MHS matmen ready to start reloading
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
Finding the right com bination of wrestlers for the starting lineup will be a bit of a juggling act in the be ginning of the season, but one Marshalltown head coach Luke Cross is com fortable with.
The great thing about wrestling season, he says, is the many opportunities af forded his squad so he can learn about its strengths and weaknesses.
The Bobcat boys’ wres tling team kicks off the new season on Thursday, Dec. 4, with an Iowa Alliance Con ference North Division dual meet at Ames, and Cross likes where his program his at with the onset of his fifth season in Marshalltown.
When looking over his potential lineup for the upcoming winter, Cross was excited to dismiss the thought of rebuilding in exchange for his belief the Bobcats have reloaded.
“A lot of people have asked me ‘what are you going to do after losing all those seniors? You going to be rebuilding this year?’” Cross said. “And yeah, we lost some great seniors, there’s no doubt about it. But I really think we’re just reloading.
“And as cliché as it is, I
conversation happens again, I’ll be saying ‘yeah, we just reloaded’ because we’ve got a room full of guys. So if we do it right, then we’ll just simply reload the lineup every year.”
Cross said he’s got up to 65 wrestlers in the room across all levels, so the numbers are there. And in looking at his 14-man lineup for
got a list of 22 names of contenders.
Competition breeds excellence, after all.
“We don’t really have too many weak spots, to be quite honest,” Cross said. “Our top four weight classes are going to be pretty hard to beat, and then our middle weights are going to be really solid. In my opinion,
we’ve got kind of a murder er’s row in there.”
Two of Marshalltown’s state qualifiers from last year return in senior Nicholas Wise and junior Colby Cross. Wise finished seventh in Class 3A at 138 pounds while Cross went 0-2 at 126 in his state tournament debut. Gone to graduation are 165-pound state runner-up Xayvion
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qualifier wrestling at Grand View University, and Johan Gomez, a two-time qualifier now wrestling at Hawkeye Community College.
There’s no way to ignore their absence from the lineup, but this year’s Bobcats will do their best to make people start to forget.
RELOADING | 24
Marshalltown High School’s seven varsity sports are pictured from the 2024-25 season, featuring (clockwise from top left) girls bowler Aubrey Webber, boys basketball’s Jacob Hayes, girls basketball’s Kinsley Bowie, state-qualifying boys
wrestler Nicholas Wise, state-qualfiying boys
swimmer Kade Randall, boys bowling’s Porter Niedermann, and state-qualifying girls wrestler Olivia Wise.
The Marshalltown wrestling team is poised for a strong season. Pictured are (from left) first row: Ignacio Macias, Nicholas Wise and Yandel Manning; second row: Edgar Meraz, Eli Hernandez Clemente, Israel Garcia, Josue Corral Coronado, Declan Greene, Nicholas Million and Derek Rivera Acosta; third row: Colby Cross, Dalton Zednichek, Carson Wright, Cooper McLeod, Terry Wyant, Usher Bollas, Luke Stalzer and Jordan Haynes; fourth row: Jaxson Hinkle, Tyler Johnson and John Schoenfelder.
Bobcat girls poised for another surge forward
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
Last winter the Marshalltown girls’ basketball team was within one win of double-digit victories for the first time since 2007.
The Bobcats are getting the band back together.
Marshalltown returns a bulk of its varsity competitors from a year ago in hopes of raising the bar once again. A 9-14 season was stunted, however, by a 1-7 mark in the Iowa Alliance Conference’s North Division, which left the Bobcats last out of five teams in the league.
Seventh-year head coach Brian Murphy returns most of his varsity regulars in hopes of competing in the Alliance North while getting the best yet out of his squad.
“I see a lot of teams in the conference lost at least one key piece, and that’s where I see our opportunity,” he said. “A lot of teams I think are going to be either changing things around. There’s going to be teams that are reconfiguring their identity, and we should know who we are.
given night we’ve got six different girls that can conceivably lead us in scoring and have their career night just based on their skill set.
“We don’t have a lot of teams that are going to be able to take on Frankie individually, so it’s going to cause them to either double down or zone up, and that frees things up for everybody else. The girls have been doing a really good job of recognizing that in practice, now it’s just making sure that we recognize it when the game speeds up a little bit.”
That’s something that hurt the Bobcats a year ago, when turnovers plagued a team that didn’t have its point guard. An injury allowed Johnson to play in just seven games, and Marshalltown ended up ranking 38th out of 40 teams in 5A in total turnovers.
“I think the key is going to be that first conference matchup every year where we have to establish ourselves as the best version of ourselves. There’s some games out there that are really going to push us, but I don’t feel like there’s any team in the conference we can’t beat.”
Six of Marshalltown’s top seven scorers from a season ago return to the ros-
ter for Murphy, who starts with seniors Kinsley Bowie, Millie Heitmann and Jorja Janssen. Juniors Amairra Johnson and Frankie Long are focal points for the Bobcats, while sophomore Morgan Hilderbrand got her feet wet last year as a result of an injury to Johnson. Fellow sophomore Mallory
M. GERVICH & SONS
Meyeraan should contribute on the court as well this winter.
Long led the Bobcats in scoring and was 13th in all of Class 5A in rebounding. She also ranked second in blocked shots and will most nights be the focal point of opposing defenses due to her size. The 6-foot-3 cen-
ter averaged 6.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game in her sophomore campaign.
“I think teams are going to look at us and think they have to shut down Frankie, which excites me about the openings that creates for everybody else,” said Murphy. “I really think on any
Having Johnson on the court should help MHS eliminated some of those miscues.
“Amairra provides a dynamic both offensively and defensively that’s hard to replicate,” Murphy said. “Length is something we’ve been blessed with for years, but we haven’t had her lev-
SURGE | 9
PHOTO PROVIDED BY STALZER PHOTOGRAPHY
The Marshalltown girls’ basketball team has a cast of returners back from last year’s nine-win team. Pictured are (from left) front row: Morgan Hilderbrand, Sophie Boone, Keira Halsted, Savea Goshon, Mallory Meyeraan, Amairra Johnson and Kendall Brummel; middle row: manager Sophia Valdez Chavez, assistant coach Megan Heitmann, head coach Brian Murphy and manager Alina Garcia; back row: Melanie Fernandez Tadeo, Kinsley Bowie, MIllie Heitmann, Frankie Long, Jorja Janssen and Avery Buschbom.
Marshalltown searching for more scoring threats
Marshalltown boys’ basketball team returns four starters from a year ago. Pictured are (from left) first row: Isacc Ceniceros, Damian Segovia, Faith Banissan, Larrs Schoenfelder, Gavin Misek, Tyler Dorothy and Camron Holmes; second row: Jamison Niehouse, manager Noah O’Clair, assistant coach Joe Stonner, head coach Michael Appel, manager Shoney Albert and Drake Gersema; third row: Ethan Matlock, Hunter Fors, Garrett Thede, Aiden Holmgren and Oliver Young; fourth row: Talon Halsted, Kyle Smith and Jacob Hayes.
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
A year after having only one returning starter on the roster, the Marshalltown boys’ basketball team has four of them, but the Bobcats’ bout with the injury bug isn’t doing head coach Michael Appel any favors.
A year after being one of the oldest teams in Class 4A, Marshalltown was one of the youngest teams in Class 4A a season ago when it worked its way to a 7-15 overall record. The Bobcats bring back the 14th-leading scorer in all of 4A in senior guard Kyle Smith, but points have still been hard
Marshalltown ranked 47th out of 48 teams in 4A last winter in scoring 46.95 points per game, but a determined defensive effort helped the Bobcats balance
MHS ranked 20th in the state across 4A in allowing just 56 points per contest, but duplicating that average in the early going might be a challenge for the Bobcats.
“We’ve got four of five starters back — if they’re healthy, that is,” Appel said ahead of his eighth season at the helm of his alma mater.
Injuries will force the Bobcats to develop more depth than they had originally planned on needing after bringing back Smith — the leading scorer in the Iowa Alliance Conference’s North Division — and most of his supporting cast.
“We’ve just got to get a little healthier,” Appel said.
“The older guys need to be healthier and the young guys need to be older. The young guys are learning it quick, but it’s all new to them.”
Smith scored 17.7 points per game last winter while finishing second in 4A with 71 made 3-pointers. The 6-foot-3 guard ranked 14th in scoring average and 17th in rebounding, where he pulled down 7.6 boards per game.
“Kyle’s the ultimate competitor,” said Appel. “He’s not ever really had a bad day of practice as far as his effort. That’s always going to be there.”
Appel would like to see Smith and the rest of the squad get to the free-throw line a few more times, too, this season. He believes it will directly correlate to a more potent offense. The Bobcats were 46th out of 48 4A teams last season with 193 free-throw attempts. Sioux City East led the class with 430.
“I thought we had a really good summer and we’ve just kind of built on it. It’s just unfortunate right now we’ve got some injuries.”
Juniors Drake Gersema and Jamison Niehouse have been dinged up during the first two weeks of practice, as has sophomore guard Gavin Misek. Gersema and Niehouse represent two of the team’s four returning starters, while Misek is a candidate for playing time in the backcourt.
“That’s something we’ve been working on in practice, too, is being aggressive to the rim,” Appel said. “We don’t always have to settle for the 3 or the pull-up jump shot. And that’s not just Kyle, that’s our whole team.
“You look at our scoring and it’s one of
MHS girls wrestling excited to start new season
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
Isaiah Cox is excited, if you couldn’t tell.
