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Winter Sports - December 2014 u 2 Left to right: Coach Derek Howard, Corey Meek, Dylan Lawrence, Riley Martin, Mathew Ridnour, Alex Dailey, Gunnar Glasgo, Cody McClintock, Austin Woods, Ian Isaacson, Jaymn Vandusen, Cody Davis, Dalton Dalley, Dylan Buick, Shane Franks, Kaleb Knight, Coach Adam Wright
Trojans taking it one game at a time By JASON GLENN Sports Editor
2013-14 record: 5-18 Top returners: Ian Isaacson, jr., 12.0 ppg, 41.7% 3-pt, 37 assists, 38 steals; Gunnar Glasgo, soph., 7.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 20 steals; Austin Woods, sr., 6.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 12 blocks Up and comers: Jaymn Vandusen, soph., Cody McClintock, jr., Cody Davis, soph., Alex Dailey, jr. As a first-year coach of a team that won just five games last year, Derek Howard said he’s going to eschew early team goals for his Essex boy’s basketball squad and focus on the Trojans’ progress and potential with each game as
it comes. But with the top three scorers back, as well as a handful of greatly improved youngsters and role players, Essex also has the chance to sneak up on some people and maybe initiate a run with some inspired, confidence-building performances. The difference, early in this calendar, will come, Howard said, with the Trojans’ ability to reach a nine-deep rotation and to remain in control of not only the ball, but the pace of the ball game. Ideally a proponent of the fast-paced transition game, Howard said until he sees the bench support, he’ll coach a more deliberate half-court scheme designed to limit other teams’ scoring opportunities and set up Essex shooters like junior Ian Isaacson and hulking inside presence Austin
Woods, a senior. “When there’s a chance to run and we have numbers, we’ll run. But we don’t want to be running up and down like crazy and getting our guys all tired, so we’re going to slow it again but pick our spots to run,” Howard said. Isaacson was the Trojan’s top scorer last year and can drive the lane as well as bomb threes in rapid succession. Woods has the size and surprising quickness to dominate in the paint, Howard said, if he can stay under control and fine tune a mid-range jump shot. Adding to the Trojans’ scoring potential is sophomore Gunnar Glasgo, the second-leading scorer as a freshman and a threat in a variety see ESSEX B-BB, Page 16
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3 u Winter Sports - December 2014 Left to right: Coach Jay Soderberg, Asst. Coach Jamie Vanatta, Amelie Moos, Abbie Lindburg, Ashlyn Keeler, Johanna Teverus, Ausha Gay, Daiton Martin, Sara Skalberg, Kym Graham, Amber Ohnmacht, Bethany Johnson, Anna Carlson, Jescenia Mosley, Peyton Brammer, Kelsi Leininger, Ciara Burnison, Devan Gray, Manager Cheyenne Gray, Manager July Johnson
Trojanettes turning the page with youth infusion By JASON GLENN Sports Editor
2013-14 record: 8-13 Top returners: Kym Graham, sr., 7.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 40 steals; Jescenia Mosley, soph., 6.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 23 steals; Ausha Gay, jr., 4.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 25 steals Up and comers: Daiton Martin, fr.; Ciara Burnison, soph.; Peyton Brammer, fr. With the last remnants of a longtime corps of familiar varsity faces, the Essex girls’ basketball team had high hopes in 2013-14, but encountered uneven terrain in the
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opening weeks and didn’t find their footing until a lateseason surge. This season, Coach Jay Soderberg wants his Trojanette lineup consisting of a couple experienced upperclassmen and some young, precociously skilled players to make it a bit more steadily through the hazard-rich runup to winter break. “I know last year it started rough for us and it was hard to dig ourselves out of that hole. We got our second wind at Sidney right after Christmas. To be above .500, that’s one of our team goals this year. We want to be second in conference and we want to go farther than we did last year in playoffs,” Soderberg said. Leading the charge for Essex will be seniors Kym Graham and Amber Ohnmacht. Graham, an established all-
around standout, has seen big gains from off-season efforts and Ohnmacht, the Corner Conference leader in blocks this past volleyball season, brings newfound confidence into her final hoops campaign. But driving the Trojanettes’ aspirations for a new era are freshman Daiton Martin, sophomore Jescenia Mosley and junior Ausha Gay, aided by a number of young and eager role players. Martin, who began her varsity career with an auspicious eight-grade softball debut this summer, continued with an all-conference volleyball effort and now enters what is arguably her best athletic season. Running point, the agile and lightning-quick Martin will see ESSEX G-BB, Page 16
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Winter Sports - December 2014 u 4 Front row, left to right: Bridger Nebel, Nate Hoyt, Garrett Clark, Harley Martin, Austin Larson, Ivan Zammarron, Skylor Rice, Jacob Wilson. Middle row, left to right: Kyle Owens, James Valquier, Colton Leece, Brody Bopp, Jake Johnson, Armando Valquier, Cole Nebel, Nick Dickerson. Back row, left to right: John Laughlin, Taylor Rogers, Jonah Baldwin, JD Lewis, Timmy Baldwin, Tim Rogers, Hunter Rice
Mustang wrestlers rally around junior core By JASON GLENN Sports Editor
A nucleus of talented and proven juniors, a slew of promising underclassmen and the surprise addition of some raw
and gritty seniors are the recipe for the 2014-15 Shenandoah wrestling team’s aspirations in the season to come. But instead of focusing on postseason goals, Mustang coach Todd McGinnis wants his athletes to approach the campaign one increment at a time. That’s what he told the
assembled wrestlers prior to an early morning workout one week after winter practices had begun. “I want them to build on something. That’s why I said, see MUSTANG WRESTLING, Page 17
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5u Winter Sports - December 2014 Front row, left to right: Nate Laughlin, Beau Malcom, Adam Todd, Lane Goodman, Sam Phillips, Jason Rusten. Back row, left to right: Parker Powers, Derek Swanson, Brandon Meston, Tristan Melgoza, Spencer Phillips, Nate Hardisty, Colton Dodson, Mackenzy Lang
