Fairfield, IA- It’s not often two teams from the same conference collide to decide who will go to the State Tournament, but that’s what happened at Fairfield High School last night for the Class 1A Substate 5 championship. Defense ruled the night, and it was Winfield-Mt. Union that narrowly defeated Holy Trinity Catholic to advance to state 46-41.

The first quarter featured the two teams struggling to find open shots and off-line three-point shots. Luke Hellige scored four quick points to help the Crusaders take a 9 to 5 lead late in the first quarter, but an off-balance Gabriel Hemsworth three helped snare the game at 11 to enter the second quarter.

The second quarter completely belonged to the Wolves as Cam Buffington scored 10 of his game-high 18 points in the first half and helped Winfield-Mt. Union end the first half on a 12 to 2 run to lead 23 to 13.

For Winfield-Mt. Union’s head coach Klay Edwards–who was a key piece to the Wolves team that went to the state tournament in three straight seasons finishing in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th–defense is what his team prides themselves on,

“That’s kind of what we’ve hung our hat on all year. You know, sometimes you you’re not just, you’re just not putting the ball in the hoop, you know, like you’d like to. But you know, they kept fighting, you know, it got close there in the 4th, but senior leadership, you know, the guys did what they needed to do. And this time of year, you want to make just enough plays like that, it doesn’t matter if it’s one or thirty, you know. So just really, really good feeling for the boys.”

To start the second half, it was Holy Trinity Catholic making the early plays after two steals and quick buckets cut the lead to six, but Jake Edwards and Gabriel Hemsworth combined for five threes in the game and Edwards hit a big one to keep the Crusaders at bay.

Holy Trinity Catholic had an opportunity late in the third quarter to cut the lead down to seven after Layne Rung was fouled throwing up a three-pointer; however, he would go 1 for 3 at the line, cutting the deficit to nine, 36 to 27.

The Crusaders opened the scoring in the fourth quarter and went on a 9 to 2 run to cut the score to 38 to 36 with time running out as Layne Rung hit a three to finish the night with six points.

Yet, the seniors of Winfield-Mt. Union took over with Abram Edwards scoring four of his eight points in the fourth quarter as he collected two steals and two blocks. Gabriel Hemsworth made a free throw to give the Wolves a 44 to 39 lead with less than a minute remaining.

That’s when Crusader senior Conner Gehling made a lay-up to cut the lead to three and register his 1,001st career point. However, Buffington would secure the victory with some late free throws to give the Wolves the Substate championship.

A drenched coach Edwards talked about this senior class that has now made it to state in two sports,

“Relief and like, just complete satisfaction, I guess. So happy for these kids and their family. And the work they put in. And you know, to put this on top of going to the Dome in football, it feels really, really good and really special. And I’m just so proud of them. And I also feel really wet, but I’ll take that any day.”

Abram Edwards talked about the senior year he’s been able to enjoy with his teammates,

“It’s a lot of fun, I mean, all of these guys we’ve been playing together since we were little kids and just to do it with them is amazing.”

Holy Trinity Catholic’s all-time leader in blocks, Gehling, finished the game with 10 points and three blocks as the other senior for the Crusaders, Maddox Rung, cashed in for four points as head coach John Hellige was emotional talking about his two seniors,

“First of all, just amazing student athletes. Love and death. Thank him as my own kids, honestly. But, you know, starting with Maddox, definite glue guy this year. Talk about a guy that’s completely bought into the system. Team Captain, stat stuffer steals, assists, some points, rebounds. You know, he was playing that two guard and was our second leading rebounder. Just an amazing kid. Amazing human being. Gonna do great things in life. And then Connor, Galen’s just been, you know, the heart and soul of the team for four years now. three-year starter and 1000 points scorer, nobody works harder than Connor. He’s transformed himself into just an off the charts leaper, 5 or 6 dunks this year, and you know, just an amazing senior year and happy for those guys. And going to look forward to him doing big, big things in life.”

(Left to Right: Conner Gehling, Head Coach John Hellige, and Maddox Rung)

Holy Trinity Catholic finished the season with a 19-6 record.