The third-year girls wrestling coach at Marshalltown High School can’t wait to see what’s in store for this season and it shows — because he can’t hide it.
Cox has 33 girls in the wrestling room at the Roundhouse, half of them new to the growing program, and that’s just one of the many reasons he can’t contain his excitement.
“Our group is amazing,” he said. “We had our first tournament last weekend and our girls came to compete. It’s not quite where we wanted to be, but it was a huge improvement from our first year competing at that tournament to now.
“The jump, the stride that we made from year one to year two was amazing. I can’t wait to see year three.”
The Bobcat girls opened their wrestling schedule at the Metro North Invitational hosted by Urbandale last weekend, and a ninth-place finish out of 15 teams was reason enough to get Cox going. Not that it takes much.
“The girls are eager to learn,” he said. “They’re always ready to go, so that’s nice. I’m excited about this year.”
Not every Bobcat wrestler earned a win in that season-opening event, but Cox was encouraged by how well his girls competed and performed just the same.
Marshalltown’s two returning state qualifiers — sophomores Nevaeh Gonzales and Olivia Wise — both brought home medals for their efforts: Gonzales third and Wise sixth.
“These girls had never touched a mat before and now they’re the face of girls wrestling in Marshalltown,” Cox said. “The girls
in the room look up to them. Some of the seniors even look up to them because they know they put in the hard work. They’re doing what they need to do to punch their ticket and go to state.
“Last year it was only one group of girls going at it in practice, and now there’s like
multiple groups of girls. They’re battling.”
Both Wise (18-17) and Gonzales (13-16) are part of a big sophomore class of wrestlers. Natalie Nickey (100), Erandy Ibarra (105), Leah Graves (145), Charlotte Reyes (145), Geneva Spitzli (155), Ella DeMonte (170) and others have worked their way into the lineup along with some freshmen: Londyn Senethavysouk (115), Evelyn Quezada (130) and Faith Sommerlot (130).
Seniors Maelee Corona (105), Addyson Lovelace (155) and Madylin McDonald (155) compete daily for the right to have a spot in the lineup, and that’s another thing that has Cox fired up.
“They know what I’m expecting and they know what we do as a program and they’re just going with it, it’s really awesome,” he said.
Juniors Shailynn Sadie (115), Patricia Mateo Merida (125) and Angela Ster-
ling-Nelson (140) are a part of that initial lineup, too, according to Cox.
“I feel confident because of the way all these girls are wrestling and how they’re competing at a high level right now,” he said.
The Bobcats’ first home event isn’t until Thursday, Dec. 18, when they host Ottumwa for an Iowa Alliance Conference dual at the Roundhouse. MHS has just three home meets, including the Allie Morrison Duals on Jan. 10 and a dual meet with Mason City on Jan. 15.
“We’re young and we have some of these young girls already rising to the occasion,” said Cox. “Sometimes we face these schools with older girls and they’ve been doing it for a little bit longer than our girls, and it sucks sometimes, but that’s a gift because those girls are going to graduate and we’re still gonna be here.”
T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE
The Marshalltown girls’ wrestling team has its best numbers yet as it goes in search of more state qualifiers. Pictured are (from left) front row: Audriana Walker, Patricia Mateo Merida, Erandy Ibarra and Maelee Corona; back row: Geneva Spitzli, Shailynn Sadie, Olivia Wise, Faith Sommerlot, Ella DeMonte, Nevaeh Gonzalez, Leah Graves and Charlotte Reyes.
Bobcat bowlers expect more than just state
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
Reaching the state tournament is no longer the goal for the Marshalltown boys’ bowling team.
Winning it is.
The Bobcats lead the state in all-time appearances and have the longest streak of most consecutive appearances, which extended to 11 last winter. Marshalltown returns its entire starting lineup from a team that placed seventh in Class 3A a season ago, but bringing home a trophy just won’t cut it anymore.
“We fell short of the state championship last year,” said head coach Nate Clark. “We made it there, but we just didn’t finish at the end. It’s the same goal this year.”
Marshalltown, which ranked second in 3A in match scoring (2,886.5), came away with a seventh-place finish that disappointed a squad full of bowlers with state meet experience.
Now, anything less than the best might not be enough for a Bobcat lineup that a combined 14 state meets under its belt.
“I think this year we’re going to try even harder,” said senior Jayden Beichley. “I mean, we try hard every year, obviously. We’ll try to keep the streak of going to state going, but this year I think we’re going to try to commit more to it.”
Beichley is one of two seniors who have played in three state tournaments.
Aiden Cowan was the individual state champion two seasons ago, but missed out on qualifying for last year’s individual tournament.
They’ve raised three state
tournament trophies during their careers, but nothing higher than last year’s seventh-place honor.
“We briefly talked about how last year ended,” Clark said. “Everyone has the same goals. I don’t make the goals — the team makes the goals — so it’s what they want. I suggest things, but they run with whatever they want out of it.”
Last year’s season got off to a slow start, but the Bobcats definitely peaked at the right time. After going 3-2 in Iowa Alliance Conference North Division duals and finishing fifth in the Alliance Tournament, Marshalltown erupted to win
its state-qualifying meet on its home lanes at Wayward Social.
The Baker game struggles that seemed to have been the Bobcats’ bugaboo last season — they ranked 13th in 3A (191.4) — caught up to Marshalltown in the state meet’s preliminary rounds.
Beichley said a better mental approach will be his focus this winter.
“With a couple meets last year, we would get down and we would just shut down,” he said. “I was a culprit of this, too, and we would stop talking, communicating, and the main difference with us between
other teams is that we have a really good connection. We can all talk, we’ve known each other for so long. We have a great connection and we all enjoy being around each other.”
Clark said the squad is off to a good start on the lanes, too.
“From what I’ve seen this first week in practice, we’re off to a great start,” he said. “We’re way better than we were last year.
“Everyone knows the expectation: be positive and encourage others around you.”
Marshalltown’s varsity lineup this season will feature five seniors — all
with state meet experience — and one junior. Beichley and Cowan are joined as upperclassmen by Gage Grieves, Carter McCready and Porter Niedermann, while Cayden Slifer is a junior. Sophomore Korben McKibben garnered a bit of varsity experience last season as well.
Cowan led the Bobcats with a scoring average of 206.1 pins last year, ranking 23rd among 3A bowlers. Beichley (198.1), Grieves (196.4), McCready (189.8), Niedermann (179.9) and Slifer (168.3) rounded out a roster that has the potential to climb closer to the program’s first state title since 2021.
“I want to try to keep it fun because I’ve been in sports where everyone’s constantly saying ‘oh, we can always do better,’ Beichley said. “So I try to keep it as fun as we can while also trying to motivate others to do better. Even if it doesn’t so much look like I’m motivating them, I try to at least bring them up when they’re done. I know that a good attitude won’t just get us to state, but I think that’s a crucial part of it.”
The Bobcats open with Tuesday’s home meet against defending Alliance North Division champion Waterloo East.
PHOTO COURTESY OF STALZER PHOTOGRAPHY
The Marshalltown High School boys’ bowling team brings back its entire starting lineup from last year’s state-qualifying squad for this winter’s season, which starts Tuesday at home against Waterloo East. Pictured above are (from left) front row: Cayden Slifer, Maxx Boylan-Burleson, Austin Taylor, Elliott Bennett and Korben McKibben; back row: Carter McCready, Gage Grieves, Porter Niedermann, Jayden Beichley, Aiden Cowan and head coach Nate Clark.
MHS girls find strength in camaraderie, not numbers
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
The Marshalltown girls’ bowling team enters the winter as the 11th-largest program in the state when combining the enrollment numbers of area schools
BCLUW, East Marshall, GMG, Meskwaki, South Tama and West Marshall through cooperative agree ments.
The Bobcat girls have just five bowlers.
With participation at an all-time low, Marshalltown will have to make do with what it has — which is the minimum five bowlers to accumulate a team score in dual meets.
Camillya Thomas, one of three seniors on the squad, won’t let the limited num bers bring down her or her team.
“We do need more girls to have a JV team, but with our team, everybody shows up, everybody encourages each other and we play hard,” said Thomas, an East Marshall student. “We don’t think about ‘oh, we don’t have enough girls so we’re not going to give it our best.’
and we all push each other every day to get better.”
We still get out there on the lanes and we give it our best
Marshalltown’s varsity lineup graduated four key members of last year’s squad, so duplicating the 4-5 dual-team record of a
year ago will be a daunting task for these Bobcats. It also won’t be a driving factor in the daily determination, according to head coach Dustin Peterson.
“The hopes are that ev-
ery week, we continue to improve,” he said. “We’re going to look at every day and every meet to practice up until the state qualifier. That’s our number one thing.”
The 2025-26 season opened about 450 pins shy of last year’s average score for the Bobcats, but that just goes to show how important the graduating class was. Four varsity starters
— Devin Peterson, Sydney May, Kenedy Lammert and Delaney Legg — who scored an average of at least 123 per game — are gone from the lineup, and there’s no newcomers to try to replace them.
“No new girls this year,” coach Peterson said. “We have three bowlers who are stepping into a varsity role that’s new to them, but at the same time they’re all up to the challenge. They keep continuing to get better, so that’s all I can ask for.”
Thomas brings the top returning scoring average back for the Bobcats, having knocked down 148.5 pins per game last season. Fellow seniors Ariana Villagomez and Bailey Damman both return with at least some varsity experience, as does junior Aubrey Webber.
Rose Massa, a senior, moves up from last year’s junior varsity squad to round out the five-player Bobcat lineup.
