CEDAR RAPIDS - Through most of her high school athletic career, Anamosa senior Grace Lubben hadn’t really considered playing sports at the collegiate level.
DES MOINES - With COVID raging all over Iowa, the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association (IPSWA) and Iowa Football Coaches Association (IFCA) wanted to make sure high school football players from all over the state would still be recognized for their outstanding 2020 accomplishments, even without the two organizations being able to get together for their annual face-to-face All-State football meeting.
DES MOINES - She was the orchestrator of an amazing Springville offense, one that thrilled Oriole fans all season long and advanced all the way to the state volleyball tournament for a second season in a row.
DES MOINES — The Iowa Print Sports Writers Association, with assistance from the Iowa Football Coaches Association, is announcing it’s all-state football teams for 2020.
WYOMING - Thinking he was most likely going to be attending college and wrestling for a D-III program a little closer to home, lightning all of a sudden struck for Midland senior superstar Damon Huston.
ANAMOSA - For a football program that came into the 2020 campaign with an almost entirely new coaching staff, what played out for Anamosa during a wild season this past fall was nothing short of impressive.
CEDAR RAPIDS - When they’ve been able to field a full team this season, the Springville girls have proven to be one of the best volleyball teams in the state of Iowa.
DAVENPORT - Just about anyone who lives in and around Anamosa has probably seen former Raider cross country and track stars Emma and Claire Duncan training in the area.
FORT DODGE - Bursting onto the scene with an outstanding qualifier performance in the rain and cold just a week earlier, Anamosa sophomore Shea Keister came into his first-ever state cross country meet Saturday, Oct. 31, with some pretty lofty goals.
FORT DODGE It didn’t hit him until he reached the class 2A state cross country course and saw the mass of runners and fans that engulfed the Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge Saturday, Oct. 31.
VAN HORNE - Struggling through their class 1A regional semi-final match just two days earlier, Springville volleyball coach Claude Howard called the Orioles’ match against Clinton Prince of Peace a wake-up call leading into their pressure-filled regional final Wednesday, Oct. 28, against Belle Plaine in Van Horne.
The Springville girls got the message, loud and clear.
JESUP - It was supposed to be nearly 70-degrees as the Anamosa cross country team was set to compete at their class 2A state qualifier event in Jesup Thursday, Oct. 22.
Rain, however, was in the forecast as well.
WYOMING - As a program who has regularly been in the playoffs each of the last six years, ending the season with a win is a tough proposition for all but six teams in the state of Iowa.
SPRINGVILLE - When it comes to facing playoff pressure, few have experienced it more than the Springville volleyball team over the past decade, and the Orioles used that vast knowledge to roll to another big class 1A regional triumph Wednesday, Oct. 21.
SPRINGVILLE - Playing in front of a big home crowd for the final time this season, the fifth-ranked Springville volleyball team sorely wanted to give their die-hard fans an impressive class 1A regional semi-final victory Monday, Oct. 26, hosting fellow Tri-Rivers Conference foe Clinton Prince of Peace.
CENTER POINT - They’ve been in the same position many times over the past several weeks, with the clock winding down and in need of a touchdown to win the game.
WEST LIBERTY - Knowing they had easily the toughest regional volleyball draw in all of class 3A traveling to eighth-ranked West Liberty Monday, Oct. 19, the Anamosa girls didn’t look upon their quarter-final contest with the talented Comets as a burden.
BELLEVUE - They’ve been among the top Tri-Rivers Conference programs for more than a half decade now, so it came as no surprise to anyone when the Springville volleyball team advanced all the way to the league’s conference tournament championship game at Bellevue-Marquette Saturday, Oct. 17.
MANCHESTER - For Anamosa seniors Liz Riniker, Lily Rogers and Natalie Hersom, Manchester brings back special memories as the spot the Raider girls earned the program’s first-ever team berth to the state cross country meet three years ago.
SPRINGVILLE - It’s been the strength of the Midland football team all season long, and it was again when the Eagles made their trip to Springville Friday, Oct. 9, for the 2020 regular-season finale.
SPRINGVILLE - Turning in one of their top defensive performances of the season Friday, Oct. 9, the Springville football team rode a second half shutout to an impressive 38-20 triumph over visiting Midland.
WEST LIBERTY - It had been two weeks since the Anamosa fr/so football team had seen action in an actual game, and the team was more than ready to get on the field Thursday, Oct. 8, at West Liberty.
ANAMOSA - For the second straight week, the Anamosa football team was embroiled up in a pressure-cooker of a game that was headed right down to the final seconds against visiting Iowa Falls-Alden Friday, Oct. 2.
CASCADE - Riding one of the longest volleyball winning streaks the program has seen in nearly a quarter century, Anamosa made their way to Cascade Thursday, Oct. 1, looking to extend a 12-match streak against the talented Cougars.
WYOMING - You couldn’t fault the Midland football team for their bit of a slow start hosting Central City Friday, Oct. 2.
TROY MILLS - Coming off their first loss since the 2020 season-opener against Anamosa at the Cascade tournament way back on Aug. 29, the class 1A fourth-ranked Springville volleyball team was ready to start a new streak Thursday, Oct. 1, at North Linn.
