Sports

The Waukon Park and Recreation 13 and Under baseball team won its division of the annual Shooky Fink Tournament held at New Albin Friday and Saturday, July 18 and 19. The team won its tournament pool by defeating the Hokah, MN seventh grade team, 10-2, and a team from Caledonia, MN, 4-1, during Friday’s competition to earn a spot in the tournament championship game Saturday, where the Waukon team clinched the tournament title with a 5-3 victory over the Hokah, MN sixth grade team. Pictured above, left to right, are: Front row - Coach Mark Hawes, Michael Headington, Miles Hansmeier, Brady Sullivan, Brock Hatlan, Logan Houg. Back row - Coach Austin Troendle, Robbie Drew, Pryce Hesse, Levi McGeough, Patrick Waters, Wyatt Little, Carson Wille, Carson Jones, Coach Marshall Lyons. Submitted photo courtesy of Cassandra Drew.

The 2014 Kee baseball season finished with above average results with a 23-17 overall season record, but not necessarily at that same level in comparison to recent Kee baseball legacy. For the first time in 10 seasons the baseball Hawks fell short of an Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) championship, and for the first time in recent memory as well, Kee’s diamond dwellers played just two postseason tournament games, both of those shortcomings being the result of significant overall improvement in UIC competition this season, according to legendary Kee baseball Coach Gene Schultz.

by Bob Beach

“WE BELIEVE ...”
It was a simple statement on the back of the t-shirts worn by Kee softball players and fans as they made their way to Fort Dodge this past week. But after the Class 1A State Softball Tournament dust has settled, most others who watched the softball Hawks play their way to their State Tournament runner-up finish with two wins in three games now believe as well.

The Kee softball team and its fans celebrate the Hawks' 3-1 victory over AGWSR in the semifinal round of the Class 1A State Tournament Thursday afternoon, July 24 in Fort Dodge. With bases loaded and just one out in the books in the seventh inning, Kee's defense did what it needed to get the final outs and secure the 3-1 victory, advancing the Hawks to the Class 1A State Championship game at 10 a.m. Friday, July 25. Check out next week's Standard for full coverage of the Hawks' road to State Tournament glory!

The 2014 Waukon baseball team brought both its regular season and its overall season to a close within just a few days of one another this past week, both ending on differing notes. The Indians wrapped up their regular season with an 11-6 victory at Charles City Tuesday, July 15 in a game originally scheduled for June 30 before having their season brought to completion by a 15-3 loss at second-rated Waverly-Shell Rock in the opening round of Class 3A District Tournament play Friday, July 18.
The Indians finished their season with a 6-25 overall record that includes a 4-14 mark that places them seventh in the final Northeast Iowa Conference standings. Waverly-Shell Rock went on to defeat Decorah, 10-9, in the Class 3A District 5 championship game Monday, July 21 to earn a Substate berth.

For more complete coverage, pick up this week's print edition of The Standard or check out our electronic edition.
 

The 2014 Kee baseball season came to a close this past week, as the Hawks had their postseason tournament journey cut short just two games into District Tournament play. Kee opened its postseason trail with a 7-1 win over Wapsie Valley at Postville Tuesday, July 15 but then had its season ended two days later with a 5-4 loss to the host Pirates of Postville in a nine-inning brawl in the District semifinals.
The Hawks wrapped up their 2014 campaign with an overall record of 23-17, including a mark of 10-6 in Upper Iowa Conference play that placed them fourth overall in the final 10-team standings. Postville went on to also have its season brought to completion in the very next round of the district tournament, losing by a 10-0 result in five innings against Denver in the Class 1A District District 7 championship game Saturday, July 19.

For more complete coverage, pick up this week's print edition of The Standard or check out our electonic edition.
 

The Kee softball team celebrates its 4-0 triumph in the opening round of the Class 1A State Tournament Tuesday, July 22 over second-rated Lynnville-Sully, who came into the tournament with a  34-1 record and returned as fifth-place finishers at the same season grand finale a year ago. With the first-round win, the Hawks will next face AGWSR (28-6)Thursday, July 24 at 11:30 a.m. at Harlan Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge, and will play again Friday morning at either 10 a.m. for the Class 1A State Championship or at 9:30 a.m. for a third-place tournament finish. Watch next week's Standard for full coverage of the softball Hawks' State Tournament run.

It’s happened just once before in program history, but never in such dominating fashion.
The Kee softball team mastered its way through three regional tournament games this past week by a scoring margin of 35-1 to earn just the second State Tournament berth in program history, the Hawks last making a trip to Fort Dodge during the 2002 season, placing sixth among that year’s Class 1A elite. Kee first blasted Central Elkader, 12-0 in three innings, Wednesday, July 9 before handing Turkey Valley an 11-1 rout Friday, July 11, both of those games played on Kee’s home field. The culmination of that eye-opening tournament run, however, was another 12-0 Kee pounding of 12th-rated Mason City Newman Monday, July 14 at Cresco that punched the Hawks’ ticket to next week’s Class 1A State Tournament in Fort Dodge.

The Kee baseball team was one win away from an undefeated week in wrapping up its 2014 regular season. The Hawks posted extremes in recording a sweep of Edgewood-Colesburg at home Monday, July 7, routing the visiting Vikings, 21-0 in four innings, in game one before escaping with a 5-4 victory in the nightcap. The Hawks then traveled to Dubuque Wednesday, July 9 to earn a split of a non-conference doubleheader scheduled just this past week with Dubuque Senior, winning a 3-1 result but also falling by a 12-10 count, before wrapping up their regular season Thursday, July 10 by winning at Postville, 12-0 in five innings, in a game rescheduled from June 16.
Now holding a 22-16 overall record, 10-6 in Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) play, the Hawks were scheduled to open postseason tournament play Tuesday, July 15 at Postville against Wapsie Valley.

For more complete coverage, pick up this week's print edition of The Standard or check out our electronic edition.