NDN-SS_08-25-2023

2023 Fall Sports Preview

INSIDE: Previews of fall sports teams at Newton, Colfax-Mingo, PCM, Baxter and Lynnville-Sully

Expectations rise for Newton football in 2023

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

The Newton football team has improved every year since head coach Andy Swedenhjelm took over the program three seasons ago.

The Cardinals went from 0-8 to 5-4 in the first two seasons and then ended their playoff drought with a 7-3 mark last season.

The next improvement for Newton hopes to be a further run in the postseason.

And maybe a district championship.

“I feel really good about this year. We have a nice veteran group,” Swedenhjelm said. “If we

want to keep getting respect as a program, we have to start scheduling and beating good teams. You don’t gain respect by beating teams who don’t win many games.

“If we want to progress to the point where we think we can go in the playoffs, we can’t be afraid of playing good teams.”

Last year, the Cardinals started 6-0 but only two of their seven wins came against teams with above .500 records.

They were eliminated by Carlisle in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Wildcats lost in the state semifinals.

Troy Hyde/ Newton News

Newton senior Cody Klein, left, returns to the Cardinal football team after leading the district in rushing last season. The Cardinals have high expectations after making the playoffs last fall.

last fall, including the 100-yard

NCMP’s new era begins with new coach, strong core

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

For the first time in more than three decades, the Newton-Colfax-Mingo-Pella girls’ swim team will be under new leadership.

Nick Shelton takes over as the Aquagirls’ new head coach and he has a strong group of 2022 state qualifiers as the core of this year’s roster.

Shelton knows taking over for long-time head coach Sarah Patterson won’t be easy. But he’s excited for the challenge.

“It’s pretty big shoes to fill,” Shelton said.

“Coach Patterson is a huge part of this community. It’s a big job, but I think change can be good in helping the kids grow.”

Leading the way this season for NCMP is expected to be juniors Peyton Ray, Alex Riney, Paige Benson and Addison Van Maanen and sophomores Harper Barton and Tori White.

Older, experienced Cards seek jump in conference

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

Newton’s volleyball team has been stuck on seven wins each of the past two seasons.

But those squads both featured a large number of underclassmen.

Now older and more experienced, the Cardinals hope to climb a few steps higher in the Little Hawkeye Conference pecking order.

“We’ve been freshman and sophomores and then sophomores and juniors and now we are juniors and seniors,” said Newton head volleyball coach Heidi Woollums, who begins her third season. “We don’t have a single freshmen or sophomore on the varsity squad.

“That confidence is showing. They are looking more relaxed.”

Last year’s Aquagirl squad graduated 11 seniors. There will be 11 juniors this season and the roster also features five seniors, four juniors and three freshmen.

NCMP is coming off a third-place finish at regionals. The Aquagirls have won the Little Hawkeye Conference meet six out of the past seven seasons and they were second in the North Central Conference last year, too.

“Some of our goals include winning both conference meets,” Shelton said. “My goal is to bring everyone up to the same level the best I can.”

Barton and Ray were individual state qualifiers last year. Barton finished 18th in the 100-yard breaststroke, while Ray placed 30th in the 100 freestyle.

Shelton expects Barton to add sprint freestyles to her load this season. Ray likely competes in the 100 and 200 freestyle.

Newton started 3-0 last season but won just four more matches throughout the fall.

The Cardinals also had to navigate through plenty of senior-dominated programs in the LHC.

Woollums hopes her now-veteran squad can find similar success in 2023. Newton was 1-6 in conference play last season.

“I think every year some of those teams have to be restarting after losing a bunch of seniors. But it’s not always the case,” Wollums said. “We competed more last year. We had seven wins, but the sets were closer and it felt like we were much better than our record.”

The 2023 Cardinal squad is led by senior Kadance Ahn, who was a first team all-conference hitter last season.

She led Newton and was fourth in the LHC with 295 kills. She also had a team-most 41 aces, ranked second with 221 digs and added 18 blocks and 10 assists.

The other two all-conference returners are junior hitter Delaney Woollums and junior libero Chloe Swank. They both were honorable

mention selections last fall.

Delaney Woollums finished second behind Ahn with 135 kills and added 139 digs, 18 aces and seven assists.

Swank led the Cardinals and ranked 11th in the conference with 235 digs and finished second behind Ahn with 27 aces.

Swank and Woollums also were the team’s best servers by percentage. Swank was 203-of-209 for a percentage of 97.1 and Woollums finished 195-of-201 for a percentage of 97.0. They ranked eighth and ninth in the LHC, respectively, and the team’s serving percentage was 92.7.

“I want them to compete every play. If you are competing every play of every match, you will put yourself in a good situation,” Coach Woollums said.

Troy Hyde/Newton News Newton senior Kadance Ahn begins her fourth season as a starter for the Cardinal volleyball team. She was a first team all-conference selection last fall.

Troy Hyde/Newton News NCMP sophomore Harper Barton competed in the state swim meet in three events

breaststroke.

Kruse, larger roster highlight Newton girls cross country

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

A larger roster means more competition for the Newton girls’ cross country team this season.

Juniors Hadley Kruse and Bella Winther headline the squad, but a group of nine girls are expected to compete for the seven varsity spots this fall.

“We have several athletes running close together who will continue to push each other and push to earn a varsity spot, which will hopefully lead to their continued improvement,” Newton head girls cross country coach Rachelle Tipton said. “The team is looking good, gelling well and I’m ready to see what they can do.”

Kruse was the No. 1 runner last year. She finished 11th to earn all-conference honors and then advanced to her first state meet following a 12thplace finish at a tough Class 3A state qualifier.

After running her second

Newton junior Hadley Kruse, center, was the No. 1 runner last season for the Cardinal girls’ cross country team. She finished 11th to earn all-conference honors and then advanced to her first state meet.

fastest time ever, she placed 52nd overall at the state meet in Fort Dodge.

Winther was the sec-

ond-best finisher at the state qualifier in 38th. The Cardinal duo led Newton to a sixthplace finish at the conference

meet and then the Cardinals took ninth at the state qualifier.

“Hadley is looking to con-

tinue her success from last year,” Tipton said. “Bella is going to work to stay with her or as close to her as long as she can.”

There were two freshmen on the varsity roster last season.

They are now sophomores Abbie Preston and Paxton Panada.

The other five Cardinals expected to push for a varsity spot include senior Cameron Sharp, sophomore Lauren Clarke and freshmen Sarah Malow, Meghan Trout and Alivia Kingery.

“Some of the girls being one year older helps with experience of the distance and better knowing what goals to set and what it takes to reach those goals,” Tipton said. “It’s another young team so it will be fun to see these athletes become leaders for the team.

“Numbers being up also means if everyone stays healthy the JV team can score team points for their races.”

Newton boys seek another run to state meet

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor Newton 2023 Varsity

The Newton boys’ cross country team ended its 2021 season at the state meet.

Last year’s hope for an encore performance ended in disappointment.

But with 12 seniors and a plethora of varsity runners back from the 2022 squad, the Cardinals are hopeful they can make another push to Fort Dodge.

“I believe the expectations are the standard for our program, that we should be talking about a state berth,” Newton head boys cross country coach Steve Weeks said. “We have the returning talent coupled with the bitter taste of last year still in our mouth.”

Boys Cross Country

Schedule

Aug. 29 — Williamsburg (Williamsburg Rec Center), 5:15 p.m.

Sept. 5 — Grinnell (Ahrens Park), 5:45 p.m.

Sept. 9 — St. Louis (Forest Park), TBD

Sept. 12 — Oskaloosa (Edmundson Park), 5:15 p.m.

Sept. 19 — Cardinal Invitational (Maytag Park), 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 30 — Wartburg College, 12:10 p.m.

Oct. 5 — Fort Dodge (Lakeside Municipal GC), 5:15 p.m.

Oct. 9 — LHC meet at Indianola (Pickard Park), 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 18 — State qualifier at TBD, 4 p.m.

Oct. 27 — State Meet at Fort Dodge, TBD Home meet in bold

Last year’s Cardinals finished higher at the Class 3A state qualifier (fifth) than they did at the loaded Little Hawkeye Conference meet (sixth).

Six runners who logged multiple varsity meets last season are back this fall.

Senior Landon Menninga headlines the roster after leading the Cardinals a year ago. He was part of Newton’s state squad two seasons ago but came up short of an individual state berth last fall.

Menninga was 24th in the LHC meet but placed 16th at

the state qualifier. He missed out on state by less than a second despite running his personal-best prep 5K time.

“I can still see fire in his eyes — which I know has motivated him the past nine months,” Weeks said. “He knows what he needs to do. He’s heard me talk about my 4x800 team just missing state in track back in 2004, and he understands that it still burns me 20 years later.”

Troy Hyde/Newton News

Tigerhawks hope a change in schedule leads to more wins

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

The Colfax-Mingo football team has gone back and forth in Class A and 1A the past few rotations.

While the Tigerhawks have not had a winning season since 2018-19, long-time head coach Jeff Lietz hopes a different looking schedule pushes his program back to their winning ways.

“I’m happy with the move back to 1A,” Lietz said. “I wish our numbers were better, but I think the offenses and defenses in 1A are more like us. The style of play fits us better.

“If we do the little things right and stay disciplined, we will put ourselves in position to be successful.”

The back-end of the schedule features a pair of 2022 quarterfinal teams in Sigourney/Keota (8-3) and Pella Christian (9-2) and Pleasantville made the playoffs at 4-5.

But the rest of the slate includes four teams which did not win a game last year and a Grand View Christian (5-4) squad which comes up to 1A from 8-man.

“Our non-district schedule is where we want it to be,” Lietz said. “We know Saydel from our scrimmages the past few years, Grand View Christian goes back to 11-man from 8-man and we had some

Colfax-Mingo 2023

Varsity Football Schedule

Aug. 25 — Wayne, 7 p.m.

