Mt. Pleasant, IA- The end of one year and the start of a new one is the perfect opportunity to remind ourselves of how far we’ve come and all the athletic triumphs of our local schools. It’s day one of our “Year in Review” sponsored by Two Rivers Bank and Trust, meaning it’s time to go back to January of 2024.
The winter sport season was fresh out of Christmas break when the Holy Trinity Catholic boys’ team, gearing at making a deep run in the postseason, rang in the new year a dominant 69-44 victory over Fairfield, which takes us to another game that featured the Trojans
At Mt. Pleasant high school, the Panthers’ girls’ basketball team was looking to continue their momentum from a win against New London and take down a Southeast Conference foe in the Trojans. After a defensive first half that saw Fairfield take an 18-12 lead, pandemonium ensued. After another comeback by the Panthers, the game hung on the aftermath of one more shot. Abby Carthey delivered in the biggest moment of the Panther season as she tabbed 13 points in the win.
At the same time, high school coaches nominated their best wrestler, and the IWCOA whittled the list down to the top 15 in each of the three classifications and the lone wrestler to make the list from southeast Iowa was Kaiden Dietzenbach of Burlington Notre Dame in Class 2A. It was a year of retribution for him after taking 3rd place at the tournament last year. We’ll catch back up with Burlington Notre Dame later on.
The Mt. Pleasant boys’ basketball team was continuing the good fortune from the year prior with wins against New London, Fairfield, and Wilton extending their win streak to 7 games, but a road conference game against Fort Madison proved to be a bit rocky. A 53-52 loss could have derailed a season, but Mt. Pleasant would preserve and take home another conference title.
While everyone was competing in the middle of January, Danville held a special ceremony, inducting former boys’ basketball head coach Ken Laffoon and the 2017-18 girls’ track and field team. Laffoon captained the Bears to two state championships and a handful of state tournament appearances as he was also inducted into the Iowa Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2019. The track and field team made history, collecting the program’s first state championship with four first place finishes.
Sticking with the theme of making history, Beth Goetz was announced to become the Director of Athletics at the University of Iowa, making her the first woman to hold the position at Iowa.
The court also produced a couple of record-breaking events at the end of January. Holy Trinity Catholic picked up a win on Homecoming night against New London, which saw junior Luke Hellige become Holy Trinity Catholic’s all-time leading scorer. WACO’s annihilation of Highland gave senior Hunter Hughes a chance to collect his 1,000th career point. At the collegiate level, Iowa men’s head coach Fran McCaffery picked up his 272nd career victory, the most in school history. Phenom Caitlin Clark etched her name in the history book with her 904th career assists, which made her Iowa’s and Big Ten’s all-time leader in assists. Audi Crooks became the first freshman in Iowa State history to be named Big 12 Player of the Week. Lastly, a couple more Crusaders made program history when Connor Gehling blocked his 117th career shot, and Adam Sobczak notched his 346th career assist in a 64-38 thrashing of Central Lee at the end of the month.
Yet, the two teams we really wanted to keep our eyes on were West Burlington, who was ranked 10th in Class 2A, led by Brady Martin, Quincy Collins, and Mason Watkins and #4 in Class 1A Winfield-Mt. Union, who was looking to continue a spectacular senior season.
Turning our attention to girls’ wrestling, we had 11 local wrestlers punch their ticket to the second year of sanctioned state wrestling: WACO’s Rylee Rice, Fort Madison had Mara Smith and Hailey Kemper, Josie Nelson and Lecet Quiroz of Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, Burlington’s Kiara Rodriguez and Shariah Hart, Jalyiah Gardner of Keokuk, Fairfield’s Samantha Lyons, and Wapello had Kenadee Helscher and Tatum Wolford attend the tournament. Wolford ended the two-day tournament with a win, defeating Lauren Luzum of Decorah to capture 7th place.