MAQUOKETA - Through two quarters of play, there weren’t too many indications that Anamosa’s football contest at Maquoketa Friday, Sept. 25, was going to be a thriller with heart-stopping back and forth action going right down to the game’s final second.
ANAMOSA - It was business as usual for the Anamosa girls’ and boys’ cross country teams Saturday, Sept. 26, hosting more of Iowa’s top programs at the annual Raider Invitational, and once again Anamosa more than held their own.
WYOMING - Through the first two sets hosting Cedar Valley Christian Tuesday, Sept. 22, it appeared the Midland volleyball team was well on their way to picking up their first Tri-Rivers Conference triumph of the 2020 season.
SPRINGVILLE - Having just hosted their own Oriole tournament a week earlier, Springville was back on their home court again Saturday, Sept. 26, playing substitute hosts for the North Cedar Invitational as the Knights deal with COVID issues.
SPRINGVILLE - When you’ve won as many matches as Springville volleyball coach Claude Howard has over the years, it’s easy to forget exactly how many victories you’ve piled up.
ANAMOSA - It’s amazing how far the Anamosa volleyball program has come in the last half decade.
ANAMOSA - Coming into a big Homecoming contest, a huge crowd was in place ready to watch their Raiders roll to a victory against a Camanche program that has historically struggled, but came into Downing Field Friday, Sept. 18, on a two-game winning streak.
CASCADE - They’re starting to make a name for themselves state-wide, and with another solid performance at another extremely competitive meet, this time in Cascade Thursday, Sept. 17, the Anamosa boys’ cross country team continues to build towards their ultimate goal.
SPRINGVILLE - If the Springville volleyball tournament bracket played out as expected Saturday, Sept. 19, the class 1A fifth-ranked Orioles would play class 2A 10th-ranked Jesup in the tournament championship match.
HIAWATHA - He’s a veteran of numerous Boston Marathons, including the one that saw the terrorist explosions a few years ago.
ANAMOSA - Having just a few days to prepare to play Lisbon Monday, Sept. 14, Anamosa fr/so football coach Wayne Hora did the best he could to get his team ready to face what has been a perennially powerful Lion football program.
DYERSVILLE - With their home field almost under water due to all the locally heavy rain in the last week and completely unplayable, Midland officials knew they weren’t going to be able to host their scheduled game with Central Elkader Friday, Sept. 11.
SPRINGVILLE - With a date against class 8-player sixth-ranked Easton Valley looming just seven days ahead, Springville football coach Joe Martin wanted to make sure his team’s attention was focused squarely on a struggling Clarksville team Friday, Sept. 11, and not the talented River Hawks.
Martin had absolutely nothing to worry about.
SPRINGVILLE - The great teams seem to make even the difficult look amazingly easy.
ANAMOSA- Having already opened their season on a positive note with wins at Midland and at the Cascade tournament a week earlier, the Anamosa volleyball team wanted more of the same opening the River Valley Conference campaign hosting North Cedar Thursday Sept. 3.
IOWA CITY - Coming into their second meet of the season, this time in Iowa City Thursday, Sept. 3, Anamosa cross country coach Ken Sunseri wanted to put his girls at ease going against yet another absolutely loaded field of runners.
WYOMING - Playing in front of a big socially distanced home crowd on Senior Night Thursday, Sept. 3, the Midland volleyball team put on a show and certainly gave their fans plenty to cheer about hosting East Buchanan in a five-set thriller.
MONTICELLO - Making the second stop on their 2020 pre-conference tournament tour, the Springville volleyball team was in Monticello Saturday, Sept. 5, taking part at the multi-site Midland Invitational.
SPRINGVILLE - Through a little more than one quarter of their 2020 season-opener hosting Central City Friday, Aug. 28, it appeared the Springville football team was going to be in for a four-quarter fight with their Linn County rivals.
CASCADE - Opening the Cascade volleyball tournament against one of the toughest teams there in class 1A sixth-ranked Springville Saturday, Aug. 29, Anamosa volleyball coach Caitlin McVay sorely wanted to make an immediate statement against the talented Orioles.
WYOMING - It hasn’t been the kind of start Midland volleyball coach Kerrigan Riley had been hoping for, having to deal with injuries heading into the Eagles’ season-openers hosting Vinton-Shellsburg and Anamosa in a triangular Tuesday, Aug. 25.
ANAMOSA - When Anamosa athletic director Brett Jones was scrambling to find an extra home game for the Raider football team this season, the addition of class 3A West Delaware seemed like a perfect fit.
ANAMOSA - To top the field at the annual Fawn Creek women’s club tournament, competitors know you’re going to have to shoot a pretty impressive score.
ANAMOSA - A very familiar name was at the top of the leaderboard after the first day’s play at the Fawn Creek men’s club tournament Saturday, Aug. 22.
MAQUOKETA - During much of the annual Three Rivers golf tournament, held at the Maquoketa Country Club Saturday, Aug. 15, men’s Fawn Creek Country Club golfers weren’t the least bit confident their scores were going to be anywhere near good enough to compete for a title against the seven-team field at the one-day, 18-hole event.