Sept. 1 — Grand View Christian, 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 — Saydel, 7 p.m.

Sept. 15 — EBF, 7 p.m. (HC)

Sept. 22 — Cardinal, 7 p.m.

Sept. 29 — Pleasantville, 7 p.m.

Oct. 6 — Sigourney/Keota, 7 p.m.

Oct. 13 — Pella Christian, 7 p.m.

Home games in bold

success with Wayne last year.

“We won’t be able to just show up and win, but we will have the opportunity to be successful and we have to take advantage of that.”

The Tigerhawks will have around 35 player this season. That’s short of the 40 Lietz and his coaching staff were hoping for, but the squad welcomes back all-district seniors Cael Bracewell, Conner Wood, Joe Earles and Donnie Baucom and junior Shane Hostetter.

Bracewell and Hostetter both shared time at quarterback and tight end last season. This year, Bracewell starts the season as QB1, but Lietz is comfortable with both guys taking snaps.

Bracewell, a first team all-district utility player last fall, threw for 1,075 yards and 11 scores while also rushing for 139 yards and two more scores. He also had 141 receiving yards.

Hostetter, who is expected to start at tight end after earning second team all-district honors last fall, contributed 1,002 passing yards and nine scores and finished with 123 receiving yards.

“We aren’t going to be a two-headed monster by any means, but we have two guys we feel comfortable with,” Lietz said. “They will both do the job for us and whoever is not playing quarterback will play tight end.

“Cael is the starter, but we have faith in both of them.”

Back as a second team all-district receiver is Wood, who hauled in 26 passes for 258 yards and two scores last season.

Joining Wood and Hostetter as pass catchers will be Earles, junior Xavier Woods

and seniors Kaden and Konner Dalton.

Junior Isaiah Baucom is the projected starter at running back. Senior Logan Exley will get some time in the backfield, too.

Isaiah Baucom played running back as a freshman but moved to the offensive line out of necessity last season. The Tigerhawks’ offense produced more than 2,000 passing yards last season but Lietz knows the unit will have to improve in the running game.

Colfax-Mingo gained only 265 yards on the ground and averaged 1.5 yards per carry in 2022.

“Our execution on the offensive side of the ball is the

best I’ve seen in many years,” Lietz said.

“I’m happy with our line play. We lacked a consistent run game last year, but I think we are better this year.”

If the running game does improve, the offensive line will be a big reason why.

The six guys in the mix for starting positions on the offensive line include senior tackle Jermaine Cross, guard or tackle Donnie Baucom, junior guard Michael Camp, sophomore tackle Jacob Riddle, sophomore center Luke Padgett and freshman Allan Bregar.

The defensive line features Donnie Baucom, Cross, Padgett, Riddle and Camp and the defensive ends are

Colfax-Mingo

is back as a two-way starter this fall for the Tigerhawks. He will be the quarterback after taking over the position half way through last season.

Earles, Bregar and sophomore Izaiah Lewis.

Bracewell will play a hybrid defensive end/linebacker position after finishing with 33 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss last year.

Earles added 31.5 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks last season, while Donnie Baucom chipped in 24 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Both players were honorable mention all-district selections.

Exley will play the Sam linebacker position, while Isaiah Baucom is the projected starter at middle linebacker and senior Anthony Camp also is a middle linebacker.

Troy Hyde/ Newton News

senior Cael Bracewell

Colfax-Mingo harriers seek top-three finishes in South Iowa Cedar League

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

With their top two runners back and deeper rosters on both sides, the Colfax-Mingo cross country teams hope for a pair of top-three finishes in the South Iowa Cedar League this fall.

Both Tigerhawk squads feature 10-12 runners and the competition for the seven varsity spots goes about nine deep.

“We have a lot more questions than answers,” veteran Colfax-Mingo head cross country coach Zach Tomas said.

“That’s typical right now.

We don’t have to be at our peak until October though.”

Junior Shae Wilkins is back for the girls’ squad after running up front last season. She was 10th at last year’s conference meet and 14th at the state qualifier.

The boys welcome back top runner Harrison Rhone, a junior who was ninth at the conference meet and 19th at last year’s state qualifying meet.

The Tigerhawk boys also return last year’s No. 2 runner in junior Josue Rodriguez and 3-4-5 runners Tony Buenrostro, Owen Ament and Xavier Woods, who are all juniors.

Rodriguez and Woods both were top 20 at the conference meet last fall and Rodriguez was 20th at the state qualifier.

The Tigerhawk girls placed third at last season’s SICL meet and the boys were fourth.

Both squads came in seventh at their Class 1A state qualifier. Colfax-Mingo will be the largest 1A program this fall.

“Being in the top three at conference is always a good goal for us,” Tomas said. “We haven’t been over seven girls in a few years.”

Colfax-Mingo

back as the No. 1 boys’ runner on the Tigerhawk cross country team this fall.

was ninth at last year’s conference meet and 19th at last year’s state qualifier.

Troy Hyde/ Newton News

junior Harrison Rhone, right, is

Rhone

New-look Tigerhawks regroup after graduation losses

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

Last year’s Colfax-Mingo volleyball team started 3-0 and scored a five-set postseason win at the end of the season.

But the Tigerhawks finished 13-20 and were 4-7 in the South Iowa Cedar League.

The four seniors lost to graduation had a team-best for kills, blocks, digs and aces.

This year’s crop of Tigerhawks also has four seniors, but the roster has plenty of unknowns as veteran head coach Michelle Grant transitions to a new-look squad.

“We graduated a lot of players so I really don’t know

Colfax-Mingo 2023

Varsity Volleyball Schedule

Aug. 26 — Home tournament, 9 a.m.

Aug. 29 — Southeast Warren, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 5 — Montezuma, 7 p.m.

Sept. 11 — Lynnville-Sully, 7 p.m.

Sept. 16 — ACGC tournament, 9 a.m.

Sept. 18 — HLV, 7 p.m.

Sept. 25 — BGM, 7 p.m.

Sept. 28 — Keota, 7 p.m.

Sept. 30 — Pleasantville tournament, 9 a.m.

Oct. 2 — English Valleys, 7 p.m.

Oct. 3 — North Mahaska, 7 p.m.

Oct. 5 — Sigourney, 7 p.m.

Oct. 9 — SICL Tourney Pool Play at TBA, 5 p.m.

what to expect from this team,” Grant said. “Our passing is holding us back from winning more games. That’s what hurt us last year.

“Serving is a strength. We will be tough from the service line. I think all of our kids are strong servers. If we pass well, our hitting arsenal is there.”

The hitting arsenal starts with junior Trinity Smith, who ranked second on the team and fifth in the conference last year with 219 kills and was sixth in the league with 55 aces. She also registered 242 digs.

Smith is a left-side hitter who is the bonafide No. 1 option this fall.

“She has to come away with 10-12 kills a night for us to have a chance to win,” Grant said. “We want to spread it around, but Madison needs to know where Trinity is. Our odds are better when she hits it. She’s our best passer, best server and clearly our best hitter.”

assists last season.

Stackhouse added 17 kills, 153 digs and 33 aces and her serve percentage was 91.

“She’s gotten a lot better, especially on defense and with her serve,” Grant said. Smith, Stackhouse and seniors Charlotte Donahue and Addie Schroeder likely will play all the way around.

Donahue is a middle hitter who could play some on the outside. She finished with 38 kills, 24 assists, 55 digs and 12 blocks last fall and her serve percentage was 90.4. Schroeder, the outside hitter, tallied 17 kills, 12 assists and 34 digs as a junior. She will dual-sport with cross country.

“Charlotte will play all the way around because she’s better in serve receive this year,” Grant said. “I want Addie to want the ball more. She needs to know she’s our No. 2 option.”

The other middle hitter is Britney Keeney, who is only a sophomore because she skipped a grade before high school.

Oct. 12 — SICL Tourney Bracket Play at TBA, 5 p.m.

Oct. 14 — Woodward-Granger tournament, 8:30 a.m.

Home matches in bold

Change

Continued from Page 5

The outside linebackers are juniors JT Berner and JaShawn Fleming.

According to Lietz, the deepest position on the field for Colfax-Mingo might be the defensive secondary.

Junior Madison Stackhouse is the starting setter. She led the Tigerhawks and ranked fourth in the SICL with 500

The returning starters at safety are Hostetter and Woods and Wood is back as a starting corner.

Hostetter and Woods each finished with 22.5 tackles last year, while Wood had 35 tackles and one interception.

Kaden Dalton is the other projected starter at cornerback, but Konner Dalton also

The other two players who are expected to get consistent playing time are freshman Kaitlyn Steenhoek and junior Kaylee Collins.

Steenhoek is a right-side hitter who will play opposite of Stackhouse.

She can double as a setter if needed.

Collins will play in the back row but could be the team’s libero if Grant uses one.

Sophomore Cadence Linn (back row) and senior Grace Hunsberger (hitter) also are battling for varsity playing time.

The Tigerhawks had a kill efficiency of only .086 and a serve percentage of 85.8 last fall. Grant expects those numbers to improve this season.

Grant got a look at some of her team at the Central College team camp and learned even more about her squad during a scrimmage against Colo-NESCO last week.

In her first prep season, she tallied 46 kills and 22 digs and ranked second on the team with 16 blocks. According to Grant, Keeney has been “crushing the ball in practice.”

is in the mix. Kaden Dalton registered 14.5 tackles last fall. Competing for time at safety are sophomores Davion Long and Wyatt Thornton.

“I like what I’m seeing defensively,” Lietz said. “I’m happy with where we’re at but not satisfied. The guys are getting after it.”