The 20-2 Winfield-Mt. Union Wolves snatched the #4 seed and will face off against #5 Lynnville-Sully on Monday, March 4^th, at 12:15 pm for the Class 1A Quarterfinals. Coach Edwards plans on getting his kids to a college gym to practice in a similar atmosphere to Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, but also knows his seniors will be able to lead the team.

“Yeah, it’s just amazing, I’m blessed, you know, Coach McCarty’s blessed in football to have these type of kids and these families… You know, the right time for me, I guess, that I can rely on those guys and honestly like I do a little bit of coaching, but these guys know what they need to do and they just do it.”

KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will have the call with the pregame show at noon.

WMU Scorers: Buffington 18, Jake Edwards 11, Hemsworth 9, Abram Edwards 8

HTC Scorers: Hellige 16, Gehling 10, Layne Rung 6, Adam Sobczak 5, Maddox Rung 4

Girls’ State Basketball

The matchups are set for the state tournament with Class 5A and 3A set to tip-off the event on Monday, February 26th, at 10 am. Here are Monday’s matchups.

In Class 5A, #1 Johnston is looking to end their season undefeated as the Dragons get the day rolling against #8 Valley, who is 13-10 on the season. #4 Waukee and #5 Ankeny Centennial will follow that game at 11:45 am; Waukee won both matchups this season. #2 Davenport North will take on #7 Cedar Falls, who has just one loss on the season. Lastly, #6 Pleasant Valley’s attempt to repeat will be a tough one as they compete against #3 Dowling Catholic at 3:15 pm to start off their tournament.

Class 3A will aptly have three games on Monday night with their final game starting off the day on Tuesday, February 27th. At 5 pm, #1 Estherville Lincoln Central faces off against #8 Forest City. #4 Mount Vernon takes on #5 Harlan Community. #2 Des Moines Christian takes on #7 Benton Community to round out Monday night in a rematch of last year’s four-seed versus five-seed contest that saw the Bobcats come out on top. #3 Solon will compete against #6 Dubuque Wahlert on Tuesday morning at 10 am to finish up the Class 3A first round as there will be a new champion crowned.

Boys’ Substate Basketball

In Substate 5, Holy Trinity Catholic will take on Winfield-Mt. Union at Fairfield High School tonight at 7 pm with the winner advancing to state. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. 

Class 2A Substate 4, West Burlington will face off against Cascade tonight at Iowa City High at 7 pm. 

For Class 3A Substate 5, Keokuk will face off against Williamsburg in the substate final on Monday, February 26th, at 6:30 pm at Alliant Energy PowerHouse.

All-Southeast Conference Teams

The boys’ wrestling and girls’ basketball and wrestling all-conference teams were released and here is the breakdown. 

For boys’ wrestling, Fort Madison finished atop the conference standings finishing 5-0. The Bloodhounds touted five All-Conference 1st Teamers in Luke Vanderpool, Nolan Riddle, Isaac Thacher, Teague Smith, and Cory Arnett. Noah Swigart, Logan Pennock, Cade Goodrich, and Joe Hartman made the All-Conference 2nd Team. Riddle was also named SEC Wrestler of the Year. 

Washington finished in second with a 4-1 conference mark as All-Conference 1st Team in the 132-pound weight class Aaron Boone was the lone Demon to qualify for state. Caden Greiner and Chase Greiner were also tabbed 1st Team. Lane Schrock and Blaine Rees made the 2nd Team All-Conference list.

Fairfield’s 3-2 conference mark was helped along by 1st Team All-Conference members: Cael McCabe, Zandrik Allison, and Dain Burkhart. Aiden Westercamp, Cason Miller, Dre Smithburg, and Logan Johnson made the 2nd Team for All-Conference.

Burlington was led by Braxton Hutchinson, the lone state qualifier, and Adrian Perez-Hall for 1st Team All-Conference members as the Grayhounds nabbed a 2-3 record. Lathan Hand and Salomon Cordero garnered 2nd Team All-Conference honors. 

Mt. Pleasant’s lone win in conference came against Keokuk as Landon Beckler was the lone Panther to be named to the All-Conference list as he grabbed 2nd Team All-Conference for the 106-pound weight class. 