“It doesn’t matter what school we come from, we still come together as one team,” said Thomas. “At the end of the day we’re all one.
“We want to accomplish going to state, but most of all it’s having fun.”
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4A and that’s just the truth. That’s something we’ve honestly looked at and we know we need to do a better job of that. It’s an area we need to really focus on early in the season.”
Smith and fellow senior Jacob Hayes are both 76 percent free-throw shooters, so the onus on getting to the
line starts with them. Appel said Hayes has taken that to heart so far in practice.
“The growth he’s made and the understanding of what we’re doing and how hard he has to play and getting a lot more physical in getting to the rim, he’s really emphasized, he’s really focused on that,” said Appel.
Hayes contributed 6.6 points per game last season, while Gersema, then as a sophomore point guard,
got 9.3 points, 3.8 boards, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Niehouse, whose forte has been defense, chipped in with 2.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game a year ago. Appel hasn’t identified a definitive starting lineup due to the injuries his club has been dealing with, but he’s working on a number of options. Senior Talon Halsted, a 6-foot-5 forward, saw
a little varsity playing time last year and is the tallest player on the roster. Freshmen Larrs Schoenfelder and Damien Segovia are practicing with the varsity, along with sophomores Aiden Holmgren, Oliver Young, Garrett Thede, Hunter Fors and Misek.
“They’re all working hard, everyone is,” said Appel. “It’s a great group to coach, there’s no complaint there. It’s just a mat-
ter of how quickly they pick up on things, understand what they can and can’t do. There’s a chance for any of them, really, right now to play.”
Marshalltown’s first test will come in a road game Tuesday, Dec. 2, at Des Moines Lincoln. The Bobcats are back at home twice later in the week with games Dec. 4 against Newton and Dec. 5 versus Des Moines East.
MHS will look to improve upon a 3-5 mark in the Alliance North starting with a Dec. 12 home game against Mason City.
“Ames will always be good,” Appel said. “I don’t even need to look and see what they have. I just know they’ll have guys. Mason City should be pretty solid, Fort Dodge graduated a couple seniors and so did Waterloo East, but it’s kind of hard to tell right now.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF STALZER PHOTOGRAPHY
The Marshalltown High School girls’ bowling team brings back four bowlers with varsity experience, but just five girls overall. Pictured, from left, are Ariana Villagomez, Rose Massa, Aubrey Webber, Camillya Thomas, Bailey Damman and head coach Dustin Peterson.
Bobcat swimmers trying to keep tradition alive
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
The Marshalltown boys’ swimming team is under new management.
First-year head coach Ray Dulaney takes over the reins after serving four seasons as the assistant un der his head coach, Mike Loupee, who retired from coaching last year after 29 years at the rudder for the Bobcats.
“The ultimate dream was to lead this program, and to have the opportunity to do that and learn from coach Loupee has been massive,” Dulaney said. “It’s one of those things you think about and hope for, and for that to be the reality, it’s a dream.”
Dulaney filled out Mar shalltown’s lineup for its season-opening meet this week at perennial power house Ames, and then the real coaching can begin.
“We graduated a large group from last year, so that’s hard to replace, but we’ll see when we settle in exactly where we are,” said Dulaney, a 2013 Marshall town High School graduate.
The 23-man roster fea tures a handful of seniors in Logan Anderson, Armando Estrada, Maverick Gibson and Kade Randall, but only two juniors in Elliot Kodis and Jacob Seberger.
Randall and Seberger are the only Bobcats back with state meet experience tucked under their caps.
Both Seberger and Randall were a part of Marshalltown’s state meet haul last winter, swimming as part of the Bobcats’ 200-yard freestyle relay team. Joined by then-seniors Michael Lechnir and Lincoln Barker, the MHS foursome finished in
20th place in the state finals. Sophomores Aaron Hunter and Thomas Stanley were alternates for the state-qualifying crew as well.
“This summer I sat down at one point and was going to try to sketch out a lineup, and I got about three events in and realized I’ve got a better use for my time than
this,” Dulaney joked. “I had more question marks than anything. So we ran time trials last week and we’re going to use this first meet to just see who can do what.
“We’ve got some pieces, some guys who are maybe new to us and they’re filling some big pieces.”
Sophomore Joe Greazel will have a prominent role
in filling out a lineup card each and every night. Dulaney said Gibson hasn’t swam since his freshman season but is back in the pool for the Bobcats, while Jack Nelson is a sophomore who wrestled for East Marshall last year.
“He had an awesome time trial, and I think we’re going to be able to use him
all over the lineup,” Dulaney said of Nelson.
Eli Randall, a freshman and Kade’s younger brother, will work his way into the lineup as well as other newcomers.
Starting the season against Ames will give the Bobcats a measuring tape — more like a stopwatch — to compare themselves to.
“Ames is going to be our toughest competition,” Dulaney said. “They’re going to have the biggest roster, the deepest roster, so seeing them first is maybe a good thing. They’re going to be tough.
“It probably helps us knowing we need to just put our best lineup forward to be as competitive as we can.”
PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE
The Marshalltown boys’ swimming team is operating under a new head coach for the first time in 30 years. Pictured are (from left) front row: Jack Nelson, Adam Bouhssine, Declan Meloy, Zach Lasack, Malakai Remeliik and Mohamed M’rabet; middle row: Michael Peller, Eli Randall, Joe Greazel, Max Scheier, Thomas Stanley, Daylyn Davis and Elliot Kodis; back row: Aaron Hunter, Parker Christen, Jacob Seberger, Logan Anderson, Maverick Gibson, Kade Randall and Armando Estrada; not pictured: Zepplin McCulley, James Czerniewski, Connnor Faas.
Meling leads
Mustang matmen
LE GRAND — The East Marshall/GMG boys wrestling team brings back a state qualifier and half of a lineup with district experience in hopes of keeping the Mustangs on the card at the Casey’s Center in February.
Jordan Meling joined two-time qualifier Drew Wheater at the state tournament last season, but the Mustangs were unable to reach the podium for the third year in a row. Not since three-time medalist Dominik Ridout reached third place in 2022 has East Marshall/GMG been handed some hardware at the season-ending state meet.
Meling, who went 3017 at 138 pounds last season, will move up to 144 in search of another trip to Des Moines in his senior campaign.
Meling is one of five returning letterwinners for the Mustangs, who went 6-12 in duals last seaon. He’s joined in letterwinner status by fellow senior Alex Bautista, a heavyweight who went 12-23 and reached the consolation semifinals at districts.
Juniors Drew Guthrie (12-19) and Hayden Boles (13-20) are back — Guthrie at 215 again and Boles up to 120 from 113 — and sophomore Max Slifer (325) should settle in at 138 a year after getting valuable experience on the mat with 40 total matches between varsity and junior varsity.
Sophomores Deagan Madison (14-27 at 157) and Jackson Nelson (7-28 at 165) were varsity regulars a year ago for the Mustangs as well.
East Marshall girls eager to bust up NICL slump
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
LE GRAND — There’s nowhere for the Mustangs to go but up.
The East Marshall girls’ basketball team ranked last out of 80 teams in scoring average last season in suffering a 3-20 campaign that included a fourth-straight 0-8 NICL West Division record.
The Mustangs have lost 58 in a row in NICL West action, but they aren’t about to throw in the towel this season.
“We are looking to become more competitive within the very talented and deep NICL conference as it has moved to a super-conference schedule,” said East Marshall head coach Sean Thurm. “Moving from four conference opponents to 14 is a big change.”
The Mustangs return three of their top five leading scorers from a year ago, led by junior forward Ashtyn Wheater. The 5-foot-9 post put up 5.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last season on her way to earning second-team all-NICL
West Division recognition.
Junior guard Sydney Hull added 4.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, while returning starting juard Mya Gould added 2.5 points and 1.8 rebounds per game a year ago.
They’ll be joined in this year’s starting lineup by senior Alivia Neuroth (2.8 ppg) and junior guard Kiela Wolf (1.3 ppg).
The Mustangs will turn to sophomores Addy Denham and Hayden Braye for contributions off the bench this year.
“Our underclassmen contributors have now become upperclassmen, so we are expecting them to expand their roles and responsibilities this year,” said Thurm. “We are impressed by our improvement in recent years in our half-court defense. We look to expand this success into the transition game as well as improving our offensive production.
“The biggest influences to our success will be valuing the possession of the basketball and closing defensive possessions with strong
High-scoring Mustangs have depth, seeking defense
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
LE GRAND — The East Mar shall boys’ basketball team expects to be able to score with the best of them, but the Mustangs must make sure to stop “them” too.
East Marshall returns 46 points per game from last year’s roster, which contributed to the sixth-highest scoring team in Class 2A across the state. The defense ranked 82nd out of 96 teams, however.
The Mustangs are searching for that happy medium, at least defensively, in order to let the offense do what it does to be suc cessful.
Head coach Chris Hungerford has a lot back from last season’s 1211 squad that averaged 69.3 points per game. The Mustangs gave up 65 points per game, preventing all those points scored from provid ing the wins they sought.
First-team all-NICL West Divi sion guard Blake Neuroth returns to the starting lineup as a senior who a year ago got 12.8 points and 3.3 assists per game. He’s one of three returning starters and one of four double-digit scorers back from last year’s squad.
Hungerford expects to be able to lean on his guards — Neuroth, Weaver, Bidwell, Burns and Boswell — to establish the offense and get the ball where it needs to go.
“We’ve got multiple guards who can handle, shoot and defend,” Hungerford said. “Curphy can play both inside and out.”
