July 2015
STATE SOCCER
FINALLY!
Dyersville Beckman reaches the top at last. Plus BY TORK MASONReplacing │ P. 16 a legend
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Norwalk aims to defend its Class 2A title with a star-studded core | P. 26
Rundown The
July 2015
Volume 3, Iss. 10
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ROCKET FIRE Dyersville Beckman’s Billy Hoffman fired home a laser in double overtime to give the Blazers a 1-0 win over Gilbert and the school’s first-ever state soccer title.
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Departments Warming Up
SOFTBALL
20 Keeping the Magic
4 8
BASEBALL
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▶Kee made a Cinderella run to last year’s Class 1A state title game, and the Kee Hawks look poised to make another deep postseason run.
16 Breaking Through
▶Dyersville Beckman finally got to the top, winning a state soccer championship in dramatic fashion.
22 Simplicity at its Finest ▶Twin Cedars’ Otis Roby is one of the state’s most dominant hurlers, but there’s nothing fancy about his stuff on the mound.
12
Through the Lens Be a Sport ▶ Debating the Impact Sports Has on Academic Performance Spotlight Performers of the Month The Month Ahead
Tork Mason/Sports Spotlight
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On the Cover Tork Mason/Sports Spotlight
July 2015 | SPORTS SPOTLIGHT | 3
+ 1 of
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Through the Lens Oh, So Close
Iowa City High’s Peter Larsen (21) won this scramble for the ball in front of Waterloo West’s goal, but was unable to convert the opportunity into a goal during the Class 3A state quarterfinals. It was just one of many missed opportunities in the game for the Little Hawks (inset), who were dominant throughout the contest eventually lost the game on a controversial call in penalty kicks.
PHOTGRAPH BY
TORK MASON
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
+ 2 of
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Through the Lens Leaping for Joy
Waterloo Columbus’ Megan McElmeel didn’t hide her emotions after scoring a golden goal on an overtime penalty kick to knock out defending Class 1A state champion Davenport Assumption in the quarterfinals of the girls state soccer tournament. The Sailors won the game, 3-2, but fell to eventual state champion Sioux City Heelan in the semifinals. PHOTGRAPH BY
TORK MASON
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
Warming Up
BE A SPORT | MIC’D UP | SPOTLIGHT PERFORMERS | GTSB STUDENT | BULLPEN | THE MONTH AHEAD
Be a Sport
Debating the Impact Sports Has on Academic Performance | By Nancy Justis “I figure practice puts your brains in your muscles.” So said Sam Snead, professional golfer. Much research shows that sports participation has a positive effect on academic performance. Flip the quote around to “practice puts muscles in your brain.” According to a TrueSport report, high school students who play competitive sports are less likely to drop out. The report also says participation has been associated with completing more years of education and that higher grades are cited in student-athletes. Student-athletes spend a lot of time at practice, in the weight room and traveling to away contests. Additional data shows that time intensive sport participation does not cause academics to suffer. Why does athletic competition appear to have a positive impact on an individual’s academic status? TrueSport goes on to say that “physical movement can affect the brain’s physiology by increasing cerebral capillary growth, blood flow, oxygenation, production of neurotrophins (whatever that means), development of nerve connections, and brain tissue volume”, along with some other benefits that I can’t even pronounce. “These changes may be associated with improved attention; improved information processing, storage, and retrieval; enhanced coping; and reduced sensations of cravings and pain...increased energy levels and time outside of the classroom -- both byproducts of playing sport -- may give relief from boredom, resulting in higher attention levels during classroom time...physical exercise causes short-term relaxation, accompanied by improved concentration, enhanced creativity and memory, improved mood, and enhanced problem-solving abilities.” So we all know that athletics has its benefits. But does our education system put too much emphasis on athletics and not enough on learning? Amanda Ripley, an Emerson senior fellow at the New America Foundation and author of “The Smartest Kids in the World -- and How They Got That Way”, believes this to be the case. “In the world’s smartest countries, school is about learning...Kids play sports, of course, but outside of school, through recreation centers, club teams or pick-up games on dirt fields with no adults in sight... The problem with mixing sports with academics is that the message it sends is dishonest and shapes kids’ priorities.” Ripley has surveyed former exchange students about their impressions of America and she says “9 out of 10 have said that teenagers here cared more about sports than their peers back home.” “Doing well at sports was in the U.S. just as important as having good grades,” one German student said. Ripley doesn’t discuss the former East Germany’s or the Soviet Union’s athlete factories where athletes from the youngest ages spend countless hours each day in training. Even American athletes in training for the Olympics have been known to leave the comforts of mom and dad’s home to live with coaches or other host families in different states.