Knights making quick change from gridiron to hoops By JASON GLENN Sports Editor
2013-14 record: 12-11 Top returners: Tristan Melgoza, jr., 9.4 ppg, 54.1% fg, 3.9 rpg, 33 assists, 30 steals; Mackenzy Lang, sr., 7.8 ppg, 37.5% 3-pt, 3.5 rpg, 65 assists, 51 steals; Sam Phillips, soph., 6.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 43 assists, 33 steals, 34 blocks Up and comers: Parker Powers, fr., Jason Rusten, jr., Colton Dodson, jr., Spencer Phillips, sr. Success on the gridiron has spelled challenge on the hardwood for Fremont-Mills as the Knight basketball team, many members of which were padded up in the 8-man football state title game two practices prior the first basketball scrimmage, scrambles to prepare for the season. Obviously, there is no shortage of athletic talent in the F-M student pool and skill does extend to the basketball court. But among the hurdles the Knights have to clear if
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they hope to be in the Corner Conference mix are shaking off the shooting, dribbling and passing rust, transitioning to the more cardiovascular demands of basketball conditioning and, maybe most important of all, jelling as a team and knowing their roles and responsibilities. “That’s the kind of thing that we want to build here early in the season because, as of right now, we don’t have that group that plays really well together,” Coach Mike Wood said. “They’re all athletic and can play, but we don’t play well together yet.” One F-M player who’s had plenty of individual preparation time is returning scoring leader Tristan Melgoza, a junior. Melgoza rides motocross in the fall and comes into the season in the best hoops shape of anyone, which will be crucial for the Knights as they attempt to make up for the graduation of their top two point-getters from last year. Least likely to have trouble finding his wind after football is senior Mackenzy Lang, an all-out, every-play speedster who led to the team in three-point percentage, assists and
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steals in 2013-14. Two sophomore standouts, Sam Phillips and Parker Powers, will look to continue their nascent all-star careers. Phillips was one of the area’s top freshmen last season and has every tool in the cabinet at his disposal, and Powers is an electric athlete, capable of dazzling highlight-reel displays at any moment. Bringing all those parts in sync could make the Knights a truly thrilling team to watch and dangerous to line up against. Not quite as dynamic, but possessed of the kind of innate floor chemistry Wood is seeking are juniors Jason Rusten and Colton Dodson. Emulating their cool, in control and mutually alert presence on the floor is something the coach said would do wonders for his other players. Playing into the question of how to build chemistry, he added, is looking for any one of these talented players will rise to the role of team leader. see FREMONT-MILLS B-BB, Page 16
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Winter Sports - December 2014 u 6
Front row, left to right: Jenna Nelson, Macy Williams, Bailey Hauschild, Ashleigh Rusten, Promise Saufley, Taryn Williams. Back row, left to right: Joni Laughlin, Justine Meston, Clara Schaaf, Haylee Chambers, Andrea McClary, Delaney Langfelt, Kelsey Hurley, Tiffany MeyerNot pictured: Addie Kemp
Lady Knights on their own state quest By JASON GLENN Sports Editor
2013-14 record: 5-18 Top returners: Macy Williams, sr., 18.5 ppg, 38.5% 3-pt, 167 assists, 79 steals; Taryn Williams, sr., 16.0 ppg, 33 3-pts, 78 assists, 52 steals; Andrea McClary, sr., 11.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 28 blocks, 31 steals Up and comers: Jenna Nelson, soph., Joni Laughlin, jr. Cheering on the Fremont-Mills football players as they battled through the semifinals and into the eight-man championship game at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls took a considerable bite out of the Lady Knight basketball team’s preseason practice schedule. A pair of ten-hour trips and overnight stays for the early morning contests meant four missed opportunities for the F-M girls, but Coach Rod Williams said the experience may actually pay dividends for the team in the end. “Winning and being on top of anything is contagious, so even though we’ve had less practice I think it hasn’t hurt us because the girls are really supportive of the boys’ side,” he
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said. “The girls are saying,’Well, now we’ve got to do it.” Making a charge at their own state tournament appearance and even a deep run is certainly an attainable goal for the seventh-ranked Lady Knights. With essentially the same core quartet of players over the last three seasons, the team reached the Regional semifinals two years ago and were poised for a postseason push last year until scoring leader and eventual second team All-State selectee Macy Williams went out with mononucleosis after the first round. Without Williams, the F-M girls still made it back to the semis, but didn’t have the firepower to overcome a Stanton squad she had led them past in a Corner Conference Tournament championship game for the ages just a month before. It’s a safe bet that, now a senior, the ultimately competitive Williams will remain on the court until the last tick of the 2014-15 season clock, even if she has to chew her own leg off to do so. That kind of drive was evident in Williams and her three senior teammates – Taryn Williams, Andrea McClary and
Kelsey Hurley – as the longtime starters battled Class 2A Regional semifinalist Tri-Center in a game-scenario scrimmage on Nov. 25., overcoming a halftime deficit with a second-half surge that netted a 42-38 victory. But along the way, Rod Williams said his daughter’s and her teammates’ desire to do everything perfectly almost fouled up the works. Despite having regained the lead late in the fourth quarter, the girls’ on-court body language betrayed their frustration and disappointment, so the coach called a timeout to give them a little talking-to, he said. “I told them, ‘This is the fourth quarter, we’re up and we’re going to win. So go out and do your job,’” Williams said. “And then they went out and ran off six points.” So that worked. Which is good. Unless you’re another member of the Corner Conference, something the Lady Knights are a clear favorite to win this season.