Sticking with wrestling, the boys’ held the Southeast Iowa Super Conference tournament where every point mattered and, ultimately, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union led by conference champions Russel Coil and Kason Dopler usurped the crown from Burlington Notre Dame by one point, 247-246, taking home their first conference championship in 13 years. Mediapolis had Kyler Crow and Parker Lange claim conference crowns along with WACO’s Louden Huisenga. We’ll hear some of these names again when we get to mid-February.
In other big news, the IHSAA and IGHSAU announced the addition of an Ambulatory Division to the Paralympic Class to go along with the Wheelchair Division. Moreover, Southeastern Community College brought back three-time national champion Joe O’Brien to head the athletic department, who plans to add even more programs to their resume.
February is truly when the pedal hits the metal as boys’ and girls’ basketball make their final lunges towards the state tournament and 42 state champions are crowned on the fourth day of the boys’ state wrestling tournament.
But before we dive into postseason basketball, the SEISC shootout crowed the Holy Trinity Catholic girls’ team as they beat up Lone Tree 50-26 and in a battle of the two ranked teams from the area, West Burlington nabbed their second consecutive title with a 45-38 win over Winfield-Mt. Union despite Cam Buffington’s 14 points. In the final note before postseason basketball, Holy Trinity Catholic’s Luke Hellige added some more hardware to the mantle by putting up 45 points, a school record, in a 107-46 win over Highland to also gather his 1,000th career point.
Girls’ basketball sets our postseason into motion and, appropriately, the first game on KILJ featured Danville’s quick, turnover-happy defense taking on a dangerous Burlington Notre Dame squad. Jaeda Molle and Kenna Furnald combined for 37 points as the Bears outscored the Nikes 20 to 8 in the third quarter to secure a 65-55 win and another round in the Region 7 bracket. Lauren Krieger scored 18 points as she finished her career with over 1,000 points.
WACO and #15 Holy Trinity Catholic also advanced past their first-round matchups, knocking out Hillcrest Academy and New London. Which leads us back to the boys’ side of the tournament as New London’s three-point shooting led the Tigers past Columbus in the District 9 preliminary round, 65-52. Brendan Richey cashed in for 16 points, which set them up for a first-round matchup with #4 Winfield-Mt. Union, who was ready to make a run.
Before we wrap up postseason basketball, we jump back to boys’ wrestling with their state qualifying matches to determine who would make the trip to Des Moines. Southeast Iowa had 27 local athletes punch their ticket to the state tournament with 11 claiming a district championship: WACO’s Louden Huisenga, Burlington Notre Dame had five athletes claim a district championship in Carter West, CJ Davis, Dietzenbach, Dirk Boyles, and Blake Wilson, Dain Burkhart and Cael McCabe of Fairfield, Ty Scorpil of Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, Washington’ Aaron Boone, and Braxton Hutchinson of Burlington.
Out of the 27 wrestlers that attended the state tournament, 12 placed within the top 10 at their respective weight classes. For Class 1A, WACO’s Gage Samo claimed 6th place, while Louden Huisenga finished as the runner-up in the 190-pound weight class.
Burlington Notre Dame enjoyed a successful four days as the team claimed 4th place with Dirk Boyles taking 8th place, CJ Davis finished in 4th place, Carter West grabbing the bronze, and Dietzenbach finishing his run with the silver.
For the SEC, Washington’s Aaron Boone took 4th place. Fort Madison had Nolan Riddle claim 4th place and Isaac Thacher nab 8th place. Cason Miller of Fairfield claimed 4th place, while Cael McCabe took the silver medal.
Lastly, Russel Coil of Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union finished out his senior year with a runner-up performance in the Class 2A 285-pound weight class.
Additionally, on championship Saturday, New London’s longtime head coach Mark Chiri was named to the IHSAA Wrestling Hall of Fame. In his 37 seasons, Chiri accumulated 468 dual meet wins, 111 state qualifiers, and 10 individual champions.
Bouncing back to playoff basketball, the Holy Trinity Catholic girls’ team continued their tear, holding their first two opponents to just 27 points after defeating English Valleys 49-13, setting up a regional semifinal matchup against Montezuma.