The Tigerhawks open the

“I saw what I needed to see at the Colo-NESCO scrimmage and made some adjustments that I can’t really determine just from practice,” Grant said.

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

Troy Hyde/Newton News Colfax-Mingo junior Trinity Smith is back for the Tigerhawk volleyball team and is expected to be the goto hitter on a squad that features a handful of new starters.

season against Wayne, which went 0-8 last season. Colfax-Mingo downed the Falcons 33-22 late in the year.

It also plays Cardinal in district action a season after winning that matchup 41-7 to end the 2022 campaign.

The Tigerhawks (2-7 last year in Class A) hope to grab momentum with some ear-

ly-season success.

“The district we are in gives us a good opportunity to be successful,” Lietz said. “We have a lot of new opponents and we don’t quite know what to expect.”

Mustangs seek return to gridiron dominance in 2023

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

PCM head football coach Greg Bonnett watched the Mustangs championship race in the Class 2A shuttle hurdle relay at the state track and field meet at least 50 times.

All four of those Mustangs also played football, three of them will be back in uniform this season and one of them is starting quarterback Gavin Van Gorp.

“That was one of the most exciting things I have witnessed in all my years of coaching and teaching,” Bonnett said.

Bonnett and PCM hope that kind of success carries over into the fall as the Mustangs look to regroup after back-to-back five-win seasons.

PCM was 5-4 last season but lost twice by a single point. The Mustangs ended the season 4-2 but were eliminated from the playoffs following a 28-27 loss to Clear Lake.

PCM led the Lions 13-0 after one quarter and held a 27-14 lead at halftime before losing.

The Mustangs also led playoff-bound West Marshall 12-0 at halftime but fell 13-12 during their district matchup.

“I think we had a young team last year and with that comes some mental and

PCM 2023

Varsity Football Schedule

Aug. 25 — Sigourney/Keota, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 1 — Pella Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 8 — Nevada, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 15 — Jesup, 7:30 p.m. (HC)

Sept. 22 — Union Community, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 29 — Vinton-Shellsburg, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 6 — West Marshall, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 13 — Iowa Falls-Alden, 7:30 p.m.

Home games in bold

physical mistakes,” Bonnett said. “In those two games we were playing pretty good teams, and if we wound up on the other end of it things would seem better for sure.

“The reality is the new season is here, and it’s time to do new, awesome things.”

PCM’s offense was in a bit of a transition last year. The Mustangs did rush for 1,909 yards, but the passing game produced just nine touchdowns to eight different players.

Van Gorp, a junior, was part of a two-man rotation at quarterback but takes over as the bonafide QB1 this fall.

His season last year included 320 passing yards, 207 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns.

Olson and Robbins were the other two non-senior members of the shuttle hurdle relay championship team.

A big reason Bonnett thinks the offense can improve is because the offensive line is one year older after being largely inexperienced last fall.

The group up front includes second team all-state senior tackle Mark Bussan, senior tackle Wyatt Schutte, junior guards Tate Birkenholtz and Trenner Van Dyke and senior center Jacob Burns.

Junior Harlan Shannon and sophomore Braedyn Lester also are expected to get varsity reps.

“The offseason was focused on getting physically better as athletic people,” Bonnett said. “The natural maturity of young guys kicks in around sophomore to junior year and we want to make sure they are lifting and running during that growth phase.

fumble.

The final all-district returner is Hobbs, who earned honorable mention recognition. He averaged 41.8 yards on his four punts.

“There are some new faces on the defense, but we are more flexible scheme-wise than we were last year,” Bonnett said. “We were loose on coverage last year but will be tighter this year. Tighter coverage can mean giving up more big plays, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take with the guys we have in coverage. They are pretty smart and they can all run.”

The Mustangs’ non-district schedule includes 2022 Class 1A quarterfinalists Sigourney/ Keota (8-3) and Pella Christian (9-2) and 3A quarterfinalist Nevada (8-3).

Van Gorp also totaled 24 receiving yards and averaged 35.7 yards per punt.

Junior Adrien Robbins is back as the team’s top rusher. He earned all-district honors as a tailback after gaining 867 rushing yards and scoring seven touchdowns. He added 93 receiving yards and another score.

“We feel like we can run the ball again with the offensive line and Adrian returning and we feel like our passing game is going to be much improved,” Bonnett said. “We feel like we have the players it takes to spread the field with receivers.”

Two of those receivers are seniors Griffin Olson and Gabe Hobbs, who combined for 12 catches, 149 yards and one score.

“I think we were better at our run game last year than our pass game, but I think our pass game is making nice strides so far.”

The PCM defense is headlined by junior defensive tackle Kaden Clark and junior all-district linebacker Finn Wilson.

Clark was an all-district utility player last season after registering 13.5 tackles. Wilson’s 39.5 tackles are the most among the returners.

Olson and Van Dyke each had 20 tackles, junior Brevin DeRaad tallied 18 tackles, Robbins added 13.5 tackles and Hobbs collected 11.5 tackles.

Hobbs, Robbins and senior Justin Johnston all snagged one pick and Robbins and Hobbs each recovered one

The 2A District 6 favorite is reigning district champion West Marshall, which finished 9-1 and reached the second round of the playoffs last fall.

The remaining district teams — Jesup, Union Community, Vinton-Shellsburg and Iowa Falls-Alden — combined for seven wins.

Bonnett loves how the early part of the Mustangs’ schedule is set up and expects the district opponents to be improved from last year.

“The first three games are perfect for us. We get tested early,” Bonnett said. “I think all of those district teams are going to be better than they were last year. West Marshall has key returners we already know are good, and for the other teams, records do not always tell the tale.”

Troy Hyde/Newton News

PCM junior Adrien Robbins, right, headlines the Mustangs offense after earning all-district honors last season. He gained 867 rushing yards and scored eight touchdowns in 2022.

PCM sophomore Abi Teeter competed in the Class 2A state cross country meet as a freshman last fall. She headlines a young roster in 2023.

Young Mustangs will be much improved in 2023

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

Between the girls’ and boys’ cross country teams at PCM, there’s just one senior.

Fortunately for the Mustangs, that one senior is former state qualifier Tiffani Koonce.

Koonce is back out this fall after qualifying for state as a freshman. Sophomore Abi Teeter knows a little bit about qualifying for the state meet in her first prep season, too, as she returns as the squad’s No. 1 runner.

“We have added some serious talent to the girls’ team,” PCM head cross country coach Eric Karr said.

“If we can keep everyone healthy throughout the season, I anticipate having some serious competition in

PCM volleyball looks to turn corner with strong core of returners

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

PCM’s volleyball team graduated six seniors last season. But three returning Mustangs started all 32 matches and three others played in at least 26.

Second-year head coach Sarah De Vries loves her team’s energy early in the season and she hopes that energy translates into wins as PCM seeks its first winning since 2010-11.

“I hope they can focus all the positive energy into successful plays on the court,” De Vries said. “We spent a lot of hours together at two preseason team camps, and I hope those hours on the court transition into a more competitive start to our season and more consistency throughout.

“This team has so much potential. I’m excited to see the growth they will

have and can’t wait to see what they can achieve together.”

The Mustangs are coming off a 10-22 season. They were 1-6 in the Heart of Iowa Athletic Conference.

That squad graduated the top two kill producers, the No. 1 ace server, the No. 1 setter and the top three players in digs.

But seniors Reese Palm and Elle Davis and junior Addison Steenhoek are back after starting in all 32 matches last fall.

Senior Eliana Buswell and sophomore Tori Lindsay played in 27 matches and senior Ella Schendel appeared in 26.

Palm, an honorable mention all-conference selection last season, moves to left-side hitter after collecting 89 kills, 39 digs, 22 blocks and 27 aces in 2022. She also had a serving percentage of 90.

this team this year.”

On the boys’ side, every single high school runner will be varsity as the Mustangs are currently seven deep.

Sophomore Coby DeRaad is back after placing 12th in the conference meet last fall.

Six of the seven boys are either freshmen or sophomores. Junior Jacob Buys is the only upperclassman.

“Coby is leading the boys so far again. His determination and drive are different this year,” Karr said. “The boys bring back last year’s No. 3, No. 4 and No. 7 runners, and we’ve added some fantastic talent.”

Teeter and Koonce are expected to be the top two female runners this season, but the Mustangs go 10 deep.

Troy Hyde/ Newton News

Troy Hyde/ Newton News

PCM senior Reese Palm earned honorable mention all-conference recognition last season after finishing with 89 kills, 39 digs, 22 blocks and 27 aces in 2022.

New

Continued from Page 3

All three relays advanced to state last fall, too. Shelton said Barton, Ray, Riney, Van Maanen, Benson, White, seniors Estella Allen, Brooke Linahon and Lauryn Garrett and juniors Izzy Lane and Hailey Dickerson could factor into the relays this season.

Barton and Ray were part of NCMP’s 12th-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay at last year’s state meet.

Ray, Riney and Van Maanen all swam on the 14th place 400 freestyle relay and Barton, Benson and White were on the 200 medley relay that placed 18th at last year’s state meet.

Riney is expected to swim the 100 backstroke after placing fourth at regionals last fall.

Benson’s best individual event is the butterfly, while White also

NCMP 2023

Varsity Girls Swimming Schedule

Aug. 24 — Williamsburg, 5:30 p.m.

Aug.29 — Des Moines Hoover, 5:30 p.m.

August 31 — Indianola, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 7 — Ankeny, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 12 — Oskaloosa, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 23 — WDM Valley invitational, 8:30 a.m.

Sept. 26 — Perry, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 5 — Des Moines Lincoln, 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 10 — Boone/Grinnell, 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 14 — NCC meet at Luther College, Noon

Oct. 17 — LHC meet at Indianola, 5:30 p.m.