Much research shows that sports participation has a positive effect on academic performance.
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8 | SPORTS SPOTLIGHT | July 2015
Ripley says American schools are also about learning, but she does call our athletics facilities “Olympic villages”. School has turned into a system where “it’s also about training to compete in games that the majority of kids will never get paid to play. It’s about pep rallies, booster clubs, trophy cases and cheerleaders decorating football players’ lockers after they fill them with brownies.” She’s got a point. But I believe school is more fun with the existence of competitive sports. And in most programs, student-athletes graduate at a higher rate than non-athletes. If they want to play, they need to keep their grades up. And the process of sport training has many benefits besides higher academic performance -- benefits which have been mentioned in previous columns and will be mentioned in future columns. “By mixing sports and academics, we tempt kids into believing that it’s (okay) if they don’t like math or writing -- that there is another path to glory. Less obvious is that this path ends abruptly, whereupon they get to spend 50 years in an economy that lavishly rewards those with higher-order skills and ruthlessly punishes those without,” she writes. “Competitive sports is not about exercise. If it were, we’d have the fittest kids in the world. It’s about a fantasy with a short shelf life. If we want to build school spirit and teach kids about grit, hold a pep rally for the debate team. Those kids are training to rule the real world.” I think we can train both. I think better athletes build better people, as Positive Coaching Alliance supports, in all phases of the game of life. It’s just got to be accomplished in a smart, balanced way. Tell us what you think by emailing njustis@ cfu.net. Nancy Justis is a former competitive swimmer and collegiate sports information director and now is a partner with Justis Creative Communications and a Champion in Iowa for Positive Coaching Alliance.
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Dillon Keegan | Dyersville Beckman | Soccer Keegan was dominant in Beckman’s run to the Class 1A state championship. The junior scored 4 goals and tallied 3 assists in three state tournament bouts, and was named the All-Tournament team captain for his performance.
Caroline Buelt | Ankeny | Soccer Buelt was a constant presence for the Hawks as they marched to a Class 2A state championship. The senior rarely left the field and tallied 3 goals and an assist in the Hawks’ three tournament victories. She was named the Class 2A All-Tournament team captain.
Spotlight Performers of the Month Recognizing our athletes of the week from the past month.
Garrett Saunders | Van Buren | Baseball
FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE 6:00pm - 12:00am Beginning August 14th
Saunders is currently third on the team in batting average (.434), but the All-State shortstop leads the Warriors in RBI (33), home runs (7) and stolen bases (39). The senior is also 3-0 on the mound with a 0.40 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 17.1 innings of work.
HOSTED: Tony Atenzi
Christner, a two-time Sports Spotlight first team All-State selection, currently leads all classes in strikeouts (353) in 187 innings of work. The junior also boasts a sterling 0.86 ERA and a 27-2 record for the second-ranked Tigers, as well as .533 batting average and 6 round-trippers at the dish.
Tork Mason/Sports Spotlight (3); Dave Barnes/Van Buren Register (Saunders)
Morgan Christner | New London | Softball
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BE A SPORT | MIC’D UP | SPOTLIGHT PERFORMERS | GTSB STUDENT | BULLPEN | THE MONTH AHEAD
Month Ahead
What to watch and watch for this month Monday 7/20-Friday 7/24 2015 State Softball Tournament It’s Title Time in Fort Dodge, as the state’s best softball teams take to the fields at Rogers Sports Complex to crown a fresh set of state champions. Johnston is the heavy Class 5A favorite, but East Marshall and slugging backstop Ashley Miller (right) hope to best last season’s trip to the Class 3A semifinals. Monday 8/3 2015 Sports Spotlight Pigskin Preview Kickoff We’ll be unveiling our latest Pigskin Preview at the Hy-Vee Hall of Pride. Be on the lookout and pick up over 40 pages of district previews, feature stories on some of the state’s top players — including Gladbrook-Reinbeck tailback Eric Stoakes (right)— photos and preseason All-State teams! What do we have to say about your team?
12 | SPORTS SPOTLIGHT | July 2015
2015 State Baseball Tournament
Gear up for a great week of high school baseball, as the final 32 teams still standing square off for the right to call themselves state champions. Will Davenport Assumption (above) repeat in Class 3A?