Miller and Busch will play a pivotal role down low as well. Miller missed the entire season last winter with an injury and will be called upon to provide “size, toughness and defensive versatility” according to Hungerford. “His experience stabilizes the rotation and raises the team’s physical ceiling.
“Jackson Busch is also expected to step into varsity minutes for the first time and give us needed help on the inside with his length, activity and rebounding presence.”
It’s a season of hope for the Mustangs.
Fellow senior starters Jackson Bidwell (11.5 points) and Cody Weaver (11 points, 3.5 assists) are
back along with junior forward Cael Curphy (11.1 points, 5 rebounds). Junior guards Jaxson Boswell and Eli Burns provide depth in the backcourt as the Mustangs turn to veritable newcomers for help down low.
Junior Jackson Busch and senior Dallas Miller have the size
and strength Hungerford believes will help his squad stand up defensively and rebound when it’s needed.
“We enter the season with elevated expectations and a strong sense of continuity,” Hungerford said. “If the group stays healthy, continues to defend at a high
level, and improves consistency on the boards, we believe we can compete near the top of the conference and position ourself for a postseason run.
“With experience, leadership and added depth, this team has one of the highest ceilings we’ve had in recent years.”
“If this group commits to defending, communicates well and takes care of the ball, they have the experience and depth to compete with anyone in the NICL West,” Hungerford said. “We believe we can challenge near the top of the conference standings and take another step forward this season.”
el of quickness and agility. She can be a one-person fast break, and she can be a one-person press.”
Not having to serve as primary ball-handlers will free up Heitmann and Bowie to serve their more natural roles on the offensive end of the court, too.
“Having that dynamic is something that we’re really excited about this year,” Murphy said.
Heitmann averaged 5.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4
blocked shots per game, while Bowie chipped in 5.2 points per game. Hilderbrand added 4.7 points and Janssen added 4.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.
The balanced aspect of the Bobcats’ statistics goes to demonstrate Murphy’s point about how many different players can lead the team in scoring depending on the night.
“I think more than anything, I feel like we have an identity,” he said. “I think without Amairra most of last year, it took us a while to figure out who we are. This year it feels like everybody’s got a natural place where they fall in line, and it’s been a lot
easier to design both offense and defense with everybody.
“This is certainly the most experienced group that we’ve had. The expectations are higher this year, but I think they’re excited trying to embrace those.”
The Bobcats expect to win with their defense, which ranked third in all of 5A by allowing just 37.9 points per game last season. MHS ranked 36th out of 40 teams offensively, however, at 33.1 points per game.
“We believe that the conference title is within reach if we do the little things right,” said Murphy. “That’s been our mantra all offseason. Historically it’s been a lot of little things that start adding up that
suddenly become big things. As an experienced group, we’ve got to be not only disciplined but also really stubborn about not allowing them to continue.
“One or two mistakes are going to happen, but it can’t become a habit, and that’s something they’ve done a really good job of buying into. Now the challenge is doing it in games.”
The Bobcats opened their season with a 30-21 triumph over South Tama last week, and Marshalltown resumes play with three games this week. MHS travels to face Des Moines Lincoln on Tuesday, Dec. 2, before starting a four-game homestand with a Thursday, Dec. 4 game against Newton.
WEST MARSHALL TROJANS
Trojan girls have experience in search of second-straight
trip to state
STATE CENTER — The West Marshall girls’ basketball team brings back just one starter from last year’s Class 3A state qualifier, but the Trojans aren’t lacking in experience.
West Marshall will roll out a starting lineup that features five players who each played in at least 20 games for a Trojan contingent that went 19-6 a year ago.
Senior guard Halle Jones is the only returning starter for the Trojans, but she’ll be flanked by a foursome of experienced reserves from a team that got West Marshall back to Des Moines for the third time in the last six years.
Jones averaged 6.6 points per game as a junior role player, but she’ll be called upon as a scorer this season. Fellow seniors Riley Randall and Shelby Johnston will step into starting spots, along with sophomores Kinley Johnston and Dalaney Eldridge.
None of the new four averaged four points per game last winter, but the added court time will only enhance the opportunities for these Trojans.
Senior Riley Randall and juniors Olivia Randall and Nelle Kemmerer will contribute off the bench as well for West Marshall, which finished third in the Heart of Iowa Conference with a 13-3 record a year ago.
West Marshall trying to revive parade to girls state wrestling
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
STATE CENTER — The West Marshall girls’ wrestling team graduated five seniors from last year’s lineup, including its only state qualifier in Elizabeth Kalinay.
The Trojans return just three girls with regional experience, but head coach Randall Kasal remains hopeful his young roster can fill the cracks.
“We have a young team spread across the lineup,” said Kasal. “Their potential is very promising. We are looking to plug the gaps our
five talented seniors filled last season.
“Our goals are to send more girls to the state tournament than we did last season and to better our dual record. To do this we must be patient and slowly build throughout the season.”
Kasal points to his top two returners — junior Elyse Ranson and sophomore Reese Buschbom — as the leaders in the room.
Of the six returning letterwinners, sophomore Sophia Beebe (10-23) is the only other Trojan wrestler on this year’s roster who was in last season’s regional lineup.
Ranson went 32-18 at
155 pounds before bowing out at the regional meet, while Buschbom was 17-13 at 170. Both were eliminated in the consolation semifinals at their state-qualifying meet in Colfax.
Kasal is encouraged by what he has with his young roster, though, and can see an avenue for big things in its future.
“We have a lot of positive energy in the room right now and I think we recognize how important it is to keep building on that energy,” he said. “We have lots of youth with great potential. This team loves to have fun, which will pay dividends
when the pressure builds as the season wears on.
“We’ve got not a lot of fear mixed with a very competitive drive throughout the lineup.”
Jalyn Ridout went 1012 at 120 last year, placing fourth at the Heart of Iowa Conference tournament the Trojans won as a team. Beebe and Ranson were runners-up, while Buschbom was one of four conference champions.
“We’ll have some inexperience with only six returning letterwinners, but it won’t take long for some of our new faces to catch their stride,” Kasal said.
Defending champ setting tone for Trojan boys
By ROSS THEDE
TIMES-REPUBLICAN
STATE CENTER — The West Marshall boys’ wrestling team matched program history a year ago when it sent two wrestlers to the top of the podium in Class 2A, and one of them is back for the Trojans.
Urijah Courter completed an undefeated run to the top of the mountain at 113 pounds last winter, and then-senior Shane Hanford’s 150-pound championship made it two Trojan titlists in the same year for the first and only other time since 1986.
Courter returns as a junior with a career record of 90-2 and is one of 10 wrestlers who return with considerable varsity experience for West Marshall head coach Stephen Adams.
“We expect to have a solid lineup from start to end,” said Adams, now in his third season at the helm. “We’re just looking for improvement every day and to compete in every meet and tournament we go to.
“The key to our success is our leaders stepping up and taking charge. We lost a lot of seniors, but we have qualifiers, placewinners and a state champion coming back. We expect them to help lift those around them.”
in the Heart of Iowa Conference after win ning every league dual meet and crowning three champions at the HOIAC Tourna ment. Two of them — juniors Courter and Jon Gonzalez — return to the wrestling room for a West Marshall squad with high hopes.
“We won them all last year,” Adams said of his team’s Heart of Iowa duals. “We plan to go compete and do the same this year.”
Four returning state qualifiers will help
Marshall’s district lineup (Garrett Bear, Bryce Crawford, Dalton Eldridge and Ben Buck) and two more competed and placed fourth at the conference tournament (Jacob Dare and Dutch Hillers). Connor Yakel
also saw time in the varsity lineup during the season, so the Trojans are overflowing
“The guys have put in a lot of time,” he said. “We have a tight group that should push each other well.”
Adams hopes the Trojans follow their leaders in Courter and Gonzalez — both two-time medalists — and Geers — a twotime state qualifier.
Graduation decimates West Marshall boys hoops
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
STATE CENTER — The West Marshall boys’ basketball team graduated its seven most prominent players from last year’s 12-11 squad, leaving the cupboard awfully bare for fourth-year head coach Kory Hobbs.
Senior guard Evan Siegert returns as the only letterwinner back from last year’s contingent, and the 5-foot-10 guard was the lone player outside of that senior seven that played in more than half of the games.
The Trojans have restocked the shelves in search of the right combination for this winter, but it might take time for the solution to settle out.
“The guys who make up our varsity roster have been working for years for the
opportunity to represent the Trojans at the varsity level, and I expect them to prove a lot of people wrong in their expectations,” said Hobbs. “We may be small, but doing little things very well and being tougher than other teams are going to lead to success.”
West Marshall finished tied for fifth in the Heart of Iowa Conference last season — dead center of the nine-team league. With just 61 of the team’s 1,202 points coming back, it’s a season of opportunity for the Trojans on the roster.
Beckham DeSotel, a 6-foot junior, is the team’s leading returning scorer at 2.0 points per game. Sophomore Teegun Edler added 1.7 points, while Siegert contributed 1.4 points per outing.
Seniors Connor Kemmerer, Tyson Bunting, Ryder Gile and Ethyn Clark also saw
some court time on the varsity unit last season, but not enough to give any hints as to how this year will go.
“I think a realistic expectation for us is to finish in the middle to upper half of the HOIAC, be competitive in most all games, and maybe beat a team or two we aren’t supposed to,” said Hobbs. “I believe our practice habits will be a strength of ours, but we lack size and experience.”