At the same time, the Danville girls’ team pulled off a convincing upset over Lone Tree 71-36 to up their win streak to 18 games. They would have to take on a tough Lynnville-Sully team to compete for a regional championship.
On the boys’ side in District 9, Burlington Notre Dame’s Shay Stephens led the Nikes to a 54-40 victory over WACO after scoring 13 of his 22 points in the third quarter. This set up a matchup against Winfield-Mt. Union who ran past Danville 61-40. In District 10, Holy Trintiy Catholic pummeled Moravia 55-29 behind a 20-point performance by Luke Hellige. The Crusaders were on a crash course for the substate championship game but first they had to take on North Mahaska.
While in Class 2A, West Burlington kept on winning, defeating Central Lee 76-59.
The Danville girls’ team would continue their dominant run, narrowly besting Lynnville-Sully 51-50 despite being down by as many as 16. The Bears would put their now 19-game winning streak on the line against Calamus-Wheatland with the winner advancing to the state tournament, while Holy Trinity Catholic would have their historic season come to an end against Montezuma as seniors Mary Kate Bendlage and Natalie Randolph combined for 31 points. The Crusaders finished the season with a 20-3 record.
In the Class 1A district championships, Winfield-Mt. Union found themselves against the ropes, losing to Burlington Notre Dame late in the fourth quarter. That was until the Wolves went on a 19 to 4 run to steal a 51-49 district 9 championship away from the Nikes.
In District 10, Holy Trintiy Catholic made the trip to Ottumwa to face off against North Mahaska and while the offense was on full display for the Crusaders, it was clutch defensive plays from Connor Gehling and Maddox Rung that put them over the top. Hellige led the Crusaders with 24 points in the 70-66 win, setting up a matchup in Fairfield against Winfield-Mt. Union with the winner making the trip to the Well in Des Moines.
Before we finish up boys’ basketball, we jump back to Danville as they attempt one more upset against Calamus-Wheatland. The Warriors took the lead into the second half, but the Bears would not give up. Unfortunately, the 19-game winning streak would end there in a 56-51 loss. Rylee Morris led the scoring with 16 points for Danville.
For the Class 1A Substate 5 championship, it was a defensive battle between two SEISC foes, but key buckets by Winfield-Mt. Union led to a 46-41 victory and their first trip back to the state tournament since 1996. Cam Buffington led the stat sheet with 18 points, while Holy Trinity Catholic’s senior big man Connor Gehling notched his 1,000th career point.
In Class 2A, West Burlington defeated Cascade for the substate championship, entering the state tournament with a perfect 22-0 record.
Before we march out of February, Mt. Pleasant’s Addie McGehearty, Bethany Drury, and Kya Goodrich each clinched a spot into the state bowling tournament, while Keokuk was looking to make a splash. Drury finished in 20th place and McGehearty and Goodrich took 28th and 29th, respectively. Keokuk grabbed not only the team title, but Jaelynn Ketterer also won the individual championship with Sophia Rule winning the bronze.
Additionally, there were some notable college signings. From WACO, Colton Leichty chose to continue his football career at Grand View University. He holds the career and season records for tackles for a loss and sacks for WACO in 8-man record. Chase Waterhouse made the decision to walk on at the University of Northern Iowa as he finished his career at WACO with 25 tackles for a loss.
A couple of Mt. Pleasant student athletes made their college decision with Reece Coffman joining fellow Panther Nate Dismang at Southeastern Community College to golf, while Angel Avila signed on to play soccer at Waldorf.
To end the month of February, Keokuk hired former Iowa Hawkeye wide receiver Marvin McNutt to take over head coach responsibilities for the Chiefs football program.
The start of March brought around the start of the boys’ state basketball tournament and in Class 1A, #4 Winfield-Mt. Union was ready for #5 Lynnville-Sully. Buffington continued his dominance, scoring 21 points as the Wolves buried their opponent 54-37 to advance to the semifinals where #1 North Linn was waiting.
In Class 2A, #4 West Burlington went on a streak in the third quarter, putting Treynor on skates entering the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, the Cardinals were too much, handing the Falcons their only loss of the season in a 73-63 final. Mason Watkins scored 22 points in the loss.