Nov. 4 — State qualifier at TBD, Noon

Nov. 10-11 — State meet at Marshalltown, Noon

Home meets in bold

will compete in the backstroke.

Van Maanen, Lane and White also are expected to swim the IM, Linahon and Allen are both breaststrokers, Garrett will focus on sprint freestyle races and Dickerson, senior Jadin Brooks and junior Anna DeVries will swim in the distance races.

“My coaching style is a little different than what the kids are used to, but it’s not better or

worse than what they had before,” Shelton said. “It’s a different workout though.”

This will be Shelton’s first high school head coaching job. His other coaching duties involved the YMCA Penguins in Newton and the Lifetime Fitness club team in Urbandale.

He also was the Aquatics Director at the Newton YMCA for one year, spent two years at Lifetime Fitness and is now working at Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines.

“I’ve always wanted to coach at the high school level, but I just never put my coaching certificate to use until now,” Shelton said. “I coached a lot of these girls when I was with the Penguins so there’s always been a connection to this program.”

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

Run

Continued from Page 4

While Menninga is expected to at least start the season as the team’s No. 1, a few returners are pushing him for the top spot.

The varsity returners include seniors Presley Arnold and Jesus Muril-

Troy Hyde/ Newton News

Senior

Landon Menninga, left, led the Newton boys’ cross country team last fall and is expected to be the No. 1 runner in 2023.

lo, juniors Javin Doland and Christian Buchli and sophomore Lance Zaabel.

Seniors Asher Wood and Colin Cummins also could push for a varsity spot this fall.

The 3A state qualifying meet lineup featured Menninga (16th),

RUN | 15

Rise

Continued from Page 2

This year’s schedule features five teams which had winning marks last fall. The Cardinals open with ADM and Bondurant-Farrar is in their district.

They may be the two best teams on Newton’s improved schedule that also includes Dallas Center-Grimes (2-7), Norwalk (5-4) and Marshalltown (5-4) in the non-district and Pella (3-6), Carlisle (10-2), Gilbert (1-8) and Des Moines Hoover (1-8) in district play.

“We requested every team on our non-district schedule,” Swedenhjelm said. “Some of the teams we’ve played in the past didn’t want to play us anymore. That’s all right. We decided to test ourselves and see what we can do early.

“We don’t ever get caught up in result-based goals. We talk about how we can get better and improve.”

Part of the optimism from the coaching staff is the fact that a handful of players are entering at least their second season as a starter. The roster itself features 65 players in grades 10-12 and a freshmen team which goes about 40 deep.

Seniors Cody Klein, Nate Lampe, Caleb Mattes and Blake Schilling are all threeyear starters.

Lampe earned second team all-state and all-district honors as a defensive back last season. Klein, Schilling and Mattes all were all-district picks.

“We have quite a few guys who have been there with the lights on in the biggest moments,” Swedenhjelm said. “That’s an advantage to have.

“We also have high character kids. That’s a strength. We

have a high level of trust. The kids have bought into what we are doing. Teams like that are really hard to beat and they do a lot of really good things.”

Last year’s offense averaged 27.3 points per game. The Cardinals rushed for 2,063 yards and averaged 6.3 yards per carry.

Doing a lot of that work was senior tailback Cody Klein, who ranked seventh in Class 3A with 1,319 rushing yards. He averaged 6.8 yards per carry and scored 14 rushing touchdowns.

Klein also caught 15 passes for 199 yards and two TDs.

Christian Ergenbright at wide receiver and sophomore Finn Martin at tight end.

The backups include sophomore running backs Kyler Griffin and Chris Deanda and senior wide receiver Dalton Mowbray and junior wideout Cade Bauer.

Junior Reilly Trease is Klein’s backup at tailback and Ergenbright’s backup at slot receiver. He gained 147 yards and scored two TDs on 14 carries last season.

Ergenbright, an honorable mention all-district selection, finished with 19 carries for 126 yards and 22 catches for 336 yards and two scores last year.

Lampe grabbed 19 passes for 291 yards and two scores and Payne hauled in 15 catches for 210 yards and one TD. Bauer grabbed two passes for 39 yards.

Swedenhjelm loves his offensive line. It’s the best group collectively he’s had since he’s been head coach.

“It’s by far the best group we’ve had,” Swedenhjelm said. “I think they are really good. We have two all-district guys returning and (Thomas) Stadelmann has the potential to be the best.”

using only three players both ways — Schilling, Lampe and Mattes.

Schilling headlines the defensive line after collecting 13 tackles last year.

The starting defensive ends are seniors Wyatt Weter and Ben Breuer.

Newton’s three-man front also includes a rotation of Stadelmann, Benitez, Brady and sophomore Coleby Revell.

Weter finished with 32 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and one fumble recovery last season. He earned honorable mention all-district recognition.

Another 2022 all-district selection was senior linebacker Nathan Milburn, who led the Cardinals and ranked fourth in 3A with 86.5 tackles. His 14.5 tackles for loss ranked ninth in 3A and he also had 4.5 sacks.

Milburn and senior Eli Stewart will start at inside linebacker, while Mattes and junior Damien Smith are the projected starters at outside linebacker.

“I didn’t think it was possible for Cody to be much better, but he is,” Swedenhjelm said. “He’s better than last year. He looks really good. He’s added some quickness, and we are excited about what he can do.”

The new Cardinal quarterback is Mattes.

“He’s incredibly smart. He sees the field well and understands what we are trying to do,” Swedenhjelm said. “He brings a tough-guy personality, which is kind of fun.”

The rest of the skill position starters include Lampe, senior Curtis Payne and junior

Schilling is the all-district returner at center, while senior Drew Boothe was an honorable mention all-district selection as one of the team’s tackles.

Stadelmann and senior Mitchell Thayer are the projected starters at guard. The right tackle position will come down to juniors Colton Brady or Jose Benitez, who transferred in from Des Moines North.

Junior Derek Wermager is the backup center as the unit is a seven-man rotation right now.

As of now, the Cardinal coaching staff is planning on

Sophomore Caden Klein could see time at outside linebacker, and senior Hunter Teague and junior Jace Auen are the backups at inside linebacker who could see varsity snaps.

Mattes finished with 49.5 tackles, five tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and one pick last fall. Teague tallied 16 tackles and one interception. Lampe headlines the secondary at safety. He registered 26 tackles and ranked second in 3A with six interceptions.

Junior Peyton Rozendaal is the other starter at safety and junior Kaiden Rogers and senior Jackson Nichols are the starters at cornerback.

Nichols had 10 tackles in a supporting role last season.

Troy Hyde/Newton News

Newton senior Nate Lampe, center, earned second team all-state honors as a defensive back last season. Lampe will be one of four Cardinals expected to play both ways this season.

Young

Continued from Page 9

Junior Alyce Engle and sophomore Raegan Vannoy are back and Karr welcomes in talented freshman Bailey Wheeler, who was outstanding for PCM at the

middle school level.

“Beyond that, we have firsttime cross country runners (sophomore) Paiten Rumbaugh, (freshman) Lila Milani, and (freshman) Ali Hilsabeck,” Karr said. “All three of those girls have shown real potential early on.”

The Mustang girls were third at the HOIAC meet last season and they placed seventh at their Class 2A state qualifier.

Teeter (6th) and Vannoy (14th) both placed in the top 15 at the conference meet.

Teeter was 14th at the state qualifier and placed 75th at her first state meet.

The only top-15 finisher for the boys at the HOIAC meet was DeRaad, who placed 12th.

“Abi has had a fantastic summer. She has been more of a vocal leader for us so far, too,” Karr said. “(Coby) has really been fun to watch at practice so far. He’s a great leader for the boys in getting all the work done the right way.”

Sophomore Joe Shaver and freshmen Kolby Clark and Gabe Nessa round out the roster. Clark was very successful in middle school and Shaver and Nessa are out for cross country for the first time, according to Karr.

“The runners are looking really strong so far,” Karr said. “This year we are still young but most now have at least a year or two of experience under them so mileage has increased quite a bit. They’ve been getting in some real quality long runs, and they’ve mixed in some speed, too.

“We’ve completely revamped our warm-up and cool-down process, which I believe has already made drastic improvements.”

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

Varsity Cross Country Schedule

Aug. 29 — Williamsburg, 4:30 p.m. (Williamsburg Rec Center)

Sept. 7 — Davis County, 4:30 p.m. (Bloomfield CC)

Sept. 11 — Pleasantville, 5 p.m. (Pleasantville CC)

Sept. 18 — Mustang Invitational, 4:30 p.m. (Gateway)

Troy Hyde/Newton News

Larger

Continued from Page 4

Tipton seeks a top half finish in all of the team’s meets this fall. The Cardinals hope their added depth will help them move up the conference ladder, too.

“We will see how the season unfolds and start eyeing those teams and places the closer we get,” Tipton said.

The roster features two seniors, five juniors, three sophomores and five freshmen.

The focus during the early portion of the season is getting the miles in and helping the younger runners adapt to the 5K distance.

“Getting the miles in is something that’s going to be especially beneficial to a couple of the new athletes, but it also benefits everyone,” Tipton said.

Newton 2023

Varsity Girls Cross Country Schedule

Aug. 29 — Williamsburg (Williamsburg Rec Center), 4:45 p.m.

Sept. 5 — Grinnell (Ahrens Park), 5:15 p.m.

Sept. 9 — St. Louis (Forest Park), TBD

Sept. 12 — Oskaloosa (Edmundson Park), 4:45 p.m.

Sept. 19 — Cardinal Invitational (Maytag Park), 5 p.m.

PCM

Besides DeRaad, the Mustang boys welcome back Buys and sophomores Charlie Ford and Leighton McClure.

Corner

Continued from Page 9

Davis will once again man the middle of the front row. She had 84 kills and 16 digs and ranked tied for seventh in the HOIAC with 33 blocks last fall.