MARSHALLTOWN BOBCATS BASKETBALL
Tuesday, Nov. 25 SOUTH TAMA 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 2 at Des Moines Lincoln 6:15 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 4 NEWTON 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 5 DES MOINES EAST 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 9
HOOVER 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 12 MASON CITY 6:15 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 15 at Southeast Polk 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 19 FORT DODGE 6:15 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 31 at Norwalk Noon
Tuesday, Jan. 6 WATERLOO EAST 6:15 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 8 at Ames 6:15 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 12 CEDAR RAPIDS JEFFERSON 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 13 at Des Moines North 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 16 DES MOINES ROOSEVELT 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 20 at Mason City 6:15 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 26 at Grinnell 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 27 at Fort Dodge 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 30 at Waterloo East 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 3 AMES 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 6 OTTUMWA 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 10 DES MOINES LINCOLN 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 13 at Des Moines East 6:15 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 16 DES MOINES NORTH 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 2 at Des Moines Lincoln
Thursday, Dec. 4 NEWTON
Friday, Dec. 5 DES MOINES EAST
Tuesday, Dec. 9 DES MOINES HOOVER
Friday, Dec. 12 MASON CITY
Monday, Dec. 15 at Southeast Polk
Friday, Dec. 19 FORT DODGE
Friday, Jan. 2 COUNCIL BLUFFS JEFFERSON
Tuesday, Jan. 6 WATERLOO EAST 7:45 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 8 at Ames 7:45 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 12 CEDAR RAPIDS JEFFERSON 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 13 at Des Moines North 7:45 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 16 DES MOINES ROOSEVELT 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 20 at Mason City 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 27 at Fort Dodge 7:45 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 30 at Waterloo East 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 3 AMES 7:45 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 6 OTTUMWA 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 10 DES MOINES LINCOLN 7:45 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 13 at Des Moines East 7:45 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 16 DES MOINES NORTH 7:45 p.m.
GRUNDY CENTER SPARTANS
Graduation hinders Grundy Center’s quest for a three-peat
GRUNDY CENTER — The Grundy Center boys’ basketball team returned to its glory days, advancing to back-to-back state tournaments behind a tall, talented and athletic class.
Graduation hit the Spartans hard, leaving behind four players with any varsity experience for incoming head coach Owen Thomas’s first season at the helm. Grundy Center graduated a seven-player class that got the Spartans back to the state tournament for the first time in 21 years in 2024, and then did it again in 2025. A pair of hard-luck losses cut short those state tournament appearances, and graduation left less than a starting lineup on the roster.
Thomas will call upon a deep but inexperienced bench in his first season as head coach in place of Brent Thoren.
“We are going to have a deep team, so a lot of guys will play contributing roles,” he said. “It’s hard to set an expectation when you have essentially all new guys, but I do know that we will compete every single game and be prepared.”
Gone with that substantial graduating class is 1,194 of last year’s 1,657 points scored. Senior Judd Jirovsky is the only returning Spartan with starting experience, having filled in when all-conference performer Jalen Kirkpatrick dealt with an injury.
Jirovsky was still a first-team all-NICL West Division selection after averaging 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game, but he represents a bulk of a small returning cast.
Brayden Davie came in off the bench in all 25 games last winter, averaging 5.7 points points per game, but fellow seniors Ryder Slifer and Pete Lebo combined for 20 points and 28 rebounds in their limited appearances.
All members of Grundy Center’s storied football program, these four seniors should represent their uniforms well.
“Our goal this year is going to be play fast with intensity,” Thomas said. “In order to have a successful year, our young guys are going to have to step up and play big roles.
“Our keys to success this year is going to be increasing our offensive production while continuing to be a defensive-minded team. We are going to need our four seniors to step up as leaders and take charge as we get into the season.”
Juniors Ethan Meester, Aiden Hook, Cash Combs, Hayden Geerdes, Jackson Huisman and Jaxon Kiewiet will round out the roster along with sophomores Jayce Fryslie, Lake Schrage and Riggs Yoder. Meester stands in at 6-foot-4 and will present some added size alongside Slifer (6-6).
Spartans seeking another deep run
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN GRUNDY CENTER
— Only 28 of 1,108 points scored by the Grundy Center girls’ basketball team last season aren’t back on this year’s roster.
It’s safe to say the Spartans should be able to score more.
Paired with one of the best defenses in Class 2A, Grundy Center’s offense has all the makings of taking a tremendous step forward for head coach Matt Lindeman’s 13th season at the helm.
The Spartans bring back all five starters, their top six scorers and plenty of expectations for the 2025-26 season as the 10th-ranked team in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s preseason rankings.
Seniors Karlee Lynch
and Kali Aldrich and juniors Ava Mundt, Maddy Hendershot and Caturella Brown are back in the starting five for Grundy Center, which went 15-8 last season and advanced to the regional semifinals a year after qualifying for the state tournament.
The Spartans’ hopes for making that journey again rest on the same, staunch defense Lindeman is known for and an offense that has an opportunity to move up the charts.
“With the majority of last year’s production returning, Grundy Center’s core is poised for a breakout campaign,” said Lindeman. “The Spartans’ top six scorers last year were all underclassmen, giving us a deep, experienced nucleus that blends athleticism with leadership.
“This group has the po-
tential to make another deep postseason run.”
Grundy Center ranked 13th in 2A by allowing just 37.4 points per game last winter, while the offense settled in at 32nd (48.2) out of 80 teams. With so much scoring back for the squad, it would be hard to imagine the Spartans not moving up the ladder this season.
Lynch averaged 12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.4 steals per game for Grundy Center, earning first-team all-NICL West Division honors as a result. Mundt got 11.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game on her way to unanimous firstteam all-conference selection.
Aldrich (7.0 ppg) and Hendershot (5.8 ppg) both earned second-team honors, while Brown (4.8 ppg) was an honorable mention selection.
The first player off the bench — Raelyn Steinmeyer — is a junior who averaged 6.6 points per game as well.
Trinity Jirovsky played in 16 games as a freshman and will see an expanded role this season, as will senior Erin Richtsmeier.
Lindeman says junior Taitlyn Thran and sophomores Jenna Blythe and Gracyn Lynch could contribute to the cause this season, too.
“We’re experienced, deep, athletic and competitive,” said Lindeman. “The girls play with a defensive mindset.”
Lindeman expects to see Denver and Gladbrook-Reinbeck in the hunt for the North Iowa Cedar League title this year along with his Spartans, Aplington-Parkersburg, Dike-New Hartford and Jesup.
Rebels have all the makings of another state run
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
REINBECK — The Gladbrook-Reinbeck girls’ basketball program scratched a 31-year itch when it advanced to the Class 1A state tournament last winter.
The Rebels have a han kering to get back there again this season.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck capped the 2024-25 cam paign with the school’s first appearance in the girls’ state basketball tournament since the 1994 squad qual ified for the season-ending bracket at Veterans Me morial Auditorium in Des Moines.
G-R’s trip to Wells Far go Arena, which has since been rebranded as the Ca sey’s Center, might not be a one-off.
The Rebels return three starters and three more girls who played in all 25 games last year en route to a 21-4 record that had the oppor tunity to move even higher.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck fell 33-29 to the defend ing champions from North Linn in the 1A state quar terfinals, powered by a defense that limited the Lynx to their fewest points since 2016.
said Gerringer, now in her sixth season with G-R.
G-R ranked second in 1A last winter, holding opponents to an average of 31.7 points per game, and the Rebels’ offense was 13th at 55.7 points per contest.
Head coach Amber Gerringer says consistent scoring from the outside will go a long way to helping the Rebels make a return trip to Des Moines this season.
“We need to find consistent outside shooting to improve our game this year,”
The Rebels shot just 26.2 percent (111-for-420) from 3-point range last season, a trend that was exascerbated by a 2-for-15 shooting performance from distance during the state tournament loss to North Linn. While the outside shooting may be a bugaboo for the Rebels, getting buckets on the inside should come as no surprise. Kennedy Brant, a first-team Iowa Girls Coaches Association all-state selection, is a 6-foot senior forward who
averaged 17 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.1 blocks per game — all team highs — last season.
Elly Sieh, a 5-11 senior guard, scored 12.2 points per game a year ago, while 5-7 senior guard Brinn Schneider was the team’s top 3-point shooter last season with 35 made 3s.
“Kennedy Brant and Elly Sieh are a key duo for us this season,” said Gerringer. “Their ability to score and see the floor on offense makes them tough to guard.”
G-R’s three returning starters will be joined by seniors Leila Thesing and Olivia
Riffey and junior guard Kailey Larson, each of whom played in all 25 games last season.
Gerringer pinpointed senior Mailea McLean and junior Natalie Witt as contributors to the guard position as well this year.
The Rebels won the NICL West Division title last year with a 7-1 record, and Brant was named the league’s Player of the Year. G-R was polled fourth in
the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s preseason 1A rankings, so the state sees G-R the same way Gerringer does.
“We’re hoping to be very
competitive again and hop ing to make the state tournament,” she said. “We need to focus on winning one game at a time through our tough schedule.”