Tork Mason/Sports Spotlight (4)
Monday 8/10 Start of 2015 Fall Sports Season Football, volleyball, fall golf and cross-country all kick off practice today. Which schools will start the school year off with state titles?
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DYERSVILLE BE CK M AN
Breaking Through Dyersville Beckman had suffered a series of disappointments at the state soccer tournament, but when the dust settled after a grueling double overtime title game, the Blazers finally finished with the gold. BY TORK MASON Ph o to g r a p h s b y Tork Mason
B
illy Hoffman saw the ball come off his left foot and sail into the net. He turned and raced back to his team with his arms raised, ready to celebrate scoring the game-winning goal in the Class 1A state championship game against Gilbert. The goal finally gave Dyersville Beckman’s players an opportunity to relax after a grueling, double overtime contest, and a state title after coming up just short for years. “We’ve tried for how many years?” Hoffman asked after the game. “It just seems like we always get right down to the end and we could never finish. Now, to finally win a LET IT RIP Hoffman took advantage of one final championship and be able to say scoring opportunity in overtime to give Beckman its first state soccer title after that we’ve actually won one, it’s coming up short four times in the past unbelievable.” half-decade (left), exercising years’ worth of state tournament demons (inset).
This year marked the Blazers’ fourth-straight trip to the state tournament since making their
July 2015 | SPORTS SPOTLIGHT | 17
DY ER S V IL L E B E CKMAN
first appearance in 2010, and each season Dubuque on April 16. running through him at that moment, ended in disappointment. A pair of first “We took a step back and realized we knowing he could have won the game then round exits, a runner-up performance in had a pretty good team here and we could and there. 2013 and a crushing “You gotta fourth place finish be kidding,” he LUCKY BOUNCE Hoffman didn’t know which of his teammates to the initial chance, but he could describe the a year ago as the said. “I put it event with near-perfect clarity. “I don’t know who headed it, but it hit off the crossbar. It was perfect placement (for field’s top seed right out there me), just total chance. I just volleyed it, left footted it and it was a rocket.” had marked the and thought it Blazers’ previous was sneaking trips to Cownie in, but the Soccer Complex. keeper made a But this year was great reach for different, and it and got it to junior forward go off the post. Dillon Keegan It was at a loss said the team for words. I used last year’s was frustrated, poor showing but happy as motivation to knowing prove to everyone that we had that this team was more chances better than they coming.” showed. Eventually, “I was here Keegan put last year when a header off we took fourth,” the crossbar Keegan said. “We in the second really wanted overtime redemption for that caromed
“I was here last year when we took fourth,” Keegan said. “We really wanted redemptoin for that, BECAUSE WE KNEW WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE FINAL.” that, because we knew we should have been in the final.” But at the beginning of the season, Beckman had to replace several of its best players from last season’s squad and the remaining players weren’t really sure of themselves. “Everyone has been doubting us for the entire year — even ourselves,” Hoffman said. “At the start of practice, we were doubting ourselves; we didn’t know what type of team we’d have, we didn’t think we’d even make it to the state tournament.” That lack of self-assurance stayed with the team for a few games, Hoffman said, but everything came together in a dominant 5-0 win over rival Western
18 | SPORTS SPOTLIGHT | July 2015
do a lot of damage,” Hoffman said. The Blazers went on to light up the scoreboard all season, netting 86 goals in 18 games — all victories — and scoring four or more goals in 10 contests. But against Gilbert, a team that prided itself on strong defense and allowed just nine goals all year, the goals were tough to come by. The Tigers used ball possession and strong goaltending to keep the Blazers’ offense largely in check, but Beckman also struggled to convert the chances they did get. Keegan had the best chance in the first overtime, sending a free kick to the goal and watching it deflect off the post. After the game, he described the emotions
away and found its way to Hoffman, who quickly controlled the ball and sent a rocket to the back of the net. “We knew if we just kept chiseling away, we’d get something,” Keegan added. “We were making good cuts in, we were getting there. We just weren’t finishing. We knew it had to come sometime, but that late [in the game] was a little scary.”
PLAYING TOUGH Keegan was a dominant force in the Blazers’ first two state tournament bounts, but Gilbert got physical with the junior to keep him in check in the final. But he still generated scoring chances, both for himself and for Hoffman (above).