Steenhoek tallied 86 kills and 94 digs and ranked tied for ninth in the HOIAC with 40 aces last season as a leftside hitter but moves to libero this fall.

“Steenhoek is making the biggest position move,” De Vries said. “She has done a lot of work to improve her serve receive. She never hesitates to

Sept. 28 — Chariton, 4:30 p.m. (Lakeview Golf & CC)

Oct. 3 — Centerville, 4:30 p.m. (Honey Creek State Park)

Oct. 9 — HOIAC meet at Greene County, 5:30 p.m. (GC MS)

Oct. 19 — State qualifier at TBD, 4 p.m. Home meet in bold

Sept. 30 — Wartburg College, 11:30 a.m.

Oct. 5 — Fort Dodge (Lakeside Municipal GC), 5:15 p.m.

Oct. 9 — LHC meet at Indianola (Pickard Park), 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 18 — State qualifier at TBD, 4 p.m.

Oct. 27 — State Meet at Fort Dodge, TBD Home meet in bold

PCM 2023

Varsity Volleyball Schedule

Aug. 22 — Newton quad, 4:30 p.m.

Aug. 24 — Lynnville-Sully quad, 5 p.m.

Aug. 26 — West Marshall tournament, 9 a.m.

Aug. 28 — Des Moines North, 6 p.m.

Aug. 31 — Saydel, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 5 — Perry, 6 p.m.

Sept. 12 — Greene County, 7:20 p.m.

Sept. 16 — North Mahaska tournament, 9 a.m.

Sept. 19 — West Marshall, 7:20 p.m.

Sept. 21 — Cardinal, 7 p.m.

Sept. 30 — Pleasantville tournament, 8:30 a.m.

Oct. 2 — Roland-Story, 7:20 p.m.

Oct. 5 — South Hamilton, 7 p.m.

Oct. 12 — Nevada, 6:30 p.m.

Home matches in bold

dive after the ball and is doing a great job learning a new position.”

Buswell was the Mustangs’ second setter in a 6-2 forma-

tion last season, but she moves to the primary setter in a 5-1 this fall.

She ended her junior campaign with 135 assists, 13 kills, 43 digs and 22 aces. Her serve percentage was 92.7.

Her 135 assists ranked ninth in the HOIAC.

“(Buswell) has been working closely with each of our hitters, learning their set preferences and habits,” De Vries said. The only Mustang who will all the way around this season is Lindsay, who is a starter at

left-side hitter.

She finished her first prep season with 33 kills, 15 assists, 29 digs and 11 aces. She successfully served at a 91 percent clip.

Joining Davis in the middle will be sophomore Rebecca De Vries.

Schendel and seniors Lark Drake and Addyson Hegwood will provide depth and support in the back row. Schendel finished with 48 digs last season.

De Vries and her coaching staff focused on serve receive and diversifying the Mustangs’ offensive attack during the offseason.

PCM ranked sixth in the

HOIAC in both kill efficiency (.065) and serve percentage (89.2).

“If we want to increase the consistency of our play, we need to improve our serve receive,” Coach De Vries said. “We also want all of our hitters to have several different hitting options and that takes a lot of work and communication between hitter and setter.

“What we lack in height or arm speed we can overcome by keeping the defense guessing as to where to next set in going.”

PCM 2023

sophomore Coby DeRaad is back for the Mustang boys after placing in the top 15 at the conference meet last year.

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

Baxter football hopes to build off 2022 success

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

Last year’s Baxter football team ranked seventh in Class 8-man with 77 touchdowns, eighth with 1,932 passing yards and fifth with 94 tackles for loss.

The Bolts graduated their quarterback, top wide receiver and the top two tacklers and lost their top running back to transfer.

But long-time head football coach Rob Luther feels comfortable with the next wave of players who were just waiting for their turn.

“It wasn’t a that year or bust type of year last season,” Luther said. “This junior class is really deep and really good. It depends on how quick they mature and how quick they can take on the load.”

The 2022 Bolts finished 7-2. One of those losses was a two-point defeat to Montezuma, which returns to Baxter’s schedule in 2023.

Baxter played a Week 0 game for the second time in Luther’s long coaching career.

“I was worried about it at first, but I don’t think we are behind right now,” Luther said. “We are where we want to be with about 12 practices left.”

The Bolts opened the season at Springville on August 18. The Orioles were 0-8 last year and only one game was decided by fewer than 25 points.

The difference between this year playing on Week 0 and the last time one of Luther’s team from CMB did it was that Raiders squad playing the following week.

The Bolts will not have a Week 1 game to prepare

for during the first week of school.

“I’m not a huge fan of Week 0 games. It just turns things upside down,” Luther said. “The last time we played a Week 0 game was when it was CMB and North Polk, but we had a full schedule. Not playing a football game in our first week of school will be different. I don’t like that. It will feel weird.

“The urgency is up in practice, which is what I like. They know the clock is ticking and this isn’t camp.”

Headlining this year’s roster is first team all-district senior wide receiver Treyton Travis, second team senior offensive lineman Aiden Mc-

headline the offensive line and the rest of the crew includes junior Grant Anderegg and senior Callyn Bishop and Samson could see some time at tight end.

While the Bolts will still look like a spread team, they could run more traditional rushing plays.

“Having Aiden and Carter back is huge,” Luther said. “Carter is a really talented offensive lineman who has worked hard to get to where he is. Aiden is a three-year starter and a state wrestler. That’s two great pieces.

“We will still spread it out, but we are searching for an identity. We’ll play some 12 personnel and play more traditional than we have in the past.”

For the first time in five seasons, a player with the last name Damman will not be the starting quarterback.

Junior Perrin Sulzle takes over the keys to the Bolts’ offense.

some great players.

“Our line is really tall and when we run our zone concepts, he might be tough to find in there.”

Joining Treyton Travis in the wide receiver room will be Cainan Travis, Samson, Dee, sophomore newcomer Stadan Vansice and junior newcomer Ayden Beck, who transferred in from Dallas Center-Grimes.

Cainan Travis hauled in three passes for 49 yards and two scores last fall.

Vansice has been the biggest surprise in camp so far, according to Luther.

Baxter’s defense took a huge step forward last year. That’s part of the reason the Bolts started 6-0 and allowed single-digit point totals in four contests.

Fadden and second team junior offensive lineman Carter Smith.

Senior Cody Samson and junior Cainan Travis also were honorable mention all-district selections.

Travis hauled in 27 passes for 438 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. He added 25.5 tackles, three fumble recoveries and three interceptions on defense.

“He’s going to be a handful. We will find ways to get him isolated and put him against their weakest cover corner,” Luther said. “You will see a lot of things from him that we did with Travis Lindemoen that first 8-man season.”

McFadden and Smith

He threw for 263 yards and eight touchdowns in a backup role last season.

Sophomore Eli Dee is the backup quarterback, but also could play wide receiver on offense.

Dee’s only pass completion last year went for a 48-yard touchdown.

“(Perrin) has a strong arm and doesn’t realize how good he can be,” Luther said. “He’s waiting for his turn.”

So is junior Cade Robinson. He ran the ball 26 times for 279 yards and two scores last fall. He caught three passes for 20 yards and one TD.

“He probably should have played more last year. He had a great JV season,” Luther said. “He’s just been behind

“We were in shootouts for two or three years, but we got stops last year in big games,” Luther said. “I told the coaches in our staff meeting that the defense was ahead of the offense, and I have never had that before in an 8-man team. We are flying around and we have guys who are hungry to play defense.”

The defense is headlined by all-district honorable mention selections Cainan Travis and Samson, who are returning starters at linebacker.

Varsity

Aug. 18 — Springville, (W, 52-23)

Sept. 1 — Coon Rapids-Bayard, 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 — Fort Dodge St. Edmond, 7 p.m.

Sept. 15 — Glidden-Ralston, 7 p.m. (HC)

Sept. 22 — Colo-NESCO, 7 p.m.

Sept. 29 — Collins-Maxwell, 7 p.m.

Oct. 6 — Montezuma, 7 p.m.

Oct. 13 — Audubon, 7 p.m.

Home

Troy Hyde/Newton News

Baxter senior wide receiver Treyton Travis started his final season with a 246-yard night in the team’s season opener against Springville on Aug. 18.

Baxter 2023

Football Schedule

games in bold

Baxter volleyball hopes return to

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

After three straight losing seasons, Baxter’s volleyball team is ready to turn the corner.

And head coach Jordynn Wesselink puts the responsibility on her

shoulders.

“After having a couple losing seasons, we’re going to get back on track and really focus on making this program better,” said Wesselink, who starts her first full season as head coach of her alma mater.

“It starts with me and making sure I’m giving the athletes the right tools to be a dominant player.”

The Bolts lost a few starters and five seniors from last year’s 8-17 squad, but junior Abbie Meyer and senior Julie Damman return.

Meyer, a second team all-conference player last fall, headlines the hitters after leading the team with 87 kills last season.

She also ranked second with 107 digs.

Her 49 ace serves ranked 10th in the Iowa Star Conference, too.

“I expect Abbie to step more into a leadership role this year,” Wesselink said. “Last year, she did great in all aspects of the game, but I really expect her to stand out on the court this fall.”

Damman was the team’s setter last fall. She ranked fourth in the conference with 194 assists and finished with 16 kills, 56 digs and 17 aces.

Damman was 145-of-

161 in serves for a percentage of 90.1.

Wesselink said Damman could be the team’s setter again, but she’s also being worked in at hitter.

This year’s roster features seven seniors, four juniors, eight sophomores and 10 freshmen.

Besides Meyer and Damman, senior Evelyn Boothroyd, junior Adison Bonney and sophomore Caydence Sulzle saw varsity action last fall.

