Sports

Tri-County South 12U Babe Ruth softball team, consisting of girls from Wellman and Riverside, played in the Mid-West Plains regional tournament in Newton, Kansas, last week earning fourth place.
Tri-County South played in the game opener versus the host team Newton. Lexi Duwa started the game with an inside the park home run that set the momentum for Tri-County and they never looked back. Tri-County won 16-7. Kylie Hogue hit a triple, Rylee Boyse had a double and Ali Naylor, Brynn Houge, Tara Mann and Paige Peck all had singles. Duwa took the win for Tri-County.
In game two, team Iowa played against Heartland, Missouri. Tri-County jumped to an early lead 4-2 going into the bottom of the second inning. In the fifth, Heartland added three runs to break open the lead 4-5 and win the game.
Brynn Hogue and Cheyann Adamson had two hits each for Tri-County. Kylie Houge took the loss.
Game three was another outstanding game for Tri-County as every girl on the team hit the ball well. Tri-County scored 15 runs in the first inning. The umpires called a time and pulled the girls from the field for a water break as it was 110 degrees and Wellington, Kansas, couldn’t get an out. Tri-County won the match-up 16-0. Lexi Duwa took the win.
The final game was on Sunday, July 25 against Davis County, Colorado. Tri-County lost the match and was eliminated from the tournament.
Lexi Duwa and Ali Naylor received MVP honors for their outstanding defense. Rylee Boyse and Brynn Hogue also received MVP awards for their big bats. Tara Mann and Lexi Duwa received the SHE award for Sportsmanship, Hustle and Enthusiasium. Mann received this award three times.
“I was so proud of the way this group of girls represented our community as well as our state,” said coach Tina Peck.
“The girls played their hearts out and did a great job. They received many compliments on their sportsmanship and their fun spirits. It was an experience that they will never forget.
“We are all very grateful to all of the generous businesses in our community that helped make this possible.”

Mid-Prairie faced Hinton in the final game. Olivia Lugar threw a no-hitter to topple Hinton 4-0 and earn a fifth place finish at state.
Leinen scored on an error in the third inning to take the lead 1-0. Then Mid-Prairie added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, one when pinch hitter Hannah Miller hit a sacrifice fly and the other was scored by pinch runner Arissa Marine.
Mid-Prairie scored four runs on four hits. Leinen, Erika Murphy, Schulty and Berg all tallied hits.
Hinton 000 000 0 - 0
M-P 001 210 X - 4
Mid-Prairie finished the season with a 23-17 record and fifth in the state in Class 2A.
Mid-Prairie returns eight starters next year, losing only two seniors - Berg and Shelby Shimon.

The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks proved why they belonged at the state tournament following an opening game loss to Fort Dodge St. Edmond Wednesday, July 21.
The young unranked team took down IKM-Manning (24-14) 7-6 and Hinton (23-17) 4-0 in the consolation bracket to finish their season in fifth place in Class 2A state softball tournament at Fort Dodge.
IKM-Manning took advantage of an early M-P error to score a run in the first inning and then three runs in the second for a 4-0 lead.
Mid-Prairie’s Emmie Leinen started a rally in the third with a one out single and advanced to second on a passed ball. She stole third and scored on an error by the IKM catcher. With two outs Olivia Lugar doubled and scored on a single by Kelsie Berg. Mid-Prairie came within two, 4-2 score.
The M-P defense held tough in the fourth and fifth innings as Mid-Prairie pitcher Olivia Lugar allowed only 3 hits.
Leinen started things off again in the bottom of the fifth inning with a single. She advanced to second on a wild pitch and again to third on a ground out by Kaitlin Kaalberg. Leinen scored on a single by Lugar for one more point on the score board.
IKA-Manning made it interesting in the top of the sixth, loading the bases with no outs. IKA-Manning’s Kristina Halbur popped out to Kaalberg for the first out with bases loaded. Shortstop Mallory McArtor threw home on a fielder’s choice for the second out. With bases still loaded McArtor fielded and tossed the final out to the third baseman to end the inning. 4-3.
Mid-Prairie took the lead in the bottom of the sixth scoring two runs on three hits and taking advantage of an IKM-Manning error.
IKM-Manning came back to tie the game in the top of the seventh.
IKM-Manning fell apart in the seventh inning as the game went past the time limit. Senior Kelsie Berg was placed on second base in compliance with international rules. She later scored on a shortstop error to tie it up at 6 all.
Freshman Mariah Swartzendruber singled in the winning run with no outs.
Lugar led at the plate 3-4 with two RBIs. Berg was 2-4 with an RBI, and Leinen also had two hits. Swartzendruber, McArtor and Felicia Schulty each drove in a run.
Schulty got the win in relief, allowing one unearned run on six hits.
Lugar gave up five runs on six hits.
IKM- 131 000 1 - 6
M-P 002 012 2 - 7

