Now, they’ll play one of the unlikeliest of regional finalists in Fort Dodge St. Edmond. The Gaels started their run last Monday by beating Coon Rapids-Bayard, 3-2, in a game at Harlan Rogers Park. The big upset occurred last Wednesday, as they defeated #5 Newell-Fonda, 8-6, in Fonda. They kept up the momentum on Friday, waltzing past Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton, 9-2.

These two will do battle on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app, beginning at 6:45 PM for the 7 PM first pitch in Montezuma.

In Class 1A Region 7, Sigourney (21-11) has to go on the road to face #3 Martensdale-St. Marys to get to state. The Savages have held serve throughout in the bottom half of the bracket, getting a 7-1 win over Winfield-Mount Union on Wednesday and a 6-5 win over New London on Friday, both at home.

Martensdale-St. Marys (32-3) dominated in their first game against Southeast Warren, 12-0, but faced a stiff test against Wayne before surviving, 4-3.

That game can be heard on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app at 6:45 PM for the 7 PM first pitch in Martensdale.

In Class 2A Region 6, two area teams will duke it out for one trip to state. #4 Pella Christian (32-5) will host #9 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (29-8) in Pella. These two teams haven’t seen each other yet this year, but have a great rivalry in other sports.

EBF has been ranked as high as #2 this season and seemed destined to comfortably sit at the top of their region, but after some confusion with the IGHSAU, regions needed shuffled and a white-hot Pella Christian was added to the Rockets’ bracket. After both teams strolled through the first two rounds, they now find themselves needing one win to make it to Fort Dodge. First pitch in Pella is at 7 PM.

Region 7 in Class 3A features #9 Albia (27-8) travelling to face #6 Solon (30-12). Albia has a ton of youth and has shown great growth all season long. Solon has been there and done that, qualifying for state on a near-yearly basis. These two will lock horns in Solon at 7 PM.

On Tuesday night, just two area teams will be looking to advance to state.

Class 4A Region 5 sees the defending state champion and fifth-ranked Oskaloosa Indians (28-12) hosting #7 Burlington (22-17). Osky breezed past Washington in the semifinals to get to this point, hosting another regional final. They’ll face Burlington, a perennially ranked team in Class 5A who dropped down to 4A this year. The Greyhounds had to sweat it out in the semis, needing extras to down North Scott at home on Saturday, 3-1.

That game can be heard live from the Oskaloosa Softball Field at 6:45 PM on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app. First pitch Tuesday night is at 7 PM.

Finally, the Ottumwa Bulldogs (26-14) will look to keep up a strong tradition under Head Coach Frank Huston and get back to state. The #11 Bulldogs will face top-ranked Waukee (37-3-1) on the road Tuesday night. Both teams won by double-digits in their first postseason game and it will be sure to be a heavyweight fight in Waukee on Tuesday night, with the first pitch at 7 PM.

Be sure to stay locked in on KBOE and KMZN on the air and on the web for all the latest scores and updates throughout the postseason.

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