Six honored as Athletes of the Month for February

You could find a lot of good boys basketball in eastern Iowa gyms this winter.

Tucker Kinney opened his senior season for the Central DeWitt boys basketball team with a bang.

After the departure of four seniors from last year’s co-Tri-Rivers East champion, the Calamus-Wheatland boys basketball team knew its players would have new and expanded roles this winter.

Central DeWitt sophomore Taylor Veach earned a second all-state honor for her play this season.

There were not many boys basketball teams across the state that were as balanced on offense as the Northeast boys basketball team.

One group was dominated by youth, the other led by seniors, but together the Central DeWitt and Northeast wrestling teams accomplished something that had not been done in over a decade.

CEDAR FALLS — In recent years, you have been able to find an Observer-area high jumper on the awards stand at the Dickinson Relays, one of the state’s largest indoor track and field meets.

The first impression was great.

Heading into the season there were questions that each of the area’s three girls basketball teams needed to answer.

Prior to the start of the state co-ed bowling meets, the two Iowa high school athletic organizations announced the extension of their partnership with Cadillac XBC, keeping the state bowling meet in Waterloo through 2022.

A pair of big seasons on the lanes led to postseason honors for the Central DeWitt duo of senior Denyse Turnquist and junior Kimberly Hendricks.

CEDAR RAPIDS — For a brief moment, the Central DeWitt boys basketball team had it all in its grasp.

Before this winter, the last time the Calamus-Wheatland girls basketball team completed a season with more victories than defeats was 2008.

It proved to be a dominant divisional season for the Central DeWitt girls basketball team.

The progress was evident this winter for the Northeast girls basketball team.

WATERLOO — A new venue.

With three of its starters standing 6-4 or taller, you can understand why the Central DeWitt boys basketball team does the bulk of its damage on offense inside.

CENTER POINT — After nearly 27 minutes of traded leads and big momentum shifts, the Central DeWitt and Center Point-Urbana girls basketball teams found themselves right where they started in Tuesday’s 4A Region 4 final.

DES MOINES — Nothing seems to push Central DeWitt junior Keaton Zeimet harder than some adversity on the mat.

DES MOINES — It had been a decade since a Northeast wrestler stood on the awards podium at the state wrestling tournament.

It is a difficult task to defeat an opposing basketball team three times in one season, especially when that foe happens to be your biggest rival.

It proved to be a memorable return to the 1A state bowling meet for the Central DeWitt girls bowling team. Back at state for the first time since 2014, the Sabers put four bowlers in the top 12 and bowled the day’s second-highest Baker score to claim second-place at the meet with a final tal…

CLARENCE — The comeback seemed to come right from a sports movie.

After allowing an average of 60 points in their two regular season meetings, Maquoketa took a new approach to slow down the Central DeWitt boys basketball team’s offense during Monday’s 3A substate quarterfinal.

With the high school wrestling season wrapping up, it is time for some younger matmen to make their own impact. Sabertooth Wrestling Club members (back, from left) Greyson Grell, Kamdyn Kraklio, Alex Almanza and Blake Kent are set to take the mat this weekend (Feb. 29-March 1) at Wells Fargo…

CASCADE — The postseason represents the start of a new campaign for sports teams.

BELLEVUE — This time, the start was much more to the Northeast girls basketball team’s liking.

WASHINGTON & WILTON — No Central DeWitt wrestlers had pinned more foes this winter than the junior duo of Keaton Zeimet and Cole Miller.

WHEATLAND — The postseason already gives teams more than enough motivation to bring home a victory.

Only one girls basketball team in the state of Iowa has made more three-pointers than Marion.

WHEATLAND — The Calamus-Wheatland boys basketball team erased most of the deficit created by a slow start.

Looking to surpass its win total from the year before, the Central DeWitt girls basketball team turned to a familiar approach during Monday’s WaMaC East makeup game with West Delaware.

CASCADE — The Northeast boys basketball team had been at its best in the fourth quarter of its previous two games.

DAVENPORT — They sit on opposite sides of the Central DeWitt wrestling team’s lineup, but juniors Keaton Zeimet and Cole Miller will have the same goal at next Saturday’s 2A district meet.

LISBON — The journey took longer than he probably would have liked, but the destination remained the same for Northeast senior Ty Schmidt.

For most basketball players, making a pair of key three-pointers in a victory over the No. 1 team in Class 3A would be the definite highlight of your weekend.

Playing on their home lanes for a final time, it only seemed fitting that it would be a pair of seniors leading the way for the Central DeWitt girls bowling team Friday night.

GOOSE LAKE — The Northeast girls basketball team was able to withstand visiting Bellevue’s fast start.

WHEATLAND — The gymnasium was raining three-pointers, but it was the Calamus-Wheatland boys basketball team’s success inside that paid off Tuesday night.

Thousands of high school football players across the country made their college choices official Wednesday during National Signing Day. One of them was Central DeWitt senior Logan Paulsen. Flanked by his parents, Jeff and Carrie, Paulsen signed with Northern State University, an NCAA Divisio…

WHEATLAND — Sometimes you just have an off night.

TIPTON — It did not take long for the Northeast wrestling team to crown its first-ever River Valley Conference champion: Tyler Schoon won a 132-pound title at the league’s very first meet in 2014.

The Central DeWitt girls basketball team was right where it wanted to be.

MANCHESTER — Consistently one of the toughest wrestling conferences in the state, the WaMaC gave the Central DeWitt wrestling team one final challenge before the Sabers depart for the MAC this fall.