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7 u Winter Sports - December 2014
Front row, left to right: Zane O’Neil, Cody Raymer, Quentin Charbonneau, Sean Kellogg, Tyler Hoyt, Austyn Wittrock, Nate Martin. Second row, left to right: Matt Regan, Austin Perrin, Torrey Nelson, Tucker Jones, Alex Stripe, Devon Ashenfelter. Third row, left to right: Chris Hendon, James Poppa, Aaron Whitslar, Chase Hiser, Reece Kriefels, Ryan Niccolli. Back row, left to right: Alec Bengston, PJ Kriefels, David Long, Niko Martin. Not pictured: Abel Baldwin
Shen bowling ready to reach beyond By JASON GLENN Sports Editor
The first two seasons of the Shenandoah bowling program offered more drama, competitiveness and accom-
plishment than any effort still in its start-up phase should be allowed. Almost all of that built-in bowling readiness was thanks to a popular youth league in Shen and the proper training young bowlers have received from the tender age of four onward.
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Winter Sports - December 2014 u 8
Blue Devil boys bent on finding ways to finish By JASON GLENN Sports Editor
2013-14 record: 8-14 Top returners: Tyler Beam, sr., 13.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 53 assists, 25 steals; Carter Jennings, soph., 8.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 15 blocks; Austin Thompson, jr., 7.7 ppg, 30 3-pts, 34 assists, 26 steals; Chad Blank, jr., 6.2 ppg, 89 assists, 34 steals, 13 blocks Up and comers: Josh Haning, jr., Eric Charbonneau, jr., Ben Phillips, jr. Over the past couple of years, in both football and basketball Nishnabotna has held the unfortunate distinction of being the hardest working team with a losing record. On too many occasions to think about, the Blue Devils have been close to victory only to see it slip away for some reason other than the total expenditure of their available energies. Nishnabotna boys’ basketball coach Nick Hodges wants to end that trend. Returning all but one player from last year’s squad, and enjoying a host of talented younger players under the leadership of two of the area’s best all-around senior athletes, Hodges said he’s already addressed the issue of finishing strong and, happily, the boys who played on the football team ended their season in just such a fashion. “We talked a lot about competing and not playing not to lose. You’ve got to play to win; you’re expecting to win. And I think this year it’ll be a lot different because we have Front row, left to right: Mason Hodges, Johnathan Manchester, Josh Bockert, Bryson Duncan. Middle row, left to right: the experienced guys and they’ve started to develop that Austin Thompson, Austin McFarland, Jared Williamson, Chad Blank, Ben Phillips, Matt Stenzel. Back row, left to right: mentality,” he said. “You saw that at the end of the football Josh Haning, Andrew Welch, Tyler Beam, Eric Charbonneau, Carter Jennings, Josh Lehman Not Pictured: Stephen McGee, Tylur Powell, Treyton Gubser
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By JASON GLENN Sports Editor
9 u Winter Sports - December 2014
Nish girls want to be in the thick of it
2013-14 record: 8-12 Top returners: Anne-Marie Maher, 7.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 19 steals; Kennedy Hughes, jr., 6.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 22 steals; Maryn Phillips, soph., 3.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 15 blocks Up and comers: Madi Moores, soph., Kenna Voyles, jr., With a pretty even split between upperclassmen and lowerclassmen, the Nishnabotna girls’ basketball team would appear to be divided along an experience vs. ambition kind of axis. Except that some of the Blue Devil sophomores bring back a sizable amount of game time and all the seniors and juniors have as deep a competitive fire as the day they first slipped on a varsity uniform. Coach Blair Holman said he’s excited about the talent Nish brings to the table this season and wants to get as many girls out on the court as possible to see what combinations work to the best effect. In order to find their way into the possibly crowded upper ranks of the Corner Conference, he said they’ll have to come into the season with an eye toward pushing the action. “We’re going to have to be aggressive on the perimeter and find ways, whether we’re shooting or not, to make yourself a threat,” he said. “That will open some things up in the middle. Don’t hesitate, be confident in what you’re doing and knock the shots down.” A sizable amount of pressure regarding the team’s perFront row, left to right: Anne-Marie Maher, Jacy Hendrickson, Sam Moran. Middle row, left to right: Madi Moores, Hannah formance this year falls on the broad shoulders of senior Boeser, Emily Welch, Cailee Kingery. Back row, left to right: Kennedy Hughes, Blu Ossian, Kenna Voyles, Maryn Phillips
see NISHNABOTNA G-BB, Page 18
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Winter Sports - December 2014 u 10 Front row, left to right, Kolton Birkby, Craig Rice, Dakota Moss, Hunter Rasmussen, Anthony McCart, Tate Thompson, Cory Myers. Back row, left to right, Calder Rasco, Christian Brumbaugh, Frank Faust, Haydn Meier, Bret Blackburn, Broc Hansen, Robert Benson, Logan Gaylord
Warriors set for season-long battle By JASON GLENN Sports Editor
In wrestling, when the going gets tough, the tough load up their regular season schedule with the toughest dual meets and tournaments they can find. That’s Southwest Iowa coach Bob Rasmussen’s philosophy, anyway. “I explained to the boys it is a tougher schedule, but that’s kind of what I wanted, to build it up and get us ready for sectionals because it’s going to be a tougher sectionals this year,” he said. “They know they’ve got their work cut out for them.” The Warriors had a fantastic day at the Sectional tournament in Bedford last year, sending six wrestlers through
