Sports

Despite a 7-6 regular season record and 9-7 overall record, the 2020 Kee softball season was anything but close to being an average season. Like all other Iowa high schools, the Hawks’ recently completed summer diamond campaign was much different than all its others by being delayed and shortened by COVID-19 to just over a month in length from its first practice allowed June 1 to the beginning of postseason play in mid-July, but there were also some unique twists and turns along the way that ultimately resulted in that 9-7 overall record that included a mark of 7-5 in Upper Iowa Conference play that placed the Lady Hawks fifth in the final Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) standings.

The following information is to be considered recommendation from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) for member schools to participate in the 2020 Iowa high school volleyball season. These recommendations may be updated before and during the fall 2020 season as situations warrant.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Schools are asked to read a Public Address Announcement at the start of each match to encourage social distancing (arm test) and to remind spectators to do their part in keeping their student-athletes on the court. People (players, coaches, officials, spectators, etc.) feeling sick or that have been exposed to someone sick, should not attend or participate in competitions or practices.

The IGHSAU strongly encourages all participants and spectators to practice social distancing and to wear face coverings whenever possible.

The Waukon High School and Middle School football coaching staffs are planning to host the 2020 Waukon Indian Middle School Football Camp August 11-13. The camp, run by the Waukon football coaching staffs with help from high school players, is a non-contact camp aimed at teaching the fundamentals of offensive and defensive play for the Waukon football program.

The camp is planned to be held as scheduled “pending guidance and prior approval” taking into consideration the current COVID-19 situation, so parents and student-athletes should be attentive for further updates. Those updates will be communicated through the school district website and the middle school football website (both listed below), social media, as well as the newspaper if time permits.

Like all Iowa high schools this summer, the 2020 Kee baseball season was also impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, having this recently completed season shortened to just over a month’s time from the June 1 initial practice allowed to postseason play beginning in mid-July. Not only did the virus trim what was planned to be a 40-game schedule to just under half that total, but it also took away some crucial pre-season preparation the Hawks rely on, especially with this year’s squad featuring just one senior, two juniors and 10 sophomores, with as many as seven of those youngest players in the Hawk line-up at one time throughout the season.

While the 2020 Iowa high school softball season was certainly unique in its abbreviated format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Waukon softball season was unique in its own right. With just one senior, two juniors and just four players returning from last season’s varsity roster at all, the Indian diamond dwellers fielded a team more than half of which was made up of first-time varsity participants and sometimes featuring as many as four eighth graders cutting their varsity softball teeth during this year’s 0-13 campaign.

There will be  a cross country camp Monday through Friday, August 3-7 for boys and girls entering grades 7-12 in the Allamakee Community School District this fall. As always, there is no fee for the camp, which will start at 6 p.m. and be held at the cross country course behind Waukon High School.

Boys and girls entering seventh grade will need to have their completed physical form turned in to the middle school office, or they must bring them to camp, before they will be allowed to participate. All other grades can use their physical exam from the last school year for camp. Participants should bring a completed registration form to the first day of camp, August 3.
 

The Waukon High School football coaching staff is planning to host its 2020 Waukon Indian Football Camp Monday through Friday, August 3-7. The camp, run by the Waukon coaching staff, is a non-contact camp aimed at teaching fundamental instruction in offensive/defensive techniques necessary for the execution of Waukon’s system.

Participants should plan to attend camp in shorts and a t-shirt, and should bring football cleats as well as shoes appropriate for weight lifting. Camp will take place behind Waukon High School on the practice football fields. In the event of lightning or inclement weather, the camp will be held indoors.

The high school camp is for students entering grades 9 through 12 and will be held at Waukon High School from 4:30-8 p.m. each evening. Friday, August 7 will last later because it will involve equipment check-out.

In what turned out to be somewhat of a defensive battle right to the very end on the scoreboard, the Waukon baseball team had its 2020 season brought to an end in the opening round of the Class 2A District 6 Tournament Monday, July 13. In a game played at New Hampton against a combined team from Sumner-Fredericksburg and Tripoli High Schools (SFT), the game came right down to the final play, which ended up being a one-out game-winning single with the bases full of Cougars to bring the baseball Tribe’s season to a halt with a 2-1 loss.

The Waukon softball team had its 2020 season brought to a close by one of the best teams in all of Class 3A when the Indians traveled to 11th-rated Crestwood Wednesday, July 15. Having been swept by the highly-regarded Cadets by scores of 9-0 early in the season and 12-0 in three innings just over a week ago, the Lady Indians put an abrupt end to their scoring drought against Crestwood right away in the opening frame and even held a 1-0 lead over the Cadets midway through the contest, but ultimately allowed seven unanswered runs during Crestwood’s final three innings at the plate to put up their best fight of this season against the Cadets before falling by a 7-1 final result.

The 2020 Kee softball season was brought to a close this past week in a busy week of postseason play, but it took one of Class 1A’s highly-regarded teams to accomplish that feat. The Lady Hawks first ran through a couple fellow Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) squads to start the week, ending South Winneshiek’s season with a 7-1 first-round regional victory at home Monday, July 13 before blasting their way past UIC season champion Turkey Valley by a 19-10 result Wednesday, July 15 at the home of the single-loss Trojans. Kee’s postseason run was finally brought to a close at 12th-rated Mason City Newman Friday, July 17 as the Hawks suffered a 12-2 defeat in five innings on the Knights’ home field to bring their 2020 campaign to a close.