IMS placed team members of the baseball team on first team and three players on second team. Two players were given honorable mention.
Catcher junior Riley Hochstedler, Outfielder sophomore Christopher Perez, and Utility junior Jackson Brokaw were named to first team.
Pitcher freshman Chance Miller, Infielder Senior Harlan Gingerich, and Outfielder junior Jason Litwiller were named to second team.
Senior Aaron Erb and senior Michael Darby were honorable mention.
North Division Standings
Conf. Season
Pekin 13-3 16-10
Highland 13-3 14-6
L& M 12-4 19-7
IMS 10-4 14-7
Wapello 7-9 8-12
Lone Tree 6-10 8-11
WMU/WACO5-11 5-15
Mediapolis 4-12 5-16
Columbus 0-14 0-14

The Mid Prairie girl’s golf team completed their 2010 season with an outstanding 4th place finish at the State Meet. This year’s event was held at the River Valley Golf Club in Adel. The 8 teams competing were Cascade, Clarinda, Emmetsburg, Keumper Catholic, Burlington/Notre Dame, South Hamilton, South Hardin and Mid Prairie.
The Golden Hawks were in 5th place by only one shot after the first day of competition and 10 shots behind the 3rd place team. Team scores after day one were, Clarinda with 383, Kuemper Catholic(386), Emmetsburg(392), South Hamilton(401), Mid Prairie(402), Cascade(412), South Hardin(423) and Burlington/Notre Dame(430).
Individual scores for the first day were, Kelsie Berg(87), Kate Yoder(100), Linsey Thomann(106), Allison McArtor(109), Nicole Adams(110) and Breanna McFarland(147).
The Golden Hawks improved their team score by 5 shots on day two, coming in with a total of 397. South Hamilton struggled to maintain their first round lead over Mid Prairie and that allowed the girls to jump from 5th to 4th. Second day individual scores were Kelsie Berg(88), Kate Yoder(100), Linsey Thomann(103), Nicole Adams(106), Allison McArtor(111) and Jordyn Kelso(139).
“What a great way for these kids to end their season and for the three seniors to end their High School careers,” said head coach tracy McArtor. “A second trip to state in consecutive years as well as two 4th place finishes. From the first day of practice this year, the kids had their goals set to get back to the state meet. They worked hard and did what they needed to do to get that accomplished. I’m so proud of what these girls have done. They worked so hard getting ready for the post season and it really paid off. ”
“Kelsie finished off a stellar career with an 8th place finish in the individual race and her second consecutive year of making 1st team all-state. Linsey Thomann and Kate Yoder also finished with great scores and finished their careers on a high note. Linsey has played steady all year and continued that play in Adel. Kate had been struggling as of late but turned her game around starting with Districts and Regionals and finished it off with two great rounds at state finishing in 27th place. Nicole and Allison each contributed to the team scoring as well with their steady play. Also being able to get Jordyn and Breanna the experience of playing at the state level will only make them better players down the road.”
The Golden Hawks finished the year with an overall record of 46-18, that included a win at their own Hawk Invite, 4th at Conference, 1st at the Conference Coed, 2nd at the Prairie Invite, 1st at Districts, 2nd at Regionals and finally 4th in class 2A at State.
“I don’t think you could ask anything more from a great group of girls and to say that this year was a success for them would be an understatement. I’m sure a couple of the kids will get some post season recognition for their efforts and all of it will be well deserved,” said coach McArtor.

Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks fell to Fort Dodge St. Edmond 5-2 in the first round of Class 2A State softball tournament Monday, July 19 in Rogers Park in Fort Dodge following a one hour rain delay.
Mid-Prairie plays in the consolation semifinal Wednesday at 10 a.m. against IKM-Manning (24-14). The winner will play either Hinton (22-17) or Jesup (27-16) at 2 p.m. for fifth or seventh place.
Fort Dodge St. Edmond pitching by senior Jordan Florey held Mid-Prairie to three hits and struck out 12 Golden Hawks.
St. Edmond took advantage of four singles and two Golden Hawk errors to take an early 3-0 lead in the first three innings.
Mid-Prairie came together in the batter’s box when Mariah Swartzendruber started the inning with a single, Mid-Prairie’s first in the game.
McArtor nailed a triple to the left field fence for an RBI and then scored on a ground out by leadoff hitter Kaitlin Kaalberg to make it 3-2.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, St. Edmond’s Caitlin Finucan got an infield single to get on base, then Josie Heesch nailed a home run into the left field seats to pull ahead 5-2.
Olivia Lugar takes the loss giving up five runs on eight hits, striking out three and walking two. She goes to 15-10 on the season.
Also getting a hit for Mid-Prairie was Kelsi Berg.