to the penultimate Districts the following week in Greenfield. But that’s where the noose tightened considerably, only one of them, junior Craig Rice at 113 pounds, nabbing one of the top two spots to advance to his second state appearance. This year, SWI heads north to Neola for their Sectional showdown, facing a more demanding lineup that includes teams like East Mills, Logan-Magnolia, St. Albert and Underwood. Finish in the top two there and you get to move on to the Underwood District tournament, adding powerhouses OA-BCIG, Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto and Woodbury Central, among others, into the furnace. With five of last year’s District qualifiers – seniors Rice, Dakota Erickson, Bret Blackburn and juniors Kolton Birkby and Hunter Rasmussen – back on the mat this season
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and hungry to make it one step farther down the line, Rasmussen said he hopes to pave the way with challenges and competition designed to forge an iron will. “It’s going to be a tough road to state but it should make state seem a bit easier once you get there, I hope,” Rasmussen said. Birkby, Rice, Rasmussen and Erickson will make up the Warrior’s potent lineup at the lower weight classes, though Bob Rasmussen said they will likely be up a bit from 201314 so as to maintain a more natural body composition. Holding 113 was an ongoing struggle for Rice, in particular, he said and he would rather that the senior three-time hopeful step out there well nourished at 126 than drained and depleted. Erickson, a new arrival in the program last year, spent his off-season competing in regional tournaments, Rasmussen said, and enters his final campaign knowing what he needs to work on to make it all the way to the big show. Blackburn, fresh off the Fremont-Mills football team’s stellar showing that made it to the UNI-Dome show, arrived days later at wrestling practice smack on his 220-pound weight and raring to close his great career at state, as well. One Warrior who fell short of the District cut, but looks to remedy that in his senior season is Haydn Meier. Like Blackburn, a first team all-state football lineman, Meier see WARRIORS WRESTLING, Page 16
11 u Winter Sports - December 2014 Front row, left to right: Nick Stanley, Mason Silence, Dustin Lembrick, Gage Kelso, Augustin Bauchot, Gavin Sickler, Devon Perkins. Middle row, left to right: Jared Blake, Josh Simkins, Jordan Miller, Michael Cisneros, Jake Cerven, Dalton Stoaks, Ryan Ruzek. Back row, left to right: Trent Finnegan, Brian Fischer, Steven Martin, Issiah Reed, Makonn Anderson, Payden Anderson, Austin Fichter, Joe Blake, Jesus Zammaron
Mustangs ready to be on the radar, take turnaround farther By JASON GLENN Sports Editor
2013-14 record: 13-11 Top returners: Makonn Anderson, jr., 17.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 57.5% fg, 26 steals, 16 blocks; Payden Anderson, sr., 14.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 40 3-pts, 80 assists, 36 steals;Jake Cerven, jr., 7.1 ppg, 44 assists, 26 3-pts Up and comers: Jordan Miller, soph., Steven Martin, soph. To say the Shenandoah boys’ basketball team experienced a turnaround in 2013-14 would be an understatement of considerable proportions. In crafting a 13-11 record, the Mustangs not only produced the program’s first winning season in a generation,
they surpassed the combined win total of the previous six years. They also broke a lengthy drought in Hawkeye 10 competition, notching four of those victories against conference foes, and made the final one, a 66-43 win over Red Oak in the District Tournament opener, a home-crowdpleasing, historic playoff win for the program. With the renaissance has come increased expectation, Coach Jason Shaffer said, and increased visibility on opponents’ regular season radar. “The bar is pretty high. There are a lot of people around, I think, who expect them to do well and that creates a different atmosphere,” he said. “You’re not going to sneak up on anybody.” To prepare for that challenge, Shaffer and his staff have also raised the bar on what they expect from a roster that returns all but one player from last year. Practices are gru-
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eling, non-stop gauntlets with the purpose of conditioning for an all-out, four-quarter effort every night and mental blunders in the midst, patiently corrected in the past, are now grounds for a lap or two after the session is over. It’s a lesson that the team learned early in their breakthrough 2013-14 campaign. After getting run off the floor in the second half by Harlan in their second game, they pushed through the wall a week-and-a-half later on the road at Lewis Central, falling short of an upset but showing they could hang if the effort was there. “We learned that we can play with anybody, we just have to play for four quarters,” Shaffer said. “We can’t have those dips where we let up or slow down. We have to play at our highest level all the time to compete with the teams that we have to play.”
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Winter Sports - December 2014 u 12
Fillies not shying from loftiest goal By JASON GLENN Sports Editor
2013-14 record: 17-6 Top returners: Serena Parker, sr., 17.1 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 73 blocks, 25 steals, 61.7% fg; Sydney Nielsen, sr., 11.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 89 assists, 41 steals, 19 blocks; Logan Ehlers, soph., 10.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 40 blocks Up and comers: McKaya O’Neil, soph., Abby Wiegel, sr., Jessica Jackson, fr.