Lastly, Robert Howes for Keokuk was named 1st Team All-Conference in the 126-pound weight class as the Chiefs finished 0-5 in conference duals. 

Moving to girls’ wrestling, Fort Madison dominated with nine wrestlers being named to the All-Conference list. Hailey Kemper, Lucille Zimmerman, Briena Fenton, Mara Smith, Chloe Sokolik, Kat Diprima, Tatum Peers, and Sadie Brandon were all named 1st Team All-Conference. 

Burlington beat the Bloodhounds with 12 wrestlers being named to the All-Conference list with Aliya Snyder, Sarina Cline, Adrian Thorton, and Kiara Rodriguez making the 1st Team All-Conference list. Macklyn Palmer, Gracie Navarre, Kyra Nash, Sarah Cruz, Gemma Plummer, Lauren Briggs, Shariah Hart, and Mia Oddo grabbed 2nd Team honors. 

Fairfield and Keokuk each had two wrestlers on the All-Conference list. For the Trojans, Samantha Lyons nabbed 1st Team honors and Vianney Gonzalez grabbed 2nd Team honors. 

Keokuk was led by Jalyiah Gardner as she was also named CO-SEC Wrestler of the Year with Mara Smith. Jaylah Gardner grabbed 2nd Team All-Conference. 

Lastly, Peyton Mowery of Mt. Pleasant was named 2nd Team All-Conference.

The All-Conference list for girls’ basketball was released and Keokuk finished undefeated in conference play followed by Fort Madison at 7-3.

Keokuk, aptly, makes up three of the six spots of the All-Conference 1st Team in Makenna Altgilbers, Camryn Atterberg, and Kendra Boatman. Makayla Altgilbers and Irelynn Seay made the 2nd Team, while Allison Ames and Suzie Whitaker nabbed All-Conference Honorable Mention. 

Boatman was named SEC Player of the Year as she ranked second in points per game (18.6), and first in assists (5) and steals per game (4.4). 

Dayonna Davis was named All-Conference 1st Team for Fort Madison as Aijalynn Jenkins and Irelynd Sargent grabbed 2nd Team honors. Halle Menke and Hadley Wolfe were named All-Conference Honorable Mention. 

Mylee Stiefel nabbed 1st Team All-Conference honors for Burlington. Daphne Brown and Kylee Hill made the All-Conference Honorable Mention list. 

Savannah Hollander of Fairfield grabbed the final 1st Team All-Conference spot. Faith Jones and Briana Steele earned All-Conference Honorable Mention.

Mt. Pleasant’s leading scorer and the conference’s third best free throw shooter, Abby Carthey, nabbed 2nd Team All-Conference honors. Seniors Juliana Burns and Hailey Parrott were named All-Conference Honorable Mention.

Washington was led by Adalyn Long, who grabbed 2nd Team All-Conference, while Kendall Hinrichsen and Maci Williams made the All-Conference Honorable Mention list. 

College Basketball

The #4 Iowa women’s team will attempt to get back in the win column tomorrow, February 25th, at home against Illinois at noon.

The Iowa State women’s team will compete against BYU tonight at 6 pm.

The #6 Iowa State men’s team will host West Virginia today at 1 pm. 

The Iowa men’s team will travel to face off against #12 Illinois today at 1:15 pm. 

This Day in Sports History

1978 – Kevin Porter, NJ, sets a then-NBA record with 29 assists in a game.

1987 – LA Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scores his 36,000th NBA point in a 97-93 win over the Suns in Phoenix.

2013 – 55th Daytona 500: Jimmie Johnson wins his second Great American Race; Danica Patrick is the first female driver to start from pole position; also best-ever finish by a woman at Daytona (8th).

Mt. Pleasant, IA- The All-Conference list for the Southeast Conference for girls’ basketball was released and Keokuk finished undefeated in conference play as Fort Madison took second with a 7-3 record followed by Burlington at 6-4, Washington at 5-5, Mt. Pleasant at 2-8, and Fairfield ended the season winless in conference play. 