Boothroyd takes over as the team’s libero after posting 24 digs and 16 aces last season.

Wesselink said Sulzle also will play a significant role in the back row.

Bonney could have a role on the front row after registering 45 kills, 13 digs and nine blocks last fall.

Baxter 2023 Varsity Volleyball Schedule

Aug. 22 — Belle Plaine, 6:15 p.m.

Aug. 26 — Colfax-Mingo tournament, 9 a.m.

Aug. 29 — Lynnville-Sully, 7 p.m.

Aug. 31 — Colo-NESCO, 7 p.m.

Sept. 5 — Martensdale-St. Marys, 7 p.m.

Sept. 7 — Collins-Maxwell, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 11 — Madrid Quadrangular, 5 p.m.

Sept. 12 — BCLUW, 7 p.m.

Sept. 18 — Valley Lutheran, 7 p.m.

Sept. 23 — BGM tournament, 9 a.m.

Oct. 3 — North Tama, 7 p.m.

Oct. 5 — GMG, 7 p.m.

Finding the hitters after Meyer and potentially Damman and Bonney is still a work in progress for the Bolts’ coaching staff.

Oct. 7 — BCLUW tourney, 9 a.m.

Oct. 14 — ISC tourney at North Tama, 9 a.m. Home matches in bold

“We are still working on deciding who the hitters are going to be,”

Wesselink said. “There are a lot of good girls who could play in these roles.”

Troy Hyde/ Newton News Baxter senior Julie Damman ranked fourth in the conference last season with 194 assists and finished with 16 kills, 56 digs and 17 aces.

Ranked Richardson headlines Baxter cross country teams

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

It’s not uncommon for a member of Baxter’s cross country team to have preseason expectations.

The Bolts have had their fair share of individual success the past several seasons.

The latest to have those expectations is junior Matt Richardson, who begins the season ranked 26th in Class 1A after competing in his first state meet last fall.

“Matt has been training

hard all offseason,” Baxter head cross country coach Dennis Vaughn said. “He certainly wants to be all conference and qualify for state again with an even higher placing in Fort Dodge.”

Richardson headlines a Baxter boys’ squad which goes eight deep.

Logan Jones is the lone senior, while Logan Rainsbarger, Austin England and Hudson Bethards join Richardson as the juniors.

Maddox Peters is the lone sophomore and Vaughn

brings in a pair of freshmen in Max Handorf and Dakota Parker.

Handorf was the middle school conference champion as an eighth-grader last fall.

The Baxter girls are headlined by junior Zoey Gliem, who was an all-conference runner last season.

The Bolts have four total runners though as senior Regan Russell, junior Emie Tuhn and freshman Lauren McKibbin round out the roster.

“Zoey has led the team thus far and wants to return as an all-conference runner and put herself in a position to be a possible state qualifier,” Vaughn said.

The boys squad placed fifth at the Iowa Star Conference meet last fall and were 10th at the state qualifier.

Richardson took third, Jones was 19th and Rainsbarger took 20th at the ISC meet.

Richardson advanced to

Baxter 2023 Varsity Cross Country Schedule

Sept. 2 — Pella, 9:30 a.m. (Central College)

Sept. 7 — Colfax-Mingo, 4:30 p.m. (Kelly Fields)

state following a sixth place finish at the Bolts’ 1A state qualifier. He was 55th at the state meet in Fort Dodge and begins this season ranked 26th.

“The boys’ team has certainly improved from where we were a year ago,” Vaughn said.

“Not only do the runners look stronger, there is a noticeable determination. With the new freshmen and some of the veterans performing at a higher level, this is a more competitive team and one with higher expectations.”

Gliem joined Richardson as an all-conference finisher for the second straight season last fall as she was fifth at the ISC meet. Tuhn placed 15th, but the girls did not have enough runners for a team score.

At the state qualifier, Gliem was the closest to qualifying in 27th.

Tuhn has not yet been able to run due to an injury, but Vaughn said the junior has been biking and will return to full capacity soon.

Sept. 11 — South Tama County, 4:30 p.m. (STC HS)

Sept. 14 — Colo-NESCO, 4:30 p.m. (Dakins Lake)

Sept. 19 — West Marshall, 4:30 p.m. (Lincoln Valley GC)

Sept. 25 — Nevada, 4:30 p.m. (Indian Creek CC)

Sept. 30 — South Hardin, 9:30 a.m. (Pine Lake CC)

Oct. 3 — Dike-New Hartford, 4:15 p.m. (Fox Ridge GC)

Oct. 12 — Iowa Star Conference meet, 4:30 p.m. (TBA)

Oct. 19 — State qualifier at TBD, 4 p.m.

Run

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Doland (30th), Murillo (37th), Arnold (45th) and Buchli (56th).

The Cardinals placed fifth in the meet but four runners posted season-best times.

The rest of the field includ-

ed three teams ranked in the top seven.

“There’s no better motivator than burning regret, the ‘what ifs’ can keep a runner up at night,” Weeks said. “Both maturity and determination have been driving us and we have a very heavy upperclassmen team.

“The team has been im-

pressing me by both our dedication to off-season training and another boost in team numbers.”

The roster goes 24 deep and half of them are seniors. There are six juniors, one sophomore and five freshmen.

Doland and Zaabel have been working hard to pace with Menninga during sum-

“Zoey did more work over the summer and is ahead of where she was last year,” Vaughn said. “Regan Russell is solid as always and

mer running and Arnold and Buchli also talk about how they use him for pacing, according to Weeks.

The closer the rest of the Cardinals are to Menninga, the better their chances will be to get back to state.

“We need to set measurable and obtainable goals where we can plan specifically how

a great leader. We could certainly be stronger as a team, but with only four girls, unfortunately, we will still not score.”

Contact

we can achieve them,” Weeks said.

“State just so happens to always be at the end of that discussion. It needs to be an established norm, a standard we want to create.”

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

Troy Hyde/ Newton News Baxter junior Matt Richardson, right, is a two-time all-conference runner for the Bolts and he also advanced to the Class 1A state meet last season.

Troy Hyde/Newton News Junior Zoey Gliem headlines the Baxter girls’ cross country team after earning all-conference honors the past two seasons.

L-S football reloads after run to state semifinals

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

Nineteen wins. Three losses. And a trip to the UNIDome last season.

The Lynnville-Sully football team has had quite the run the past two seasons.

But with so many seniors graduating from last year’s 11-1 state-semifinal team, the Hawks have a lot of unknowns heading into 2023.

“When you graduate a lot of seniors, it takes time to gel as a team,” veteran L-S head football coach Mike Parkinson said. “It takes time to get the plays down. I think we can be a tough team to knock out though.”

While there will be several new players in the starting 22, a handful of Hawks are back after playing significant roles the past two seasons.

Senior Corder Noun Harder headlines the roster. The school’s record-setting tailback ranked third in Class A last season with 1,896 rushing yards.

Noun Harder’s 27 rushing touchdowns ranked third, his 11.1 yards per carry was fifth and he also hauled in 13 passes for 160 yards and two scores.

But it doesn’t end there. Noun Harder, the district’s offensive MVP and first team all-state utility player last season, led Class A with three punt return touchdowns and took a kickoff back for a score, too.

“He’s one of our featured players and he’s now our leader,” Parkinson said. “The guys look at him to be at the front of everything we do. We are excited to get to coach him another year.”

Senior C.J. Nikkel is Noun Harder’s primary backup, but he gained 437 yards and scored five touchdowns on 42 carries last season. Junior Austin Larson also could get varsity snaps at tailback and wide receiver.

Parkinson said Nikkel, who was an honorable mention all-district player last year, is super important and provides the offense with versatility.

Junior Lannon Montgomery returns as the team’s starting quarterback, but the Hawks have a second quality option in senior Lucas Sieck.

Montgomery was a second team all-district utility player after throwing for 918 yards and 15 TDs last season.

Sieck made his biggest impact last year as the team’s kicker. He was a first team all-district selection at the position after making 41-of-49 extra points and connecting on 1-of-3 field goals.

The biggest changes on offense come at wide receiver and on the offensive line.

Senior Keegan DeWitt is back as the team’s tight end but also could carry the ball more this fall. He was a first team all-district tight end last fall.

The other pass catchers are senior receiver Blake Van Wyk and sophomore receiver Jack Bowlin and senior tight end Mitchell Miller and junior tight end Terran Gosselink. The only returning starter on the offensive line is sophomore Dawson James. He will

man one of the guard positions.

Junior Carson Maston is expected to start at one of the tackle spots.

Seniors Davis Utech and Isaac Vos will compete for the starting spot at center.

Vos, seniors Sam Philby and Karter Smead and sophomores Ben Squires and Wyatt Mathis are competing for the other spots.

Last year’s Hawks led Class A with 74 touchdowns. They ranked sixth with 2,915 rushing yards and eighth with 4,955 total yards.

The defense was tops in Class A in sacks (26), tackles for loss (107) and fumble recoveries (19) and ranked second with 16 interceptions.

This year’s defensive line features ends Maston, Miller, Philby and Mathis and the tackles are Utech, Squires and Vos.

“We will use multiple de-

fenses depending on our opponent,” Parkinson said. “We will fit with what we are seeing.”

The Hawks’ top four tacklers in 2022 graduated, but James moves to inside linebacker after collecting 39 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, two sacks and three fumble recoveries last fall.

James was a second team all-district defensive lineman last season.

Gosselink is the other starter at inside linebacker, while Van Wyk and Nikkel are expected to start at outside linebacker.

Mathis will play edge and Sieck could see time at outside linebacker.

Nikkel finished with 34.5 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries and one interception last fall.

Gosselink finished with 20 tackles and two picks, while Van Wyk chipped in 14 tackles.