Front row, left to right: Kylee Connell, Chelsy Bright, Abby Wiegel, Heidi Fichter, Janey Jones, Fatima Zamarron. Middle row, left to right: Caroline Ritchey, McKaya O’Neil, Karmyn Pickens, Jaime Runyon, Olivia Denton, Faith Dailey, Stacie Fischer. Back row, left to right: Jaslynn Parker, Jessica Jackson, Sydney Nielsen, Serena Parker, Logan Ehlers, Madeline Pritchett, Hannah Dailey
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There’s the high-ball approach to sales and the low-ball and Shenandoah girls’ basketball coach Jon Weinrich chose the former for his pitch to the Fillies at their annual awards banquet last year. Correctly forecasting the team would enter 2014-15 among the top ten in Class 3A, Weinrich didn’t shy away from altitudinous expectations in telling his girls they had the talent and opportunity to make a run at the biggest prize of all. What that kind of goal-setting required, he said, was an off-season of diligence and effort and, judging by what he said he’s seen so far, the buy-in was all but unanimous. The Fillies’ starting five – seniors Serena Parker, Sydney Nielsen and Jaime Runyon and sophomores Logan Ehlers
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SHENANDOAH BOWLING Continued from Page 7
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most notably, the great difference between bowling on their “home” natural wood surface at Little Waite Lanes and on composite lanes elsewhere. This year, Coach Amy Zwickel wants to move deliberately past those perceived barriers. “This is our third year, we’re stepping it up. We kind of
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know what to expect,” she said. “We really want them to focus on the prize, which is Districts, and concentrating on bowling out of town in different conditions, that’s still what we stress a lot.” Making it past merely a good regular season record and into the state meet has been a goal of Zwickel’s since the program’s inception, but her emphasis this season on Mustang and Fillie bowlers exercising their own initiative to go to away locales prior to meets and scout the surface condisee SHENANDOAH BOWLING, Page 17
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13 u Winter Sports - December 2014
Front row, left to right: Ashley Henderson, Erin Henderson, R’Donya Nelson, Samantha Racine, Justine Marsh, JaCee Hogue, Destiny Archer, Cheyanne Jones. Back row, left to right: Keegan Nelson, Paige Schebaum, Allie Gluck, Maddie Mortimore, Hailey Mutchler, Taylor McGargill, Devinne Moore. Not Pictured: Amber Oldham, Makayla Zimmerman, Shania Mather, Lexie Keeler
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Winter Sports - December 2014 u 14
Front row, left to right: Jake Gilson, Weston Doty, Cody Dupre, Sergio Rodriguez, Erick Rodriguez, Cameron Whitehead, Blane Moreland. Middle row, left to right: Chase Reed, Jacob Sederburg, Zach Benedict, Simon Lefebrve, Brad Clark, Christian Slater, Caleb Behrends. Back row, left to right: Devon Graham, Emmett Gilson, Dylan Lucas, Jacob Cain, Michael Coates, Marcus Guldader Not pictured: Gavin Driskell, Seth Lewis
Cowboys No. 2 and trying harder By JASON GLENN Sports Editor
2013-14 record: 18-7 Top returners: Jacob Cain, sr., 16.6 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 58 steals, 79 blocks; Michael Coates, sr., 10.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 76 assists, 64 steals; Erick Rodriguez, sr., 8.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 71% free throw Up and comers: Chase Reed, soph.; Cameron Whitehead, fr., Sergio Rodriguez, fr. The Sidney boys’ basketball team has almost everyone back from a season ago, a season in which the Cowboys beat all but one school in the Corner Conference at least once and separated from the pack to clearly rank as the
second-best squad in the area. Of course, unfortunately, the best team, East Mills, also has the majority of their players returning from a campaign in which they stood head and shoulders above everyone else and handed Sidney more than half of their seven total losses. To make a dash past the potent Wolverines, the Cowboys will rely on four longtime starting seniors and a cast of talented underclassmen and up and comers. Jacob Cain and Michael Coates have four years of varsity experience apiece heading into the 2014-15 calendar and Erick Rodriguez and Blane Moreland each enter their third, the quartet bringing sage understanding of Sidney’s fast-paced, hard-press mentality to bear on the court. Coach Kent Larsen said they have spent the preseason laying down expectations and opening doors for next genera-
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tion Cowboy stars Chase Reed, a sophomore, and freshmen Cameron Whitehead and Sergio Rodriguez. “They want to win. That’s their goal. And anybody that can help them achieve that objective, they welcome with open arms,” he said. Cain is one of the best all-around players in the Corner, a threat beyond the arc as well as in the paint, and Coates runs the Sidney offense with fire and confidence. Rodriguez is a scorer and rebounds well beyond his height and Moreland can pull defenses to the perimeter as well as execute the kind of lockdown containment the Cowboys are known for. Complementing the veterans are the trio of athletically gifted youngsters, Reed having broken into the varsity rotation as a freshman last year and Whitehead see SIDNEY B-BB, Page 19
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15 u Winter Sports - December 2014
Front row, left to right: Kenna Nennemann, Kira LeMaster, Alexis Hall, Quinn Sheldon, Lexy Larsen. Middle row, left to right: Sarah Daly, Tori Guess, Mackenzie Daffer, Shea Sears, Lindie Strickler, Cassidy Hobbie, Mariama Dicko. Back row, left to right: Kayleigh Hutt, Mackenzie Wake, Hannah Sederburg, Kenzie Hulsing, Morgen Maher, Liz Lang, Masen Maher
Juniors looking to lead Cowgirls to upper echelon By JASON GLENN Sports Editor
2013-14 record: 11-11 Top returners: Lexy Larsen, jr., 7.8 ppg, 47 assists, 36 steals; Mackenzie Hulsing, Soph., 7.0 ppg, 56 assists, 62 steals, 4.5 rpg; Morgen Maher, soph., 6.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 21 steals
Up and comers: Mackenzie Wake, fr.; Cassidy Hobbie, fr.; Liz Lang, fr., Sarah Daly, fr. While Fremont-Mills is favored fairly well to front-run Corner Conference girls’ basketball this season, the team poised to make the biggest leap is the same one that sternly challenged the Lady Knights’ preeminence in volleyball at the end of October.