K EE S O FT BALL
Keeping the Magic Lansing is a baseball town, but the Kee softball team is carving out its own niche B Y DA R R I N C L I N E Tork Mason
K
P hotograph by
ee, Lansing has long been a baseball school. With the most summer baseball titles in state history, that reputation is well deserved. However, with a young head coach and excited roster in tow, the Kee Hawk softball team is looking to create their own legacy on the diamond. Elizabeth Hill’s tenure with the school began five years ago when she was announced as the new head coach for the tiny 1A school. Hill’s only previous coaching experience had been as an assistant at Center Point-Urbana while going to school at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, but she had a goal in mind. Hill’s first two years at the school were vastly different than the 2014 season. Over those two summers the Kee Hawks went a combined 4-51. The team was low on numbers and Hill had to go back to the drawing board, focusing her coaching on the basics. “We went back to fundamentals during my first year, but since then we have been able to grow on those skills over the years,” Hill says. “Last year the girls saw the work they put in and the repetition pay off.” In spite of these early challenges, a select few seniors have stuck it out and hung with the program through the highs and lows. “Our seniors are unbelievable. They bring that fun atmosphere. They remember what it was like those first two years, and then to turn it around and be part of the state runner up team; they are just incredible to have on the team,” Hill says. With so few seniors on the roster, the team has had to rely on underclassmen, from the junior class all the way down to eighth grade. Three of these stars come from one family—sisters Kendra and Courtney Cooper and their cousin Ellie Cooper. “The first couple years were hard and it was hard to stay on top of things. But we kept our heads up and kept going and knew it would pay off sometime,” says Ellie Cooper. Ellie, the team’s second baseman, led all returning players in stolen bases and runs. While she may have speed on the base path, her cousins provide the power. As an eighth grader, Kendra led the team in hits, triples, home runs and RBIs. Now one year older, she has risen to lead 1A in home runs for much of the season and remains atop the Kee roster in most offensive categories. The Cooper sisters also make up the Kee Hawk rotation, with Courtney leading the charge this season. Maintaining an ERA below 2.00 all season, she has also earned a place among the top 10 pitchers in 1A strikeouts. “Defense is our strong suit right now. We work hard to minimize our errors; we try not to let anything touch the ground and we dive for everything,” Courtney Cooper says. While the Coopers may be related by blood, the whole team
views each other as family. “Our family atmosphere is what makes it fun…We know when to joke around and have fun, but we know when to get serious; our team has great people that are always excited,” Courtney Cooper says. That focus on a fun, family atmosphere has been a significant factor in the team’s growth and development. Hill points to an early July tournament last season that was the tipping point for them. The team competed at the Don Bosco Tournament, and went 1-3 over that weekend. Instead of being disheartened, the team made a determination. “The girls set a standard that they were going to make the state tournament,” Hill says. After that tournament, the Kee Hawks blitzed through the regular season and into postseason play. They claimed their first ever softball conference title, and the school’s second ever state softball appearance. “Nobody really knew who were and didn’t think much about us,” Ellie Cooper says. Nonetheless, it didn’t take long to put the rest of 1A on notice. They took down Lynnville-Sully and AGWSR in their first two games, setting up a date with perennial power Akron-Westfield in the state championship game, where the Kee Hawks fell, 12-1. Even with the loss in the title game, the Kee Hawks set a new expectation for themselves. The girls rolled to an 8-1 record to open the 2015 season; in those eight games they maintained five shutouts. June proved to be an arduous month, yet it was a chance for the Kee Hawks to prove their mettle. In a two-week stretch they went 4-9, often falling to larger schools like Waverly-Shell Rock, West Delaware and the top team in Class 3A, Benton Community. Much like the Don Bosco tournament last year, this rough patch may have proven to be the galvanizing experience for the Kee Hawks. They closed out June with 17 wins and look poised to challenge the 1A field yet again. However, they remain humble and aware that a repeat trip to the finals won’t come easy. “We need to get our hitting going. We were very confident in our hitting last year. We’re leaving girls on base right now. Last year, especially in the playoffs, we were so confident in our hitting,” Courtney Cooper says. As the team looks toward the postseason, Hill has witnessed the lineups blend of fun, energy and determination coming more clearly into focus. “The girls have worked their way up by doing the little things during the season to make themselves better. They have unbelievable chemistry and things are starting to fall into place.”
July 2015 | SPORTS SPOTLIGHT | 21
OTI S RO B Y
Simplicity at its Finest Twin Cedars’ Otis Roby is one of the most dominant players the state has seen in Class 1A, but while his production has been nearly superhuman, Roby keeps everything simple on the diamond.