by Ranee Fladung
Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks advanced to the Class 2A State Softball tournament in Ft. Dodge following a win over Pekin 4-0 Wednesday, July 14 in Washington.
Olivia Lugar pitched a three hit shutout for the win against the Panthers. “This has been one of our best games of the season and I an so glad we have such a great defense as it takes a lot of pressure off my back,” said Lugar. “We knew we would have to play our best and we were able to get pumped up and focused.”
One Pekin runner made it to second base as Lugar struck out five and walked only one batter. The Mid-Prairie defense handled the other 12 outs.
The Golden Hawks took control in the third inning scoring three runs on two hits and taking advantage of two Pekin errors.
Mid-Prairie coach Justin Lutjen said, “ We have been so tentative that I told them to pretty much let loose.”
Mallory McArtor reached base on a single but was thrown out on a fielder’s choice when Emmie Leinen’s bunt fell and she went back to first. Leinen reached first safely.
Kaitlin Kaalberg sacrificed and the third baseman tossed the ball into right field moving Leinen to third and Kaalberg safely to second. “We we get on base we can do a lot of things,” said coach Lutjen.
Lugar singled to right field driving in Leinen, and Kaalberg scored on a wild throw to the plate. Lugar advanced to third. Kelsi Berg laid down a bunt and courtesy runner Sidney Bowlin scored the third run of the inning.
McArtor scored the final run in the fifth inning after stealing both second and third to get into position to score following a sacrifice fly by Kaalberg to center.
Mid-Prairie earned its fourth trip to the state tournament since 2005. When asked about this unranked teams advancement to state he said, “From the beginning I never had a doubt we could do this. The ability has been there since they have been little kids.” Lutjen makes his first appearance at state as the head coach, having taken over following the resignation of Amy Rath.
Olivia Lugar moves to 14-9 on the season. McArtor was 2 for 3, Kelsi Berg was 1-2 with an RBI, Lugar was 1-3 with an RBI and Kaalberg had an RBI.

Iowa Mennonite head soccer coach Marcus Miller was named co-coach of the year for the SEI Super Conference All-Conference soccer team along with Doug Petersen, coach for Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
IMS seniors Vince Rhodes, Truman Shetler, Jacob Yoder and Brian Miller were named first team All-Conference.
Senior Michael Darby and junior John Nicholson were named second team All-Conference.
Juniors Kyle Miller and Marshall Schrock were named honorable mention All-Conference.
Iowa Mennonite finished first in the conference at 7-0, and 14-0 on the season.

by Marcus Miller
On a wet dreary night May 20, IMS stepped on to a water soaked field in Burlington to take on Notre Dame. It didn’t take long to realize that play would be affected by the poor field conditions as the ball would hit a puddle of water and suddenly stop, or as guys slipped and fell while preparing to kick the ball. In spite of the conditions, IMS jumped to an early lead as Vince Rhodes slipped a ball to Jacob Yoder who pounded it by the goalie.
Notre Dame responded by bringing more guys forward in an attempt to equalize the score. They nearly succeeded when they were awarded a penalty kick halfway through the first period. Goalie Michael Darby stepped up and made the save to preserve the 1-0 lead. Play was back and forth the rest of the half as both teams struggled with the deteriorating field conditions.
In the second half, Notre Dame moved their seniors to the front line and they responded with energetic play. Their first goal came on a corner kick as Darby was able to deflect the first shot but was unable to grab the second shot. IMS responded as Truman Shetler took several shots but could not find the net. Rhodes and Yoder nearly combined for a goal but the shot bounced harmlessly off the post. As regulation time ticked down Notre Dame brought their players forward. As a defender slipped, a shot was put on goal. Darby went to grab the ball but with the wet conditions the ball slipped through his hands.