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The senior-less Sidney girls showed their athletic ability and team cohesion in a gutsy, never-say-die 2-3 loss to eventual Regional finalist F-M in that season-ending second round match and look to parlay the pronounced stepup into a basketball campaign that elevates to the upper ranks of the conference. “When you look at the schedule, you’ve got a lot of good teams and a lot of good athletes, but I see a lot of heart and a lot of talent and a lot of determination on the floor behind me,” second-year coach Kristen Humphries said of her Cowgirls. “There’s nothing we can’t handle this year, I don’t think.” Calling her squad “seamless” for their close on-andoff-court friendships as well as their acumen at reading each other in the midst of competition, Humphries said her starting five of juniors Lexy Larsen, Mackenzie Daffer and Kenna Nennemann and sophomores Mackenzie Hulsing and Morgen Maher may not be tree-toppers, but see SIDNEY G-BB, Page 16
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ESSEX G-BB Continued from Page 3
look to set up shooters Graham and Mosley while Gay and Ohnmacht apply their talents to moving the ball briskly and holding opposing offenses in check. Somewhat undersized as a team, the Trojanettes will rely on Ohnmacht’s defensive ability in the lane as well as taking advantage of turnover opportunities and resulting fast break points. Rounding out a bench that Soderberg hopes will make Essex nine or ten deep out of the gate are a number of girls with great potential, including junior Bethany Johnson, sophomore volleyball standout Ciara Burnison and freshman Peyton Brammer, a big key to the junior
FREMONT-MILLS G-BB Continued from Page 6
Beyond the known scoring threat of Williams and Williams, the dominating inside presence of McClary and the stifling defensive pressure wrought by Hurley, F-M will enjoy the talents of experienced sophomore Jenna Nelson, all-around junior athletes Haylee Chambers and Delaney Langfelt and, after her probationary period ends over Christmas break, talented East
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they more than make up for it in grit, scrap and determination. Larsen is the explosive scorer, Daffer the vocal, emotional, 100-mile-per-hour bulldog, Hulsing steadies at the point with confidence and calm, while NelsonMaher adds length, a deft touch and a darting move to the hoop and Nennemann offers protection in the paint and power in the post. Put it all together with promising, all-around athleticism from freshmen Mackenzie Wake, Cassidy Hobbie, Liz Lang and Sarah Daly and the Cowgirls have Humphries thoroughly thrilled about
FREMONT-MILLS B-BB
high team’s success last year. With Fremont-Mills the likely team to beat in the Corner Conference, and Sidney and Nishnabotna looking solid as contenders, the Trojanettes will have to attend to fundamentals and accomplish the little things that add up to wins in close games if they want to realize upward mobility, Soderberg said. “I think it’s going to take a lot of hard work. A lot of those games, where all of these teams are kind of bunched together like it was in volleyball. I think it’ll come down to who boxes out, who gets the loose balls, who can make their free throws at the end of the game,” he said. “I think that’ll be very important this year to separate an over .500 team from a team that only has four or five wins.”
Mills junior transfer Joni Laughlin. With that kind of ammo lying around, it’s easy to see why the Lady Knights have set their ambitions so high but, all the same, they don’t necessarily need to put pen to paper, Rod Williams said, to keep the target in sight. “We pretty well know our goals. We’re all on the same page without writing it down and discussing it for half a practice,” he said. “Their expectations are high, my expectations are high, anything less than doing the very best we can and going as far as we can is just not acceptable.”
their prospects for the season to come. But the thing that may come to define this year’s Sidney squad came early in the preseason, she said, on a grueling, unglamorous day dedicated to diving for loose balls and learning how to take a charge. Absorbing repeated encounters with knees, elbows and the unforgiving hardwood floor – many of which would become battle-token bruises and abrasions over the following days, the ‘Girls not only did their duty, Humphries said, they did it with relish. “At the end of the drill they were like, ‘Aw, we’re done? Well, can we go play football or something.’ They were pumped, they were ready to go, they were super enthusiastic,” she said.
hard,” he said. The most interesting and unexpected development Continued from Page 5 for the F-M basketball team might be at least part of the answer to that question. Just a week before the sea“Who can step up and who can get the attention of their son started, senior Spencer Phillips, a wrestler for the teammates and get them to fulfill their roles and work past three years, abruptly changed course and decided to return to hoops for the first time since eighth grade. While rust, conditioning and court awareness are definitely early season issues for Phillips, the all-state linebacker gives the Knights a commanding physical presence in the paint and still has the speed to run the floor if needed. Office of Glenwood State Bank Not to mention the invaluable experience of taking a team to the top. “That’s going to be the biggest thing,” Wood said, “to Member get a nucleus of guys that are all playing for the comFDIC mon goal.”
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ESSEX B-BB Continued from Page 2
of ways, including beyond the three-point arc. Sliding into the starting point guard role following a freshman year in which he saw more and more time as the season progressed will be Jaymn Vandusen. As Vandusen’s quickness and ball handling ability will dictate Essex’s offensive opportunities, juniors Cody McClintock and Alex Dailey and sophomore Cody Davis will greatly affect the Trojans’ outcomes with aggressive efforts on defense. Building depth will be the key for a turnaround, Howard said, and looking around the Corner Conference, there are a ton of teams with not only ta lent to spare, but years of experience to boot. ”I know there’s a lot coming back in the conference as a whole and there are a lot of seniors this year,” he said.
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will compete at 190 for SWI and comes back stronger and with better body control than last year, Rasmussen said. Heading to the Tri-Center Sectional will certainly be a hurdle for the aspiring Warriors, but their tough-minded coach said they shouldn’t want it any other way. “If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best at some point,” he said. “Get those matches out of the way and find out what we’re about.”
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Continued from Page 13
tions could be the difference between going undefeated at home and going beyond the first postseason round. They certainly have the personnel to get it done. With a combined 43 bowlers out for her boys’ and girls’ teams, Zwickel has had to go to alternate practice days, biting into overall lane time but increasing the amount of personal attention she and husband/assistant coach Zac can give kids. Returning from last year’s varsity Mustang team, and hoping to reach the next step, are juniors Chase Hiser and Tyler Hoyt and Nishnabotna senior Quentin Charbon-
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‘Go look at last year.’ They can look back and say, ‘Okay, I had 10 takedowns. I want 11, I want 15, I want to double my total,’” he said. “Just something small that they can kind of guide themselves toward instead of taking on the whole season. Little things they can accomplish.” It’s a balance, to be sure, McGinnis added, because he understands how vital those Sectional, District and State tournament goals are to his guys, particularly senior veteran Nate Hoyt and juniors Jake Johnson, a 40-match winner, JD Lewis, with more than 30 victories last year, and 20-match winner Brody Bopp, but he also knows that a succession of smaller accomplishments has a powerful way of leading to big ones.
