Sports

Former Waukon High School standout softball pitcher Holly Hesse continues to reach landmark achievements in her career coaching the game she loves. The 1977 graduate of Waukon High School most recently became the 30th NCAA Division I active head softball coach to achieve 800 career wins courtesy of a 3-2 Missouri Valley Conference victory at home for her Missouri State University Bears over the University of Northern Iowa Sunday, March 24.

Further heightening that milestone achievement is the manner in which it came, as that 3-2 victory arrived in walk-off fashion. Senior third baseman Kyana Mason was able to sprint home on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a 2-2 tie and further add to her head coach’s career achievements.

The members of the Waukon High School cheerleading squad pictured above were chosen by the Iowa Cheer Coaches Association Board of Directors and All-Star Committee to perform as part of the 2019 Iowa All-Star Team, being selected to cheer at the Iowa High School All-Star basketball games held at Dallas Center Grimes High School Saturday, March 23. In January of this year, Waukon High School cheerleading coaches Amy and Lexie Bieber recorded try-out videos for the All-Star selection process consisting of the girls doing a short cheer, a short dance routine and a toe touch. The coaches also wrote recommendations and skill levels for each skill.

With another one of its largest teams in recent history, the Waukon boys golf program returns nearly all of its top-end players from last season for a 2019 campaign that has seen 19 young men report for early-season duty. Five of this season’s golfers will return with varsity letterwinning experience from two different grade levels, including four multi-year letterwinners.

The Indians were scheduled to get their 2019 campaign underway at home to start this week, hosting both South Winneshiek and Charles City Monday and Tuesday, April 1 and 2, respectively. The golf Tribe was further scheduled to continue its strong early dose of home course advantage, hosting MFL/MarMac and Waverly-Shell Rock in a home triangular Tuesday, April 9.

“We’re looking forward to getting some consistent weather, and looking to keep on improving each meet,” Coach Benson said as the 2019 season gets underway.

A pair of local seniors will be representing their schools one final time this season playing with their top-end peers in the Iowa Girls Coaches Association Senior All-Star Games this Saturday and Sunday, April 6-7 at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. Waukon High School senior Maddie Ahlstrom and Kee High School senior Makayla Walleser will each suit up for that All-Star series for their respective squads.

Ahlstrom is one of 10 seniors selected to play for the Class 3A White squad, a team coached by Nate Wall and Marc Renning from Carroll High School and featuring Josie Condon of Estherville Lincoln Central, a team coached by Waukon native Don Martindale this season. That White squad will take on the Class 3A Grey squad to kick off this year’s All-Star weekend at 12 noon this Saturday, April 6. The Class 3A Grey squad will include fellow Northeast Iowa Conference seniors Drew Becker of Oelwein and Maddi Moorman of New Hampton.

The Waukon boys track team got its first taste of competition for the 2019 season, taking part in the annual Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) Indoor Meet Tuesday, March 19 at Wartburg College in Waverly. No team scores were kept at the meet, and the Indians claimed nine top-five event finishes, including two each of event victories and runner-up finishes.

The two event victories both came in sprint events, including the Tribe’s lone individual win recorded by sophomore Brady Behrend in the 400 meter dash, as he edged out the victory by one-hundredth of a second with his clocking of 57.49 seconds. The other victory by the track Tribe came in the 4x200 relay, where the combination of juniors Dawson Baures and Brock Hatlan, and sophomores Creed Welch and Ethan O’Neill claimed a win by just two-hundredths of a second with a time of 1:38.57.

The Kee boys track team got its 2019 season of competition underway indoors at the annual Upper Iowa Conference Indoor Meet held Friday, March 22 at Luther College in Decorah. Led by five event finishes within the top two, including three event victories, the Hawks racked up 77 team points to finish within the top half of the nine-team UIC field in fourth place.

TEAM SCORES
North Fayette Valley 119.5; South Winneshiek 105; Clayton Ridge 105; KEE 77; Turkey Valley 55; Postville 39; Central Elkader 28.5; West Central 23; MFL/MarMac 12

The Hawks are next scheduled to compete outdoors for the first time this Thursday, March 28 at Waukon. The Kee boys are then slated to travel to Edgewood-Colesburg Tuesday, April 2 and then to Postville Thursday, April 4.

The Kee girls track team made an early statement in pursuing defense of the first-ever Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) track and field team championship the Lady Hawks won last spring. The early-season indoor version of that meet this spring ended with the same team result for the Kee track girls, as they ran, jumped and threw their way to another first-place team finish at the Upper Iowa Conference Indoor Meet held Friday, March 22 at Luther College in Decorah behind the strength of six event wins that fueled the Lady Hawks to 103 team points.

TEAM SCORES
KEE 103; North Fayette Valley 89.5; Central Elkader 86; South Winneshiek 78; Clayton Ridge 71.5; Turkey Valley 49; West Central 33; MFL/MarMac 21; Postville 9

The Lady Hawks are scheduled to compete outdoors Thursday, March 28 at West Delaware High School in Manchester. The Kee girls will then travel to Postville Tuesday, April 2 and then to Starmont Thursday, April 4.

The Waukon girls track team has had 42 young ladies report for early-season duty to begin its 2019 campaign, with more than half of this season’s squad made up of varsity letterwinners returning from last spring’s squad. Among those 22 veterans are five of six Lady Indians who competed at every high school track and field athlete’s ultimate destination last season, the State Meet.

The Waukon Park & Recreation Youth Soccer Program is for boys and girls in Kindergarten through sixth grade. Basic fundamentals of soccer will be taught along with team participation.

Teams will be grouped together as follows: Kindergarten is alone, first and second graders will be together, third and fourth graders will be together, and fifth and sixth graders will be together. Different size fields and balls will be used to accommodate the lower ages and skill levels. All players must wear shin guards and they must be covered by socks or pants. Cleats are optional.

The games will be played Saturday mornings starting April 13 and will run for five weeks. There will not be games April 20 due to Easter weekend. The dates will be as follows: April 13, April 27, May 4, May 11 and May 18. The make-up date will be Tuesday, May 21, if needed.

Taya Duehr, Waukon High School 2019 graduating senior, is pictured above signing her letter of intent to attend Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids on a cheerleading scholarship. She will be attending Mount Mercy University this fall to pursue a Bachelor of Nursing degree. The daughter of John and Jane Duehr of Waterville, Taya cheered with the Waukon High School varsity cheerleading squad and participated in competition cheer throughout her high school career. Pictured above at the letter signing are: Left to right - Front row: John, Taya and Jane Duehr; Middle row: Waukon High School Cheer Coaches Lexie Bieber and Amy Bieber; Back row: Mount Mercy Cheer Coach Dax Cox. Submitted photo.