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MARSHALLTOWN WINTER SCHEDULES
MARSHALLTOWN GIRLS AND BOYS BOWLING
Tuesday, Nov. 26 ............... at Waterloo East, 3 p.m. ......................................................... Cadillac XBC
Tuesday, Dec. 3 ................ FORT DODGE, 3 p.m. ......................................................... Wayward Social
Tuesday, Dec. 10 ............... at Ottumwa, 3 p.m. .......................................................... Champion Bowl
Tuesday, Dec. 17 ............... AMES, 3 p.m. ............................................................... Wayward Social
Tuesday, Jan. 7 ................ at Mason City, 3 p.m. ........................................................... Comet Bowl
Saturday, Jan. 11 ............... at Louisa-Muscatine Invite, 1 p.m. ......................................... Rose Bowl, Muscatine
Tuesday, Jan. 14 ............... DES MOINES LINCOLN, 3 p.m. .................................................. Wayward Social
Saturday, Jan. 18 ............... at Ottumwa Bakers Tournament, 1 p.m. ......................................... Champion Bowl
Thursday, Jan. 23 .............. DES MOINES NORTH, 3 p.m. .................................................... Wayward Social
Tuesday, Feb. 4 ................ at Des Moines East, 3 p.m. .................................................. Bowlerama Lanes
Thursday, Feb. 6 ............... WEST DES MOINES VALLEY, 3 p.m. ............................................... Wayward Social
Monday, Feb. 10 ............... (B) at Iowa Alliance Conference, 10 a.m. .............................. Bowlerama Lanes, Des Moines
Tuesday, Feb. 11 ............... (G) at Iowa Alliance Conference, 10 a.m. .............................. Bowlerama Lanes, Des Moines
Monday, Feb. 17 ............... (G) State Qualifying, TBD
Tuesday, Feb. 18 (B) State Qualifying, TBD
Tuesday, Feb. 25 ............... Boys State Team, Girls State Team .........................................
Wednesday, Feb. 26 State Individual Tournament
MARSHALLTOWN BOYS SWIMMING
Tuesday, Nov. 26 ............... AMES, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 5 ............... at Des Moines Roosevelt, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 7 ............... at Boone Toreador Relays, 10 a.m.
Saturday, Dec. 14 .............. BOBCAT INVITE, Noon
Thursday, Dec. 19 .............. at Fort Dodge, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 2 ............... at Newton, 5:30 p.m. .......................................................... Newton YMCA
Tuesday, Jan. 7 at Mason City, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 9 ............... DES MOINES LINCOLN, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 16 at Des Moines East, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 23 .............. OTTUMWA, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 25 at Iowa Alliance Conference, Noon Mason City HS
Tuesday, Jan. 28 ............... at Indianola, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 8 State Qualifying Meet, TBD
Friday, Feb. 14 ................. State Meet
Saturday, Feb. 15 .............. State Meet ...............................................................
BCLUW girls’ basketball team short on numbers, varsity experience
CONRAD — A mass exodus of players left the BCLUW girls’ basketball team rather bare.
To put it plainly — the Comets are low on options.
The BCLUW roster features just eight players a year after winning the Iowa Star Conference’s South Division crown with an unbeaten league record of 12-0.
Only four players with any varsity experience whatsoever are back for the Comets, who went 15-8 but graduated six seniors.
BCLUW will go the season without playing a junior varsity schedule, and the varsity squad canceled its opener at AGWSR due to the player shortage. With only one senior and two juniors on the roster, the Comets simply weren’t ready to play varsity basketball.
“We have low numbers and no returning letterwinners,” said Comet head coach Joel Johnson, last year’s Iowa Star South Coach of the Year. “We want to be competitive in games. With little experience, our goal is to get better every day in practice and in games.”
Junior forward Addison Moeller played in 13 of 23 games last season and has the most experience by far of any of BCLUW’s players. Moeller totaled eight points and 13 rebounds in those games and is “a post player with potential” according to Johnson.
Sophomore Chloe Switzer, who saw the court in one game last winter, “is a point guard that will be able to score” in Johnson’s words.
Adelynn Zoske, a sophomore, played in just one varsity contest last season as well, and returns to the roster.
“The girls have a great work ethic and a positive attitude, we just have little to no experience,” Johnson added.
Star Palermo is the only senior on the Comets’ roster, while Moeller and Kaelyn Dixson are the juniors. Switzer and Zoske are joined by fellow sophomores Callie Legg and Mackenzie Bormann, while Kara Hill makes the early leap to the varsity unit as a freshman.
BCLUW opens its season at home against Collins-Maxwell on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Comets have a lot leftover from last year for new head coach
CONRAD — The BCLUW boys’ basketball team graduated just two starters from last year’s squad, which hopes to take a leap under first-year head coach Justin Gates. The Comets went 3-20 overall last winter, going 2-10 in Iowa Star Conference South Division play after ranking 113th in scoring offense (45.5) and 103rd in scoring defense (60.3) among 145 Class 1A teams.
BCLUW brings back four of its top five leading scorers, starting at the top with seniors Wyatt Gould and Aiden Frank. Gould got 9.8 points per game to go with 4.1 rebounds and team-highs of 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals. Frank added 9.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Senior post Daniel Zoske contributed 7.2 points and a team-leading 5.6 rebounds per game, and junior Eathan Petermeier chipped in 4.4 points per contest.
SH-BCLUW boys bring back state qualifier, lots of its lineup
CONRAD — The BCLUW-South Hardin boys’ wrestling team has half of a full lineup back from last year’s squad, led by returning state qualifier Beau Towne. The Storm saw their singlet on the mats in Des Moines after a year without advancing to state as Towne took district runner-up honors at 157 pounds in Class 2A. Towne settled for the 0-2 experience in his first trip to state, but the opportunity is out there for him to become just the fourth medalist in 16 seasons of the Storm wrestling cooperative. Six more Storm wrestlers who return this season competed at districts: Regan Eide went 10-27 at 106; Garrett Bruner was 31-15 at 126 and finished fourth at districts; Parker Pagel was 18-27 at 132; Conner Teckenburg went 5-32 at 138; Zaden Eggers was 21-14 at 150; and Edwin Wanken finished 10-29 at 285.
BCLUW COMETS
Storm not satisfied after missing out on sending a wrestler to state
CONRAD — The South Hardin-BCLUW girls’ wrestling team has enough juniors and seniors to fill out half of its lineup on a nightly basis, giving the Storm reason for optimism.
SH-BCLUW brings back seven letterwinners from last year’s lineup, including one with state meet experience, in hopes of having its best season yet.
Head coach Michael White says that meeting the daily goals will lead to those larger aspirations down the road.
“We expect to be a program that shows up and competes at a high level week to week,” said White. “That will lead us to our goals of getting some major dual wins and having several state qualifiers.”
The Storm bring back half of their 14-person lineup from a season ago, starting with two-time state qualifier Taya Hollingsworth. Now a senior, Hollingsworth was a win away from getting back to state last season and brings an 80-10 career record with her for her senior campaign.
“It will be important for Taya to stay healthy this season while still getting challenging matches,” White said.
Hollingsworth went 44-4 last year.
Returning junior Kaitlynn Dickes finished fourth in the state-qualifying regional meet last winter in Colfax, finishing the season with a 24-13 record at 190. She returns to the lineup, along with a handful of other letterwinners: Brayleigh Gardner (6-25 at 115), Ceanna White (32-12 at 125), Leila Wedgwood (22-13 at 130), Kaelyn Dixon (3-21 at 145), and Cheyenne Simmons (16-21 at 170).
“We have a lot of returning senior and junior wrestlers, and we will have a full weight class roster,” coach White said. “We need to grow the freshman class, stay healthy and build on success from week to week.”
GLADBROOKREINBECK REBELS
Four starters gone as G-R boys basketball tries to reload
REINBECK — First-year head coach Brett Bengen helped his alma mater get back to the state tournament for the third year in a row.
He’s in for a much more challenging encore.
The Gladbrook-Reinbeck basketball team graduated four starters and 86.7 percent of its scoring from last year’s squad, leaving the Rebels with substantial holes to fill in all areas of the game.
Bengen, whose team went 23-4 and advanced to the Class 1A state semifinals before bowing out, sees plenty of need in replacing a six-person graduating class that tasted nothing but success on the basketball court.
“This year there will be some new challenges,” said Bengen, a 2009 G-R grad. “We only return one starter from last year’s team and our sixth man. I’m looking forward to start working with these guys. There’s not a lot of experience but there are a lot of guys that will be competing for minutes this year.”
Lockdown defender Hudson Clark started all 27 games for the Rebels last season, averaging 4.7 points and a team-leading 1.8 steals per game. Trevor Mathern started once and played in each game, contributing 3.8 points per game.
They’re the only two returning players who saw real meaningful minutes. Senior Thomas Keller played in 18 games and Dreyson Morgan played in 13, while sophomore Kooper Larsen saw the court in 11 games.
Fellow returners Brayden Utter, a junior, and sophomore Bennett Sieh saw limited action.
Bengen is eager to find out how much greater the whole can be compared to the sum of its parts.
“We are going to be led by our seniors Hudson Clark and Trevor Mathern,” Bengen said. “I’m excited for them to get a lot of these guys going in practice and showing them how to practice hard. We’ve got senior leadership and guys that want to compete day-in and day-out.
“With us being young and inexperienced, our key to success is going to be trying to improve every day we step out on the court.”
The Rebels trailed only Grundy Center in the NICL West Division a year ago, but Bengen isn’t sure what to expect from a super-conference schedule this winter.
“The NICL is always competitive and I expect nothing different this year,” he said. “There’s a lot of good coaches and a lot of talented teams and individual players. It should be very exciting.”
NORTH TAMA REDHAWKS
Hochstetler leads North Tama girls wrestling in search of more state qualifiers
TRAER — The North Tama girls’ wrestling program features five returners with regional experience in hopes of being represented at the season-ending state meet again this winter.