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B Y DA R R I N C L I N E Photographs by Tork Mason
n July 14, 2012, Otis Roby took the mound for Twin Cedars. Roby was a little known freshman pitching in his first postseason game. Five innings later, Roby allowed only one hit and no runs as the Sabers downed Sigourney, 14-0. According to head coach Matt Miller, this was the game that put Roby on the map for Iowa baseball fans. In the three years of his high school career since that day, Roby has dominated Class 1A and been part of turning Twin Cedars into a baseball power. Roby’s love for the game began long before his high school. According to the Twin Cedars senior, he was hardly out of diapers before when he started playing catch with his father. However, Otis was not the only member of the Roby family to take to the game. His older sister, Brittany, was busy honing her own skills on the diamond. Just a year older, Brittney was a star outfielder for the Saber softball team. She was honored as the Sports Spotlight Class 1A Player of the Year in her senior season with a class-best .651 average and led the team in nearly every other offensive category. While his sister was dominating on the softball field, Otis’s career was well on its way after his eighth grade year. That summer he suited up for the varsity squad, but did not pitch. After a major growth spurt during his freshman year, his talents as a pitcher began to flourish. Throughout his career he has established a basic yet dominant style. Roby defines his style as simple and straightforward. Instead of trying to move the ball
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with dazzling pitches, he has overpowered batters with straight ahead heat and vicious fastballs. During his freshman season that culminated with the aforementioned Sigourney game, Roby went 11-2 while boasting a 1.40 ERA and notching 96 Ks. He was named the Sports Spotlight Class 1A Pitcher of the year and was the lone freshman on the Class 1A All-State First Team. The Sabers ended the year 25-9, a drastic turnaround from the sub-.500 season just a year prior. While the team did not reach the state tournament, the HEAR HIM ROAR Roby’s delivery gives him an intimidating appearance, and his performances throughout his career back up his fiersome persona on the mound.
OT I S RO B Y
foundation was laid for the future. The following season was not just special for Roby, but for the entire Twin Cedars baseball community as well. For only the second time in school history, they would reach the state baseball tournament; and for the first time in school history, the Sabers earned a tournament victory. In the first round they took down
selected to the First Team All-State With the standard for himself and the program continually rising, 2014 became a season for the record books. Twin Cedars blasted through any and all obstacles on its way to a 36-0 record and the school’s first ever state baseball championship. In the two opening rounds of the tournament, the Sabers blanked both
Losing eight seniors from the 2014 state champion team has led to some questions for the 2015 Sabers, but the team has responded well, regularly appearing in the state rankings. With the postseason push on the horizon, Roby has maintained his place amongst the state’s elite pitchers. Through six starts already this season, he is fourth
ALL-ROUND THREAT A dominant pitcher who racks up strikeouts by the dozen (left), Roby is also one of the state’s best hitters and shortstops when it’s not his turn in the rotation (right). As of July 9, Roby was batting .567 with 15 extra base hits and 26 RBI, as well as owning a 105-4 strikeouts to walks ratio to go with a sterling 0.60 earned run average.
Roby’s style is [...] simple and straightforward. HE OVERPOWERS HITTERS WITH STRAIGHT HEAT AND VICIOUS FASTBALLS. perennial power Martensdale-St. Marys in an extra inning thriller before falling to eventual champion Newman Catholic in the semifinals. Roby was on the mound for both games, hurling all nine innings in the quarterfinal game and allowing only one run. Throughout the season Roby’s work from the plate was as crucial as his work from the mound. He led the team in runs and stolen bases, and was tops in innings pitched. He worked his way to 12-1 record with a .65 ERA and career high 135 strikeouts. He was chosen as the Sports Spotlight Class 1A Pitcher of the Year and
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Underwood and Gehlen Catholic before earning a shot at redemption against Newman Catholic. This time it was Twin Cedars coming out ahead, 8-2. It was Roby on the mound, fanning nine batters in the effort. Again it was Roby helping his own cause throughout the season; this time he led the team in hits and averages. From the dish he had a flawless 10-0 record, .22 ERA and 109 Ks. For the third time in his career, Roby was named Class 1A Pitcher of the year, and was joined by teammates Hunter Embray, Corey Harrell, Drew Carlson and Coy Moore on the Class 1A First Team.
in the state in strikeouts while holding a .70 ERA and .095 opponent average. As has become the customary for Roby, he is leading the team in runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs and batting average. Roby will be pitching for Southeastern Community College in Burlington next season, but before he can get to that point, Roby and his fellow Sabers are chasing back-to-back state titles and the conclusion to the next chapter of Twin Cedars baseball.