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neau. Hiser brings back the high average at 174.6 with a 231 high game and 419 high series and Hoyt sits just a miniscule notch below with a 174.5 average, 215 high game and 391 high series, Charbonneau earned a 156.5 average with a 236 high game and 379 high series. On the Fillies’ side, the lineup is even brighter, with a core group of juniors enmeshed with the team since it was first offered in their freshman years. Allie Gluck (151.0, 215, 373), Justine Marsh (158.2, 222, 437) and JaCee Hogue (161.2, 217, 410) have held the standard for the team and eagerly await the opportunity to fly it higher. Joining them from Essex are senior Sam Racine (129.8, 183, 347) and sophomore Destiny Archer (137.3, 225, 376). With high potential on both teams, the mind-over-mat-
Hoyt, a tireless worker who improves with every season, leads a senior class with experienced returners Jonah Baldwin and Austin Larson and first-time, football-oriented convert James Valquier. Valquier, joined by junior Taylor Rogers in a late-career wrestling debut, is as tough as they come on the gridiron and brings that mentality to the mat, McGinnis said. The two have the potential to bolster the Mustangs’ upper-middle weight classes if they can keep pace with a steep learning curve. “It’s a lot to take in. I know we’re throwing a lot of stuff at them,” McGinnis said. “It’s not easy, especially at this age, to jump in but we’re trying to start them off slow.” Shoring up the middle will be key to the team’s dual meet hopes as the Mustangs surrender a combined four bouts at the top and bottom with the start of every competition. Hoyt will be up a bit at 120 or 126 and Bopp and
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ter elements of the sport are really what will determine if the Mustangs and Fillies learn quickly how to hold their composure and adjust to new situations before matches slip away. “Especially the more experienced kids, boys and girls both, they’re confident and they know what they need to do, they’ve just got to do it,” Zwickel said. “If we stick together and encourage each other and keep up the good work with that, I think we’ll succeed. We’ve just got to work hard.”
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Johnson will follow in the 130-145 classes. Colton Leece, another junior who split time on the varsity and JV squads last year but showed huge potential with some step-up wins, can shift around the 160s to 190s, and Lewis will return to 182 with his hard-nosed effort to put up valuable points, often in crucial moments late in a match. The sophomore class holds a number of keys to Shen’s success in some of the lighter classes. Skylor Rice will come in at the low end of the scale, bringing a great work ethic to his 113-pound efforts, and Bridger Nebel looks to rebound from a frustrating, injury-riddled freshman season last year with his full potential. Ivan Zamarron and Armando Valquier, James’ younger brother, also have shown huge upside and determination, McGinnis said, and should figure into the mix as the schedule plays out. Essex and Nishnabotna will figure well into the Mustang makeup, sophomore Drew Minino returning with his Blue Devil drive and Trojan freshman Devon Gardner battling within the middle classes for a spot. While there are a number of interesting changes and unknown variables in the Shenandoah wrestling program this season, it remains a sure bet that the Mustangs’ fortunes will hinge on that talented bunch of third-years. “I’ve said since they were freshmen, man, if they could stick together they could do a lot for every sport,” McGinnis said. “That core junior group is definitely going to lead us. Every year they’ve just been a huge part.”
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Winter Sports - December 2014 u 18
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Anne-Marie Maher. Taking the lead and contributing more than her fair share is nothing new for Maher, but Holman said she’ll have to have a big year, basically in every facet of the game, for the Devils’ hopes to materialize. Joining Maher in the leadership role will be fellow seasoned vets Jacy Hendrickson and Sam Moran and stepping even more into the role will be juniors Kennedy Hughes, Kenna Voyles and Cailee Kingery. Rising from promising, part-time contributors to starters and full-time court contestants will be sophomores Madi Moores and Maryn Phillips and entering the varsity fray will be freshmen Blu Ossian, Emily Welch and Hannah Boeser. Among the top priorities for 2014-15, Holman said, was to drastically reduce the number of turnovers committed last year. To that end, Hendrickson, Moran and Moores will alternate duty at point guard until one steps to the forefront both as a ball handler and a leader of the Nish offense. An avid lifter and her own most fearsome critic, Phillips has all the potential to dominate under the basket,
NISHNABOTNA B-BB Continued from Page 8
season. We want to keep that idea rolling through on into basketball.” With that comeback win over Stanton that culminated in
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Holman said, and Hughes is a great basketball talent who will spend more time in the post this season, when she isn’t, that is, zipping the ball around or setting for a shot on the wing. But to bust through the packed and even middle ranks of the Corner, The Lady Devils will, again, need that above-and-beyond showing from Maher and, as a unit, an immediate kind of connection on the floor. “It’s pretty much just hit the ground running and go from there,” Holman said. “Right off the bat, we’re just going to have to come out playing well.”
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a guts-out defensive stand, Nishnabotna did seem to turn a corner from also-ran to also-in-the-running. Making the same leap to start this hoops season will require the experienced Blue Devils to play to their potential, Hodges said, and a few others to find it. At the head of the class are seniors Tyler Beam and Andrew Welch. Beam emerged as one of the top players in the Corner last year and will be on everybody’s radar coming into this one. Welch, close to mended from a knee injury suffered in that final football game, is equally tenacious on either end of the court and plays beyond his height down low for the Devils. A big factor in Nishnabotna’s ambitions is how much sophomore Carter Jennings elevates his game after an impressive 2013-14 debut as a freshman. With actual size and untold athleticism, Jennings has the raw materials of a superstar and knows what’s expected of him, Hodges said. Also bringing size to the equation and the potential to both
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and Rodriguez bringing explosiveness and ambition after
seeing considerable time on the Friday night football field this fall. Also stepping into a bigger role will be 6’7” junior Dylan Lucas, Larsen said, noting that the rangy natural post has impressed in early scrimmage action.