Addison Hochstetler, the Redhawks’ lone senior, should lead the charge back to Xtream Arena in Coralville. Hochstetler is a two-time state qualifier who placed fifth at 145 pounds in the Class 1A bracket last year, going 37-5 along the way. She’s joined this season by a roster that consists of just two juniors, two sophomores, and seven freshmen. All four juniors and sophomores were a part of the postseason last winter when the Redhawks went to Williamsburg for regionals. Now-juniors Grace Dvorak (18-11 at 105) and Olivia Youngblood (12-12 at 120) both won matches at the state-qualifying meet. Now-sophomores Callegh Staker (4-23 at 125) and Jocelyn Harms (17-18 at 135) were in the lineup as well, with Harms getting a win on that day.
The Redhawks will look to fill a number of spots in of their lineup with freshmen this year: Nylah Spinks (100), Lucy Monat (105), Arabelle Zook (105), Morgan Meek (120), Brityn Blaine (135), Eva Williams (145) and Alaney Sienknecht (170).
Redhawks took to Monat to show them the way back to state
TRAER — The North Tama boys’ wrestling team took two wrestlers to state a year ago, and one of them is coming back. Redhawk senior Maxon Monat returns with state meet experience in hopes of extending his program’s streak of sending at least two wrestlers to Des Moines for the fifth year in a row. A two-time qualifier in the wrestling room will go a long way to help that cause. Monat advanced to the Class 1A state tournament at 113 pounds for the second consecutive year last winter, finishing 41-9 overall after a 3-2 showing that came up one win shy of a place on the podium. Fellow senior Drayk Dvorak was a third-place finisher at districts last season at 126 pounds, ending at 34-14 in search of his first trip to state. The Redhawks return a handful of varsity wrestlers to competed at districts, including Chase Morris (20-21 at 106), Maddox Rausch (21-20 at 120), Berkley Dvorak (22-20 at 132), and Roman Bradley (13-18 at 138).0
Top scorers return for North Tama boys basketball team
TRAER — The North Tama boys’ basketball team has three returning starters in hopes of moving up the Iowa Star Conference’s South Division standings this winter. The Redhawks went 12-10 last season with an 8-4 mark in their division, finishing third behind Collins-Maxwell and Baxter. All three teams return their leading scorer, including North Tama senior guard Kayler Morris. Morris put up 16 points per game last season while also leading the team with 2.7 assists and 2.7 steals.
Brayton Cibula, a 6-foot-5 junior center, added 10.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, while junior guard Kayvin Morris added 5.4 points and 2.5 assists per game. Griffin Hall, a sophomore, chipped in with 5.0 points off the bench most nights, and junior Jordan Dostal pitched in 3.5 points in a reserve role.
Redhawk girls have plenty of experience for a move up the standings
TRAER — The North Tama girls’ basketball leader lost its statistical leader in every category to graduation, but the Redhawks still return three starters and their next four best scorers from a year ago
North Tama’s Ava Breakenridge is gone after leading the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks and steals last season, so the Redhawks are going to try to replace her with a group effort. Seniors Kruiz Ewoldt and Gabriella Seda and sophomore Lily Sell are back in the starting lineup, while top reserves Shawna Cibula, a sophomore, and Kahlia Even, a junior, are back on the roster.
Ewoldt averaged 10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game last season and is the Redhawks’ top returner. She’s the third-highest returning scorer in the Iowa Star South.
North Tama went 9-13 overall last season with a 7-5 mark in Iowa Star Conference play that was good enough to place fourth in the South Division standings.
MARSHALLTOWN WRESTLING SCHEDULES
GIRLS VARSITY WRESTLING SCHEDULE 2025-26 BOYS VARSITY WRESTLING SCHEDULE 2025-26
MHS BOYS WRESTLING
Thursday, Dec. 4 ...................... at Ames, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 6 ...... at Williamsburg’s Raider Duals, 10 a.m.
Thursday, Dec. 11 .......... at Des Moines Lincoln, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 13 ............ at Saydel Tournament, 10 a.m.
Thursday, Dec. 18 .................. OTTUMWA, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 20 ................. at Pella Invite, 9:30 a.m.
Saturday, Dec. 20 ....... at Dike-New Hartford Duals, 10 a.m.
Saturday, Jan. 3 .... at West Des Moines Valley Duals, 9:30 a.m.
Thursday, Jan. 8 ..........
DES MOINES EAST, DES MOINES
NORTH/HOOVER,
5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 10 ........ ALLIE MORRISON DUALS, 10 a.m.
Thursday, Jan. 15 ................ MASON CITY, 5:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 16 ..... at Bettendorf’s Midwest Shootout, 4 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 17 ... at Bettendorf’s Midwest Shootout, 9 a.m.
Thursday, Jan. 22 ................ at Fort Dodge, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 29 .............. at Waterloo East, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 31 ... at Iowa Alliance Conference meet, 10 a.m. at Ottumwa
Saturday, Feb. 7 ..... at Iowa Falls-Alden’s Cadet Duals, 9 a.m.
Saturday, Feb. 14 .................... at District Meet, TBD
MHS GIRLS WRESTLING
Saturday, Nov. 22 ........ at North Metro Invite, at Urbandale
Tuesday, Nov. 25 ..... at West Marshall, with BGM and Benton, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 2 .............. at Colfax-Mingo Duals, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 4 ............. at Ames, with Valley, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 6 ..................... at BGM Duals, 9 a.m.
Thursday, Dec. 11 ....... at South Tama, with Benton, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 13 .......... at Marion Tournament, 9:30 a.m.
Thursday, Dec. 18 .................. OTTUMWA, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 20 ............ at Boone Tournament, 9 a.m.
Saturday, Jan. 10 ........ ALLIE MORRISON DUALS, 10 a.m.
Thursday, Jan. 15 ................ MASON CITY, 5:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 16 ....... at Bob Sharp Invite, 4:30 p.m. at Ankeny
Tuesday, Jan. 20 at Iowa Alliance Conference meet, 5 p.m. at Des Moines Hoover
Thursday, Jan. 22 ................ at Fort Dodge, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 30 ............................ Regionals, TBD
Thursday, Feb. 5 .......Girls State Wrestling, at Xtream Arena, Coralville
Friday, Feb. 6 ..........Girls State Wrestling, at Xtream Arena, Coralville
SOUTH TAMA TROJANS
Rare state-less season for STC boys wrestling soon to be a thing of the past
TAMA — The South Tama boys’ wrestling team returns 10 wrestlers from last year’s district lineup in hopes of filling the void left from sending nobody to state in 2025.
The Trojans were unable to advance anyone to Des Moines for the first time since 2015, coming off back-to-back seasons of sending five to the state tournament.
Five STC wrestlers came up just shy of getting there, however, after placing third at last year’s Class 2A district meet at Van Horne.
Ramiro Saquic Xirum (39-12 at 120), Marcus Bear (42-9 at 175), Kyle Youngbear (22-23 at 190), Manuel Cervantes (23-21 at 215) and Lakyr Peska (28-18 at 285) all came up one win short of making their state meet debuts last winter.
Saquic Xirum and Bear are seniors seeking redemption in their last shot, while Youngbear and Cervantes are juniors. Peska is headed into his sophomore season.
The Trojans bring back another five matmen form their district lineup: Henri Martinez-Alvarado (7-23 at 113), Izak Schroeder (13-28 at 126), Eli Cruikshank (14-26 at 132), Garrett Surman (12-18 at 150), and Rayden Hill (9-10 at 165).
STC girls have stable of youth
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
TAMA — Only two seniors grace the roster of the South Tama girls’ basketball team this season, so the Trojans’ hopes of picking up a few more wins will rest in the hands of some youngsters.
South Tama brings back five players who started at least six games a year ago on a team that finished 2-20 overall and 0-16 in the daunting WaMaC Conference.
STC’s top five leading scorers from last winter will return to said role for the Trojans this go-round, led by sophomore guard Dyan Keahna. Keahna got 7.8 points per game last year to rank ahead of two more then-freshmen: Cahysia Kapayou (5.0 ppg) and Scout Ridout (4.8). Rylee Ridout, one of just two seniors on this year’s ros-
ter, added 4.9 points and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds per game.
Keahna is the sixth-leading returning scorer in the WaMaC’s West Division.
“We have a young team with one senior leader, Rylee Ridout, who is a team captain this year,” said her mom and head coach Laura Ridout. “She was the leading rebounder last season and fourth in scoring behind three freshmen.”
Olivia Hala, a junior, averaged 4.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, and she’ll handle point guard duties for the Trojans this season.
“She was out the last five or so games of the season due to injury, and I’m hoping to see Olivia do great things this season,” coach Ridout said.
Junior newcomer Mady Boriskey will be thrust into action in the guard court, while senior Paige Croskey
got reserve minutes in the Trojans’ season-opening loss at Marshalltown. Junior forward Taylor Dolezal and sophomore Paityn Yuska both saw minutes off the bench in the opener as well.
Coach Ridout is hoping to see 6-foot-1 junior Stella Zmolek work her way into regular playing time, too.
“Her height will be a key factor on offense and defense for us,” said Ridout. “I know we will see great things from her.”
The Trojans dropped their opener at Marshalltown, 30-21, but remain hopeful for an improvement this season.
“Our team is hoping for a couple more wins this season,” Ridout said. “We play in a tough conference. We are focusing on defense, hustle and teamwork.
“We’ve got a small varsity squad who will get a lot of playing time.”
Trojan boys basketball has nowhere to go but up
TAMA — The South Tama boys’ basketball team returns three starters from last year’s squad in hopes of improving upon a 1-21 season that included an 0-16 showing in the WaMaC Conference.