Winfield-Mt. Union played well in their semifinal match against the Lynx with Jake Edwards splashing five threes for 17 points, but North Linn walked away with the win 67-51. Buffington was named to the All-Tournament team for his 33 points and 16 rebounds in his two contests.
March was the month of featured student-athletes getting their flowers, so here’s the highlights from the All-Conference and All-State teams, starting with wrestling.
The girls’ SEC Wrestler of the Year was a shared award between Keokuk’s Jayliah Gardner and Fort Madison’s Mara Smith. Fairfield’s Samantha Lyons made the First Team and Mt. Pleasant’s Peyton Mowery earned Second Team All-SEC.
On the boys’ side, Fort Madison’s Nolan Riddle took home SEC Wrestler of the Year. Fairfield had Cael McCabe, Zandrik Allison, and Dain Burkhart earn a spot on the First Team, while Landon Beckler of Mt. Pleasant made the Second Team.
For bowling, Mt. Pleasant had McGehearty earn a spot on the All-Conference First Team for the girls’ team, while Kya Goodrich, Madelynn Millard, Shyann Smith, and Bethany Drury earned Second Team honors. On the boys’ side, Alec Payne and Keagan Ellington made the First Team for the Panthers, while Titus Reno made the Second Team.
Looking at girls’ basketball, Danville’s Jaeda Molle earned a spot on the All-District team as she averaged 13.8 points per game. Also claiming a spot on the All-District teams was Tatum Wolford of Wapello, Grace Holsteen of Mediapolis, Keokuk’s Kendra Boatman, the SEC Player of the Year, and Makenna Altgilbers. Lastly, Holy Trintiy Catholic’s Natalie Randolph and Mary Kate Bendlage were added to the list, as they both helped the Crusaders pick up their first 20-win season in over 20 years.
Savannah Hollander of Fairfield grabbed the final First Team All-Conference spot. 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.
For boys’ basketball, Payton Hagans was the star of the SEC, taking home a unanimous First Team All-Conference honor along with SEC Player of the Year. His 22.8 points per game ranks 5th in Class 3A, and 24th in the state of Iowa. Hagans also finished his career with 1,205 points. Also clinching a spot on the First Team for the Panthers was sophomore guard Christian Stacy. Senior Nate Stroud earned Second Team All-Conference as the anchor of the Panthers post-game. Receiving All-Conference Honorable Mention was Noah Lange and Avin Truong.
For the All-Substate Teams, the SEISC made their presence known with WACO’s Hunter Hughes, Luke Hellige of Holy Trinity Catholic, Jakson Lanz of Wapello, Burlington Notre Dame’s Liam Delaney, and Winfield-Mt. Union’s Cam Buffington and Abram Edwards each earning a spot in Class 1A with Wolves’ head Coach Klay Edwards nabbing Coach of the Year for Substate 5.
In Class 2A, West Burlington had two players make the team in Mason Wakins and Brady Martin, while head coach Cody VanFleet earned Coach of the Year for Substate 4.
In Class 3A, Mt. Pleasant’s Payton Hagans grabbed a spot on the All-Substate Team to go along with his SEC Player of the Year honors, while Jaxon Clark of Keokuk also nabbed a spot as he averaged a double-double for the season.
To round out the first quarter of the year, Caitlin Clark was named Big Ten Player of the Year, while becoming the all-time leading scorer in all of NCAA history. Iowa’s Clarissa Chun was named USA Today’s Women of the Yer Honoree for the state of Iowa as the two-time Olympian had led 15 student/athletes to the NCWWC National Championships.
Lastly, Pioneer Athletics awarded the Mt. Pleasant Community School District with the “2023 Fields of Excellence Award.” The program honors outstanding athletic fields and the hardworking field crews who diligently maintain them.
A quarter of excellence has come to an end, tune back in tomorrow as spring blooms into summer athletics. This has been Quarter 1 of a “Year in Review” sponsored by Two Rivers Bank and Trust.