The secondary welcomes back Noun Harder and DeWitt.

Noun Harder will play free safety after registering 30 tackles and leading Class A with two pick 6s last season. DeWitt added 22 tackles and four picks.

Bowlin will play either free safety or cornerback and the other cornerbacks are Montgomery, Larson and sophomore Landyn Fisk.

The Hawks (11-1 last year) open the season at home against Danville and also play at Class 1A Pleasantville in non-district action.

Pleasantville was 4-5 last season but made the playoffs.

Troy Hyde/Newton News

Lynnville-Sully senior Corder Noun Harder, right, was a first team all-state utility player last season after ranking in the top 10 in Class A in several offensive categories. Also back for the Hawks this fall are junior quarterback Lannon Montgomery (6) and sophomore lineman Dawson James.

L-S volleyball hopes large senior class leads to winning record

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

With 10 seniors on this year’s roster, Lynnville-Sully head coach Kyra Smith is hoping to get her Hawks volleyball program back on track this fall.

Despite two straight losing seasons, L-S has a lot to be excited about with a roster full of experienced depth and talented players across three different classes.

“With 10 seniors, I will be using all 14 player spots this year so the girls know each night might look a little different,” Smith said. “Individually, we may not have any of the strongest players in our conference, but I think we have some opportunity to come together with some really great

Lynnville-Sully 2023 Varsity Volleyball Schedule

Aug. 22 — BGM quadrangular, 5:30 p.m.

Aug. 24 — Home quadrangular, 5 p.m.

Aug. 29 — Baxter, 7 p.m.

Sept. 5 — Iowa Valley, 7 p.m.

Sept. 11 — Colfax-Mingo, 7 p.m.

Sept. 14 — HLV, 7 p.m.

Sept. 16 — North Mahaska tournament, 9 a.m.

Sept. 18 — Montezuma, 7 p.m.

Sept. 21 — BGM, 7 p.m.

Sept. 25 — North Mahaska, 7 p.m.

Sept. 30 — Newton tournament, 8:30 a.m.

Oct. 2 — Sigourney, 7 p.m.

Oct. 3 — Iowa Valley, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 5 — Keota, 7 p.m.

Oct. 9 — SICL Tourney Pool Play at TBA, 5 p.m.

skills and see some good success this year.”

Headlining the 10 seniors are hitters Alexy Conover, Aubree Arthur, Natalie Roberts and Paige James and defensive specialist Carsyn McFarland.

Conover, who was an honorable mention all-conference selection last year, ranked first in the South Iowa Cedar League with 447 digs last fall and was eighth with 52 aces. She also tallied 102 kills and served at a 90 percent clip.

Arthur registered a teambest and ranked eighth in the conference with 186 kills. She also posted 112 digs and 13 blocks.

James finished with 89 kills, 110 digs and 30 aces and Roberts chipped in 213 digs and 38 aces. James served at 92.4 percent, while Roberts had a serve percentage of 91.5.

Smith said Conover, Arthur and Roberts will be in the mix for outside hitters and James, senior Majesta Vos and sophomore Tatum Huyser are competing for spots in the middle.

Vos tallied 38 kills, 12 assists, 45 digs and 20 blocks last fall.

Oct. 12 — SICL Tourney Bracket Play at TBA, 5 p.m. Home matches in bold

Reloads

Continued from Page 16

The schedule also includes four other postseason teams in Madrid (6-3), Mount Ayr (8-2), Central Decatur (4-5) and Martensdale-St. Marys (4-5).

with 149 digs and 25 aces last fall, while Jones added 134 digs. McFarland’s serve percentage was 94.5.

Senior Elise Alberts and junior Alaina Roberts are competing for time at setter. Both will see action at the position if the Hawks decide to play a 6-2.

Alberts led the Hawks and ranked seventh in the SICL with 360 assists last season. She also tallied 29 kills, 278 digs and 37 aces.

Alaina Roberts had 10 assists and 24 digs as a sophomore. Alberts’ serve percentage was 97.2, which ranked second in the SICL among those who served at least 20 times.

Last year’s Hawks were 7-26 overall and 2-8 in the SICL. L-S had a kill efficiency of .101 and a serve percentage of 92.6.

McFarland and senior Morgan Jones are in a preseason battle for the libero position.

McFarland finished

Central Decatur moves down from 1A and Martensdale-St. Marys is back up from Class 8-man.

North Mahaska is back on the schedule for a Week 2 rivalry matchup.

The Homecoming game is with Mount Ayr, which lost to L-S in the second round of the

“We have really been working on accurate passing so that we can get and keep the ball in play and ultimately have a shot at scoring through a kill or aggressive tip,” Smith said. “Serving has always been important to us and we do well with that, but adding some aggressiveness/strategy to our serves has been an area of focus.”

The rest of the large senior class includes Abby Roberts and Selah Schnell and junior

playoffs last season.

“We always feel like we have a shot to win meaningful games,” Parkinson said. “We’ll know a lot more as the season progresses. There’s always someone who sneaks up and surprises us. With so many new pieces, each week has to be the biggest game on our

Jakeira Hay and sophomore Kate Harthoorn round out the 14-player varsity roster.

“The basic fundamentals are there for our large group of 10 seniors, but constant reps is important and likely something we would be doing with or without such a large

schedule. We want to be at our best late in the year.”

Lynnville-Sully is getting some preseason buzz in the state rankings. Parkinson welcomes the respect from outsiders.

“We’ve never treated that stuff like a distraction,” Parkinson said.

Troy Hyde/ Newton News

Lynnville-Sully senior Alexy Conover, who was an honorable mention all-conference selection last year, ranked first in the South Iowa Cedar League with 447 digs last fall and was eighth with 52 aces.

group of seniors,” Smith said. “I look for their leadership and love for the game of volleyball to bring us success this year.”

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

“We want to be a top-10 program every year. If we want that, then we’d better work our tails off. It looks good, but you still have to put in the work.”

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

Key veterans highlight L-S cross country teams

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

Last year’s Lynnville-Sully cross country teams featured three returning state qualifiers and all three Hawks competed in the state meet multiple times.

This year’s group of Hawks will be much younger, but Lynnville-Sully does welcome back a 2022 state qualifier and junior Olivia Norrish hopes to become the latest harrier to compete in Fort Dodge multiple times.

“Olivia had a tremendous season last year,” long-time L-S head cross country coach Darin Arkema said. “She is looking to build off that and accomplish more this year.”

The L-S girls’ team features just four runners right now.

Senior Brooke Conover and Norrish are the returners. They are joined by freshmen Peyton Sharp and Emma Parkinson.

Junior Hendrick Lowry headlines the boys’ team after coming up just short of the state meet last season.

Sophomores Will Conover and Ethan Dunsbergen are the other returners. Six freshmen join the squad, including Colton Alberts, Evan Arke-

Lynnville-Sully 2023

Varsity Cross Country Schedule

ma, Jordan Dunsbergen, Luke Morningstar, Keegan Schnell and Blake Wimesmeier.

“Our group has looked good through the first three days of official practice,” Coach Arkema said. “We had a real consistent turnout all summer for our team running and lifting days.

“Brooke is our lone senior (boy or girl), and has already welcomed a bigger role in being a leader for this team. She is one of the best encouragers on our team and a tough competitor.”

The L-S girls placed second in the South Iowa Cedar League for the sixth straight season last fall.

Norrish finished behind graduated Hawk Greenlee Smock as the SICL runner-up.

There will be a new female SICL champion for the first time in five years and Norrish hopes to keep that title at Lynnville-Sully.

Sharp comes into high school after a successful junior high career. She will compete with Norrish for the No. 1 spot on the squad.

at a high level. Yet, it’s frustrating to not have gotten into that top spot, and so the quest continues to put in the work and try to make this year one spot better.”

Aug. 29 — Williamsburg, 4:30 p.m. (Williamsburg Rec Center)

Sept. 2 — Pella, 9:30 a.m. (Central College)

Sept. 5 — Grinnell, 4:15 p.m. (Ahrens Park)

Sept. 11 — Pleasantville, 5 p.m. (Pleasantville Golf and CC)

“Right now, we need to get at least one more girl on our team for us to be able to score as a full squad,” Coach Arkema said. “But I don’t want that to deter from the four girls we currently have and the work they need to be putting in.

Sept. 14 — Home invitational, 4:30 p.m. (Diamond Trail GC)

Sept. 19 — Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, 4:30 p.m. (HS)

Sept. 26 — Williamsburg, 4:30 p.m. (Williamsburg Rec Center)

Oct. 2 — North Polk, 5 p.m. (HS)

Oct. 10 — SICL meet at Montezuma, 4:30 p.m. (Big Springs Shooting Complex)

“The girls have been locked into that conference runner-up spot, which isn’t all together bad because they have been consistently able to perform

Both Hawk squads were fifth at last year’s Class 1A state qualifier. Norrish qualified for state in seventh and Lowry was 12th, which was two spots back of the final berth. Norrish ended up 59th in her first state meet.

The L-S boys also placed second at the SICL meet. Lowry was one of three Hawks in the top five as he finished fifth. He looks to move into the top spot after James Gruver and Zach Morningstar were lost to graduation.

“The boys are similar to the girls in that it will be a changing of the guard,” Coach Arkema said. “James and Zach certainly were our

top two runners the last four years. Now it’s time for others to step up and compete for those positions. Clearly, Hendrick is our top runner. His time trial was more than 1:30 faster than last season and for perspective, faster than James or Zach ever ran in their four years.”

Lowry is in just his second cross country season. Will Conover and Ethan Dunsbergen are the only other runners with high school experience.

“The boys team overall is young, with no seniors and 2/3 of the group being freshman,” Coach Arkema said. “Ethan looks well ahead of where he came into the season last year.