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712-374-3013 SHENANDOAH B-BB Continued from Page 11
Working well in their favor is the fact that the Mustangs graduated just one senior and have a ton of game-seasoned talent back on the floor. Last year’s Valley News
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Player of the Year, junior Makonn Anderson, will occupy the post and look to dominate with not only a deadly spin move but also a much-improved mid-range jumper and older brother and senior Payden brings his wide palette of skills and vocal leadership back with even more intensity. Senior Joe Blake will contribute his tireless attention to defense and a deft shooting touch and junior Austin Fichter has the invaluable combination of a big body and outside range that Shenandoah has lacked in the past. Bolstering the Mustangs’ transition game and need to exploit multiple scoring assets are senior Michael Cisneros, a hot hand off the bench, and sophomore Steven Martin, a fierce defender, outside threat and key rebounder. The big question for Shen will be in filling that lone open spot left by the graduation of longtime point guard Jackson Baker. Shaffer said the process so far has been by committee, with junior Jake Cerven, who handled the duty at times last year, and sophomores Jordan Miller and
Despite losing one of the conference’s quickest set of feet and hands in graduate Chris Osborn, Sidney’s transition game shouldn’t suffer thanks to the seasoned core and infusion of fresh legs, Larsen said, and that will be all-important in a conference that, top-to-bottom, he called much improved over a year ago. “It’s going to be a battle night in and night out in the conference this year,” he said, adding that the four defeats East Mills dealt his team will only serve as locker room motivation if they can take care of business against other hungry squads and make the matchups with the Wolverines matter. “If things work out, we hope we’re in a position to take the title away from them,” Larsen said. “That’s our goal.”
Alex Goodell rotating at the position and honing their ballhandling skills in game-scenario drills. Limiting turnovers and not letting games slip away while starters are on the bench in foul trouble will be big pieces of the Mustangs’ puzzle in the coming campaign, Shaffer said, and he feels they’re in good shape with anywhere from eight to eleven guys ready to hit the hardwood at a moment’s notice. Drilling full speed and in rapidly varying conditions should help hone the edge as well as help prepare the players for the cardiovascular demands of a late-game push, but the most important element, Shaffer said, would be a consistent mindset. “The expectation is still to compete, play every minute, play four quarters, no matter if we get down 20 or we’re ahead 10. At no time can you relax or think you’re better than you’re opponent,” he said. “Respect everybody and just play the game. Enjoy the ride and see where it leads us.”
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Winter Sports - December 2014 u 20
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McKaya O’Neil – all put in such impressive time and work off-the-clock that any one could be considered the most improved at this point. “That’s kind of scary for everyone else that our most improved, if we had an award, could go to one of those kids,” Weinrich said. The Fillies’ fortunes, as has the program’s turnaround over the last four years, start with freakishly versatile
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studs Nielsen and Parker. Nielsen, a college volleyball signee, has also become one of the best basketball players around, Weinrich said, and Parker, still sorting through the options of where she’ll play next-level hoops, is a dominant force in the paint that draws a minimum of three opposing uniforms when she gets the ball and still converts more than 60 percent of the time. Creating the three-headed monster for the Fillie offense is Ehlers, who joined her senior teammates in doubledigit scoring last year, and handling and distributing the ball much of the time is the preternaturally self-possessed O’Neil. Runyon, with apparently limitless reserves of energy and aggression, is the X factor, driving the baseline to open offensive opportunities for others and exemplifying in-your-face defense at the opposite end of the court. While that quintet would make any coach happy to wake up in the morning, Weinrich said depth is another one of the Fillies’ strengths and something they’ll require in the ultimate hunt. Seniors Abby Wiegel, Heidi Fichter, Hannah Dailey and Stacie Fischer will have to step up and into those supporting roles, Weinrich said as will promising underclassmen like Jessica Jackson, Madeline Pritch-
ett and Jaslynn Parker. “After the first five, it’s kind of open,” Weinrich said. “We have some younger kids that have all battled in practice and haven’t clearly separated themselves yet. We’re going to need a lot more than five to go where we want to go so it’s a good start and we’re looking forward to getting even better.” To see what the best looks like up close and personal, the Shen girls weren’t going to have to wait long. At press time, they had yet to take the court against defending state 4A champion Harlan, but would in just their third game on the schedule. The Friday night matchup on Rexroth Court in Shen was sure to be a huge test, Weinrich said, calling the Cyclones maybe the top squad in any class across the state. But it would be one the Fillies were excited to entertain. “I told people it might be harder to win the Hawkeye 10 than it will be to win Class 3A because they’re that good. But we get a shot at the best team and that’s where we’re at right now,” he said. “We want to play the best team and see what happens. Basketball is played on the court, not on paper. You never know.”
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25 words, 1 week
¢
If selling an item Under $100 25 words, 1 week * YOUR AD APPEARS IN PRINT & ONLINE
Item Item Item Item Item
free - Ad Free Under $100: Ad $.99 Under $250: Ad $1.99 Under $500: Ad $2.99 Under $1,000: Ad $3.99
Item Under $2,500: Ad $4.99 Item Under $5,000: Ad $5.99 Item Over $5,000:Regular Classified Rate Applies
18.95
Help Wanted, Real Estate, Apartments, Services
Reg. Rate 2nd Wk: (10% off) Reg. Rate Additional Wks: (50% off) Special Formatting:
The Works: $3.00
(or circle below for a la carte)
New Listing
$1.50
Header
$2.00
GARAGE SALES (Multiple items for sale)
The Valley News Office Open Monday-Friday | 8:00am - 5pm 617 W. Sheridan Ave., Shenandoah, IA | 712-246-3097
Bold/Italic
$1.00
$5.00
Classified Advertising Deadlines Monday Weekly Times: Thursday 5:00 p.m. Wednesday Valley News: 12 noon on Tuesday Saturday Valley News: 12 noon on Thursday