The Trojans ranked last among 64 teams in Class 3A in scoring offense (35.3) and defense (73.2), suffering losing streaks of 15 and seven games to bookend a lone win over Meskwaki.
Seniors Cyrell Etzen, Tanner Large and Barrett Jesina return to the starting lineup for the Trojans, while sixth man Marion Harris, also a senior, should get the promotion to the starting five.
Etzen was the team’s top scorer a year ago, getting 8.9 points to go with team-highs of 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Tanner Large tacked on 8.2 points and 3.1 assists per game, and Jesina added 6.9 points per contest.
Harris added 3.8 points per game off the bench as STC struggled to duplicate the eight-win season from 2023-24.
Senior Wesley Hanus, a 6-foot-1 forward, and junior guard Michael Henry have considerable varsity experience as well for the Trojans.
By ROSS THEDE TIMES-REPUBLICAN
TAMA — Jason Arp won’t sugar-coat it. The expectations are almost immeasurable.
The South Tama girls’ wrestling team returns 11 letterwinners, four of its five state qualifiers and an undefeated state champion from last year’s squad, which finished in 14th in the Class 2A state tournament.
Simply put, the Trojans expect even more this year.
“We have high expectations,” said Arp. “We expect to be undefeated in duals, we expect to win at least four tournaments, and we expect to have at least four state qualifiers.
“In order to do that, we must stay healthy, practice hard and perfect the basics.”
Autumn Elsbury returns for her senior campaign ranked second nationally at 170 pounds by FloWrestling after going 45-0 last winter on her way to the 2A state
title. She pinned all four of her opponents at state and secured the school’s — and family’s — second individual state title. Her older sister Maeley won the 135-pound crown in 2023 in the first year of the sport being sanctioned by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.
Autumn is one of four returning state qualifiers for the Trojans, including fellow senior Jayva Gomez (105). Juniors Brooklyn Mitchell (130) and Kinley Jimenez (235) are back as well for STC. Gomez went 28-21 a year ago, Mitchell was 34-12, and Jimenez 31-13 as the inherent leaders in the wrestling room.
“We’ve got lots of upperclassmen and experience,” said Arp. “We’ve been together for a few years now.”
Four more Trojans were within one win of advancing to state last year: Ava Hendricks (35-12) was third at 115 in the regional meet, Ava Perkins (29-15) was third at 135, Maylee Rucker (29-15) at 140 and Paisley Bro (25-5) at 145.
Fellow returners Livia Smith (32-13) placed fourth at regionals and Keylee Holloway (36-15) went 1-2.
It’s all on the table for the Trojans, according to their head coach.
“All of our returners could be state qualifiers,” Arp said.
Ioleta Kingbird, a junior who went 24-13 at 190, finished third at the WaMaC Conference meet as well but didn’t wrestle at regionals. South Tama dominated the WaMaC meet to claim the team title, led by conference champions Perkins, Bro and Elsbury.
None of last year’s accolades, however, are worth any points when this season starts.
“We are pinners, but we’ve gotta do better on bottom,” Arp said.
The Trojans won their season-opening South Tama Invitational by more than 100 points, crowning four champions (Smith, Rucker, Elsbury, Jimenez) while sending five more to the finals.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TFD PHOTO & FILM
GMG WOLVERINES
mores with varsity experience are expected to help bolster the GMG boys’ basketball team as it takes on the 2025-26 campaign.
The Wolverines return their top scorer from a year ago in senior guard Rider Kupka, who averaged 15.4 points per game last winter, while junior Ethan Klemesrud brings back 5.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Varsity minutes for then-freshmen Easton Sash and
ence’s South Division.
“We’re looking for a better conference and overall record, and that starts with the expectation of aggressive defensive play and winning the rebound game,” said fourthyear head coach Tammy Woodbury. “We need to decrease our turnovers and increase our 3-point shooting percentage.”
Sash (3.5 ppg) and Woodbury (1.3) will gain increased
Wolverines. Juniors Caleb Ferch, Jordan Rhodes, Braylon Darter and Braiden Beach along with sophomore Bodie Hutchinson — the tallest player on the team at 6-foot-1 — will be the candidates.
“We need to play as a team, get bench points and have increased post play to achieve success this season,” said coach Woodbury. “We’ve got a competitive group with a strong basketball IQ.”
GMG WOLVERINES
GARWIN — The GMG girls’ basketball team returns six players with considerable starting experience for firstyear head coaches Melisa Dieleman and Tammy Woodbury as the Wolverines look to climb the charts in the Iowa Star Conference’s South Division.
GMG finished fifth in its division a year ago with a 2-12 conference record, and the Wolverines went 5-18 overall with a roster that included only one senior.
The rest of the roster is back along with competitive newcomers who hope to make an instant impact.
Sophomore Skyler Murty was an honorable mention
Pendleton put up 8.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and is another of the Wolverines’ many experienced returners.
Seniors Macie Sanders, Rhianna Murty and Brooklyn Jones all started at least half of the team’s games last year, along with sophomore Skyler Murty. Riah Boege made eight starts as a freshman, and Arianna Pierce picked up two starts while contributing 3.6 points and 4.2 rebounds off the bench for the Wolverines.
Reinforcements have arrived, too, in the form of a competitive freshman class that includes seven newcomers: Grace Mathern, Taelyn Sash, Addi Elmore, Piper Jones,
GMG has targeted a better record both overall and in conference play as achievable goals for this season, pinpointing aggressive defensive play, better free-throw shooting and fewer turnovers as the steps to making that climb.
The Wolverines shot 49.6 percent (116-of-234) from the free-throw line last season. They ranked 92nd out of 109 Class 1A teams in scoring an average of 30.5 points per game.
“We need to become better scorers by showing up at practice everyday,” said Woodbury. “We have a very competitive group vying for positions. The girls are competitive and willing to learn.”
Wise, Cross and a host of others have spent their offseasons sacrificing everything else for their goals.
“So during this fall, summer and spring I kept on wrestling,” said Wise, who will settle in at 144 this season. “These past four weeks I’ve been to two national tournaments, I wrestle with kids from other states, national competitors. I’ve just been practicing, I’ve been practicing a lot. I’ve been sticking to my diet and keeping my goals in mind just wanting to win state this year.
“Everything I do I’m doing to win state. I had a close match with (eventual champion) Mac Crosson last year and I should have won state, in my opinion. So this year I’m going to win it — no ifs, ands or buts about it. Nothing’s going to stand in my way. I am going to win it.”
Wise went 43-9 last season, falling 1-0 to Crosson in the state quarterfinals a week after suffering a district loss by technical fall to the Indianola sophomore who has verbally committed to Nebraska.
Wise is resolute in his quest, and he can’t wait to see who will be joining him at state this season.
“The younger guys found out pretty quickly what the atmosphere in here is like,” he said. “I mean, we don’t take it light in here. We work hard. We do sprints. So the kids who aren’t able to keep up with it, they might quit or they’re going to get with us and they’re going to become just as good as us.
“This is a great group of kids. ... It’s not just a team, I mean, it’s a family now. So I believe that with this family that we have, we’re going to be able to win a lot more than what we did last year.”
Marshalltown finished last winter with a 19-13 dual meet record, going 2-2 in the Iowa Alliance North along the way. One of those conference losses prevented coach Cross from really relishing last year’s dual season.
“Yeah, I thought it was a good dual season, but unfortunately I feel like there’s a few duals in that defined it not being a great one,” he said. “And that’s where the hunger keeps driving me to get better.
“We lost to Waterloo East and Des
Moines East, and they had pretty good teams last year, but we shouldn’t have lost to them. So that’s been a driving factor for me this year is making sure that we have the best lineup possible moving forward.
“I think once we’re in our correct spots, we’re going to be pretty hard to beat.”
Cross’s lineup starts at 106 with sophomore Nicholas Million, who went 23-27 as a freshman and got as many matches as anyone in a Bobcat singlet. There’s an open competition at 113, while junior Josue Corral Coronado (13-27) leads the field at 120.
Sophomores Israel Garcia (7-19) and Usher Bollas (0-1) will battle for 126, while junior Derek Rivera Acosta (2-5) has the edge at 132. Sophomores Yandel Manning and Terry Wyant are the leaders at 138, while Wise lines up at 144.
Cross brings back state experience and is on full feed at 150, while senior Anthony Chavez (2-9) is looking like the leader at 157. Carson Wright, another senior, went 29-19 last winter and will log in at 165, and senior Tyler Johnson (0-3) has a spot at 175.
Seniors Dalton Zednichek (30-15), Ignacio Macias (12-6) and Jaxson Hinkle (2019) have the experience and ability to finish
off a lot of wins in the heavier weights (190, 215, 285) for the Bobcats.
“I’ve got pretty good expectations for the group and for myself,” said Zednichek, who has narrowly missed out on state each of the last two seasons. “Individually, I’m expecting to place at state for sure. I see these rankings early in the season coming out and I see guys at the top that I barely lost to last year.
“I’ve learned so much more over the summer and I’ve gotten a lot better for this season and I’m prepared.”
Macias has that same last-chance attitude driving him, too.
“Me, Nick and Dalton went to a lot of Grand View practices, we just wanted to get better every single day,” Macias said. “It’s a discipline and hard work that just drives us to want to get better, and it’s not just by ourselves, but pushing each other to be better.”
Marshalltown has advanced at least two wrestlers to state in each of the last eight seasons, and coach Cross doesn’t expect that streak to see its end this winter.
“On paper, we look good,” he said.