Read more…

The following Iowa Mennonite students were named to the Southeast Iowa Super Conference All-Academic list for the 2009-2010 winter sports season. These students had to be a junior or senior athletic team member or support person earning a 3.25 GPA by the most recent grading period.
Students included were Mollie Ferguson, Aliese Gingerich, Nichole Hershberger, Kerri Hostetler, Kylie MIller, Linnea Slabaugh, Marija Topalovic, Carly Unruh, Nicole Yoder, Emma Yutzy, Carlie Bender, Ida Short, Blake Albright, Malachi Bontrager, Brant Kapple, John Nicholson, Stephan Peters, Sean Prihoda, Jacob Schaver, David Yoder, Jacob Yoder and Michael Yoder.

The Mid-Prairie Girls golf team will make a return trip to the State Meet in Adel by virtue of their runner-up finish at the Regional tournament held Monday, May 24 at the West Liberty Golf Club. The Golden Hawks shot a team score of 395 to Burlington/Notre Dame’s score of 391.
“Even though it may say “runner-up” on the score sheet, this is a big win for the girls,” said head coach Tracy McArtor. “To make it to the State Meet and to be only one of eight teams there is a great accomplishment in itself. To make it back in consecutive years is proof of how hard the girls have worked, they did an awesome job today.”
Kelsie Berg and Linsey Thomann started things off turning in front nine scores of 44 and 47 respectively, followed by Kate Yoder’s 52, Allison McArtor 54, Nicole Adams with 55, and Jordyn Kelso with 65. The heat and humidity took its toll on some of the kids on the back nine, but the girls battled thru it and maintain close to what they shot on the front. In fact, there was only a one shot difference as Mid-Prairie’s team score on the front was 197 and M-P turned in a 198 on the back.
“As brutal as the heat was on Monday,” said coach McArtor, “they really gutted it out and it’s something I’m proud of as a coach and they should all be proud of as athletes.”
Berg finished in a tie for 3rd in the individual race with a score of 89, followed close by Thomann who tied for 4th with 95. The Golden Hawks will travel to the River Valley Golf Course in Adel for the two day State Tournament held Tuesday and Wednesday, June 1 and 2. Only two teams from the four Regional meets qualify for state plus the top five individuals and ties.
“We’re looking forward to a fun couple days in Adel and will look to improve on our 4th place finish from last year,” said coach McArtor.
M-P Scores: Kelsie Berg – 44-45(89); Linsey Thomann – 47-48(95); Allison McArtor – 54-51(105); Kate Yoder – 52-54(106); Nicole Adams – 55-55(110); Jordyn Kelso – 65-62(127).
Team Scores: 1) Burlington/Nortre Dame – 391; 2) Mid-Prairie – 395; 3) Wilton – 417; 4) West Liberty – 419; 5) North Cedar – 427; 6) Pella Christian – 470

IMS 6, Danville 0
The IMS soccer team opened its season with a 6-0 win over Danville. With storm clouds gathering in the distance IMS began the game going into a strong breeze. In spite of the wind, forwards Truman Shetler and Jacob Yoder created several good scoring chances only to shots go wide, or to see the Danville goalie make some good saves.
Just over the half way point Brian Miller sent a corner kick into the box. Out jumping his defender, Shetler headed the ball into the back of the net. Four minutes later, Kyle Miller sent a pass into the box where Chance Miller ran on to the ball and slid it under the diving goalie for the 2-0 lead. Keeping the pressure on, Kyle Miller, playing in a defensive wing spot picked up a loose ball, took a couple of dribbles, then fired a shot into the goal from about 30 yards out. With three minutes left in the half Vince Rhodes found the back With the wind at their backs, Danville was able to create some offensive pressure, but anchored by John Nicholson, the back line of Kyle Miller, Chris Perez, and Marshall Schrock limited Danville to just three shots on goal.
The second half opened with IMS creating good pressure resulting in two more goals. The first came after a ball from midfield ran through the defenders. As Jacob Yoder ran down the ball and took the shot he collided with the goalie. As both Yoder and the goalie fell to the ground the ball ricocheted off the post where Truman Shetler was waiting to pass the ball into the goal. Brian Miller finished the scoring when he fired a shot from just outside the eighteen yard This was a game where we were able to get everyone into the game and to try people at a number of different positions. Danville players did not give up and created several good scoring opportunities but goalie Michael Darby made several good saves to record the shutout.

In JV action, the IMS JV played the Mid-Prairie JV to a 1-1 tie with both goals coming as teams played into the wind. IMS opened the scoring as Justin Boller sent a great ball across the front of the net where Matt Libby was waiting to redirect it into the goal. Though IMS created several good chances the ball could not find its way into the net. In the second half Mid-Prairie tied the score after receiving a direct kick from about 35 yards out. The direct kick came into the box where a Mid-Prairie player headed the ball over the head of the IMS goalie.