“Then we have a group of freshmen who may shuffle around in their finishing order or have somebody in the mix firmly take hold of a po-

sition. Right now, Colton (Alberts), Blake (Wimesmeier), Evan (Arkema), and Keegan (Schnell) don’t have a lot of time that separates them so we’ll learn more as we move closer to competition.”

Coach Arkema begins his 21st season as L-S head cross country coach. Anna Arkema begins her third season as assistant coach.

“Our word or theme for this season that you will see is GAINS. It stands for ‘Go All In Never Settle,’” Darin Arkema said. “To gain something means to obtain it, secure it and increase it. One day and practice at a time, one meet at a time and one week at a time, we want Lynnville-Sully cross country to be about GAINS.”

Contact Troy Hyde at

641-792-3121 ext. 536

Troy Hyde/Newton News Lynnville-Sully juniors Olivia Norrish, left, and Hendrick Lowry are both back for the Hawks’ cross country teams after placing in the top five at the South Iowa Cedar League meet last season. Norrish also qualified for her first Class 1A state meet.

Rise

Colfax-Mingo

junior Shae Wilkins is back for the girls’ cross country squad after running up front last season. She was 10th at last year’s conference meet and 14th at the state qualifier.

Seek

Continued from Page 6

Besides the top five boys from last year, Colfax-Mingo also welcomes back seniors Austin Lane and John McGill. Sophomore Sully Wilkins and freshman Mario Rodriguez also could compete for a varsity spot.

Tomas expects the girls’ top five to shift throughout the season.

Wilkins led the way last year but senior newcomer Addie Schroeder could compete for the No. 1 spot.

Senior newcomer Rachael Uecker and junior returner Devan Chadwick could battle for the next two positions.

The girls’ roster also features sophomore returners Lilyan Hadsall, Bi-

anca Lane and Mallory Sipma. Sophomore newcomer Evalyn Anderson and freshman Claire Hunsberger, who transferred in from Newton, also could compete for varsity spots.

“Numbers are back up. I’m excited to see where things end up,” Tomas said. “There is usually a big jump from sophomore to junior year so we hope to take another step forward.”

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

Colfax-Mingo 2023

Varsity Cross Country Schedule

Aug. 31 — Ottumwa, 4:30 p.m. (Wildwood Park)

Sept. 7 — Home invitational, 4:30 p.m. (Kelly Fields)

Sept. 11 — Pleasantville, 5 p.m. (Pleasantville Golf & CC)

Sept. 14 — Colo-NESCO, 4:30 p.m. (Dakins Lake)

Sept. 19 — West Marshall, 4:30 p.m. (Lincoln Valley GC)

Sept. 28 — West Central Valley, 4:30 p.m. (WCV MS)

Oct. 2 — North Polk, 5 p.m. (North Polk HS)

Oct. 5 — Montezuma, 4:30 p.m.

(Big Springs Shooting Complex)

Oct. 10 — SICL meet at Montezuma, 4:30 p.m.

(Big Springs Shooting Complex)

Oct. 19 — State qualifier at TBD, 4 p.m.

Home meet in bold

Continued from Page 11

Cody Klein is rotating with the varsity at safety and the backup corners are Payne and sophomore Nick Thomason.

Last year’s Newton defense ranked second in 3A with 15 interceptions and eighth with 64.5 tackles for loss.

Senior Christian Lawson is back after earning Special Teams District MVP last fall. He was 1-of-2 in field goal attempts and 9-of-9 in extra points.

But Lawson’s biggest impact came on kickoffs where he ranked second in 3A with a school-record 38 touchbacks.

He’s also the team’s punter after averaging 32.3 yards on his 12 punts last season.

Lawson will take over full-time duties on field goals and extra points, too. Lampe was the primary kicker for those last year.

Build

Continued from Page 13

Cainan Travis brings back a team-most 42.5 tackles and Samson had 38 tackles.

The defensive line rotation includes end Bishop, nose tackles McFadden and Smith and sophomore hybrid Cael Wishman. Junior Jack Anderson also could rotate at both nose tackle and end.

Luther said they have six guys for the three down linemen spots.

The secondary also is deep. Senior Ashton Kerwin, Robinson, Dee, Beck and Vansice are competing

“That’s one of the biggest hidden weapons you can have in a football game,” Swedenhjelm said about the touchbacks.

“If you can almost guarantee the ball will get kicked into the end zone and expect the other team to start at the 20 every possession, that’s huge.”

One of the biggest focuses this offseason for Swedenhjelm and his coaching staff was how to address playing against physical teams.

All three losses in 2022 — Cedar Rapids Xavier, Cedar Rapids Washington and Carlisle — came against teams which rely on their physicality.

“We took a step in the right direction last year, but can we be consistent with our play against those teams,” Swedenhjelm said. “Can we not let a team intimidate us? How do we rise to the occasion every single week? We’ve talked about those things a lot. We want

for the corner positions.

Sulzle and Treyton Travis are competing at the safety spots and Kerwin could start at the cash position.

“We have 23 guys out this year and it’s kind of fun to have 14-15 legit players we can rotate in,” Luther said. “We are ahead defensively from where we have been even in past years. We have some good components on defense, and the offense will be young until we figure out what our identity is and who comes to the forefront.”

Montezuma is the only team on the Bolts’ schedule which had a winning record last year. The Braves reached the quarterfinals and finished 9-3.

Newton 2023 Varsity Football Schedule

Aug. 25 — ADM, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 1 — Dallas Center-Grimes, 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 — Norwalk, 7 p.m.

Sept. 15 — at Marshalltown, 7 p.m.

Sept. 22 — Bondurant-Farrar, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 29 — Pella, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 6 — Carlisle, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 13 — Gilbert, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 20 — at Des Moines Hoover, 7:30 p.m. Home games in bold

to play with no fear. You don’t win championships by being scared. You have to play hard and fast all the time.”

The physical teams Newton will have to beat to win the district in 2023 include Carlisle, Bondurant-Farrar and Pella. Gilbert also runs a wishbone offense.

“If we want to win our district, we have to be a tough, physical team,” Swedenhjelm said. “Our district is tough. It’s a survival of the fittest kind of thing.”

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

Colo-NESCO (4-5) and Audubon (4-6) both were playoff teams and Fort Dodge St. Edmond was 4-4.

The rest of the eightgame slate features 3-5 Coon Rapids-Bayard, 3-5 Collins-Maxwell and 3-5 Glidden-Ralston.

“We have never been in a district that’s so evenly matched,” Luther said. “We probably have five or six teams that can make the playoffs and four who can win the district. You know how it will play out in past years, but it’s hard to predict that this year.”

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

Troy Hyde/ Newton News

Jump

Continued from Page 3

“We can’t be tentative and get into our own head. We have to compete and try to win the point every time and if you don’t, then compete to get the next one,” Coach Woollums added.

Joining outside hitters Ahn and Woollums in the front row will be senior middle hitters Chloe Rorabaugh and Hailey Sumpter and senior right-side hitter Haylie Ryan and junior right-side hitter Macy Lampe, who also is the team’s starting setter.

Lampe finished with a team-most and ranked eighth in the conference with 269 assists. She added 38 kills, 116 digs and 10 blocks and she was 129-of-139 in serves.

Newton 2023 Varsity Volleyball Schedule

Aug. 22 — Cardinal Early Bird invite, 4:30 p.m.

Aug. 24 — Lynnville-Sully quadrangular, 5 p.m.

Aug. 29 — Dallas Center-Grimes, 7:15 p.m.

Aug. 31 — GVC/North Polk, 5 p.m.

Sept. 5 — Pella Christian, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 12 — Norwalk, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 14 — DM Christian Invitational, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 21 — Grinnell, 7 p.m.

Sept. 26 — Indianola, 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 30 — Cardinal Invitational, 8:30 a.m.

Oct. 3 — Oskaloosa, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 5 — Gilbert, 7 p.m.

Oct. 10 — Pella, 7:15 p.m.

Oct. 12 — LHC tournament at Newton, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 17 — Regionals vs. TBA, 7 p.m.

Home matches in bold

Sumpter finished with 31 kills, 15 aces, 53 digs and a team-best 27 blocks. She connected on 95 percent of her serves, finishing 205-of216.

Rorabaugh ranked second behind Sumpter with 25 blocks and finished with 29 kills and 26 digs.

“I have been happy with all of their hitters,” Coach Woollums said. “I like how the setters are distributing the ball. Kadance and Delaney will get their sets, but our middles have come on. We want to be versatile and less predictable.”

The Cardinals’ varsity lineup will go eight to 10 players deep. Junior Addison Hook will be the second setter in the 6-2 formation and seniors Addison White and Gracie Clayton could see court time in the back row.

Ahn (29), Woollums (29), Lampe (23) and Swank (29) are expected to play all the way around.

That foursome and Rorabaugh (28) and Sumpter (29)

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played in at least 23 matches last season.

“I’m happy with where we sit as a junior- and senior-led group,” Coach Woollums said. “Consistency is huge in volleyball. The more consistent we play, the better we’ll be.”

The Cardinals have been participating in open gyms since the first week of June and the squad has been practicing consistently three hours a day since the calendar turned to August.

“If we take care of our jobs and control what we can control on our side, we’ll be able to compete,” Coach Woollums said. “You want them to have goals, but I don’t want them to be an end all, be all.”

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Return

Continued from Page 14

Wesselink identified the team’s kill efficiency last fall as something that needs to be better.

The Bolts’ kill efficiency in 2022 was .084.

“I felt like many times last year we were playing it safe and not being aggressive,” Wesselink said

Wesselink was a co-head coach at the start of last season but took over the full-time role midway through the fall.

“I told the girls at the beginning of this season last year was my learning year and our rebuilding year starts now,” Wesselink said.”

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com