Keokuk, aptly, makes up three of the six spots of the All-Conference 1st Team in Makenna Altgilbers, Camryn Atterberg, and Kendra Boatman. Makayla Altgilbers and Irelynn Seay made the 2nd Team, while Allison Ames and Suzie Whitaker nabbed All-Conference Honorable Mention. 

Boatman was named SEC Player of the Year as she ranked second in points per game (18.6), and first in assists (5) and steals per game (4.4). 

Dayonna Davis was named All-Conference 1st Team for Fort Madison as Aijalynn Jenkins and Irelynd Sargent grabbed 2nd Team honors. Halle Menke and Hadley Wolfe were named All-Conference Honorable Mention. 

Mylee Stiefel’s conference leading 20.9 points per game nabbed her 1st Team All-Conference honors for Burlington. Daphne Brown and Kylee Hill, conference leader in blocks per game, made the All-Conference Honorable Mention list. 

Savannah Hollander of Fairfield grabbed the final 1st Team All-Conference spot as she ranked top five in the conference in scoring, assists, rebounds, and steals. Faith Jones and Briana Steele earned All-Conference Honorable Mention.

Mt. Pleasant’s leading scorer and the conference’s third best free throw shooter, Abby Carthey, nabbed 2nd Team All-Conference honors. Seniors Juliana Burns and Hailey Parrott were named All-Conference Honorable Mention.

Washington was led by Adalyn Long, who grabbed 2nd Team All-Conference, while Kendall Hinrichsen and Maci Williams made the All-Conference Honorable Mention list.

Academic All-Conference

Sophie Brown Burlington
Emma Rohrer Burlington
Keirah Wiseman Burlington
Aijalynn Jenkins Fort Madison
Katelyn Sissel Fort Madison
Taylor Johnson Fort Madison
Irelynd Sargent Fort Madison
Grace Lyon Fairfield
Haleigh Strickland Fairfield
Briana Steele Fairfield
Makayla Altgilbers Keokuk
Makenna Altgilbers Keokuk
Allison Ames Keokuk

Camryn Atterberg Keokuk
Irelynn Seay Keokuk
Suzie Whitaker Keokuk
Charice Auwerda Mount Pleasant
Juliana Burns Mount Pleasant
Hailey Parrott Mount Pleasant
Addison Peck Mount Pleasant
Kendall Hinrichsen Washington
Lauren Hinrichsen Washington
Taylor Bartholomew Washington
Jacey Berg Washington
Sadie Van Der Molen Washington
Maci Williams Washington

Mt. Pleasant, IA- The Southeast Conference (SEC) released the All-Conference list for girls’ wrestling and here’s the honorees.

Fort Madison dominated with nine wrestlers being named to the All-Conference list. Hailey Kemper, Lucille Zimmerman, Briena Fenton, Mara Smith, Chloe Sokolik, Kat Diprima, Tatum Peers, and Sadie Brandon were all named 1st Team All-Conference. 

Burlington beat the Bloodhounds with 12 wrestlers being named to the All-Conference list with Aliya Snyder, Sarina Cline, Adrian Thorton, and Kiara Rodriguez making the 1st Team All-Conference list. Macklyn Palmer, Gracie Navarre, Kyra Nash, Sarah Cruz, Gemma Plummer, Lauren Briggs, Shariah Hart, and Mia Oddo grabbed 2nd Team honors. 

Fairfield and Keokuk each had two wrestlers on the All-Conference list. For the Trojans, Samantha Lyons nabbed 1st Team honors and Vianney Gonzalez grabbed 2nd Team honors.

Keokuk was led by Jalyiah Gardner: 1st Team All-Conference, state qualifier, and CO-SEC Wrestler of the Year with Mara Smith. Jaylah Gardner grabbed 2nd Team All-Conference. 

Lastly, Peyton Mowery of Mt. Pleasant was named 2nd Team All-Conference.

Academic All-Conference

Lauren Briggs Burlington
Aashiqua Janmanchi Burlington
Alannah Peterson Burlington
Saydee Plummer (manager) Burlington

Emma Rohrer Burlington
Hailey Kemper Fort Madison
Chloe Sokolik Fort Madison
Jalyiah Gardner Keokuk