CASCADE - There haven’t been too many times when visiting teams leave Cascade with wins over much of the past 30 years, but that’s exactly what the extremely young Anamosa boys basketball team was trying to do in their season-opener against the host Cougars Tuesday, Dec. 3.

CASCADE - Through the early portion of the 2019-20 campaign, offense has seemed to come in waves and spurts for the Anamosa girls’ basketball team.

ANAMOSA - There were a lot of questions heading into the 2019-20 Anamosa girls basketball campaign.

ANAMOSA - Falling into a 13-0 hole opening their 2019-20 basketball campaign Tuesday, Nov. 26, things certainly didn’t look too promising for the Anamosa JV girls.

 CEDAR FALLS - It’s the highest honor a sports journalist or broadcaster can receive in the state of Iowa.

ANAMOSA - How does the old saying go?

      Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

ANAMOSA - It was a little over a year ago that Anamosa’s Ellie Tallman gave her verbal commitment to the Minnesota State University softball program.

WAVERLY - Coming into his final home game as a Wartburg College football player Saturday, Nov. 16, against Loras, former Anamosa superstar wide receiver Kolin Schulte needed two touchdowns to break the Knights’ school record for most receiving scores in a single season.

ANAMOSA - For a young team learning as they went through the 2019 campaign, Anamosa football coach Lucas Stanton sorely wanted to head into the off-season with a win in the Raiders’ season-finale hosting Oelwein Friday, Oct. 25.

ANAMOSA - The atmosphere was electric inside as the Anamosa High School gym Wednesday, Oct. 23, as the Raider volleyball team hosted rival Monticello in what would be one of the most thrilling, and eventually heartbreaking matches the Anamosa program has seen in years.

ANKENY - Anyone who has followed the Anamosa middle school cross country programs this fall knew of the abilities the talented young Raider teams had.

IOWA CITY - The weather didn’t exactly make for ideal running conditions for athletes competing at the River Valley Conference championships in Iowa City Tuesday, Oct. 15, but for the Anamosa girls and boys, it was another opportunity to make a statement against some of the top runners in the state of Iowa, regardless of class.

WEST LIBERTY - Hoping to get a little momentum going heading into class 3A regional action this week, the Anamosa volleyball team got a taste of tournament pressure taking past at the River Valley Conference event in West Liberty Tuesday, Oct. 15.

MONTICELLO - Riding a 14-game losing streak coming into their Cowbell contest at Monticello, few thought the winless Anamosa football team was going to be able to pull off an upset against a Panther club that just two weeks ago was ranked among the best in class 2A.

MANCHESTER - It’s the time of year when runners start to take their game to that next level as the conference and state qualifier meets approach, and for the Anamosa cross country program times are beginning to come down as the meets begin to heat up.

ANAMOSA - There was a buzz in the air as the Anamosa volleyball program honored a whopping 11 seniors Tuesday, Oct. 1, as the team hosted winless Northeast in front of another big home crowd.

ANAMOSA - Playing probably their toughest opponent since week two at Iowa City Regina, Anamosa football coach Lucas Stanton knew his team was in for an extremely tough test hosting class 2A fifth-ranked Waterloo Columbus Friday, Oct. 4.

ANAMOSA - With the weather forecast for Friday, Sept. 27, looking ominous at best, Anamosa Athletic Director Bret Jones decided it was the best interest of everyone involved for the Raiders’ football contest against visiting North Fayette Valley to be moved to up a night, especially with Homecoming festivities looming Saturday, Sept. 28.

ANAMOSA - Just a week after hosting the Cascade Invitational due to heavy rains on the Cougars’ cross country home at the Fillmore Golf Course, the Raiders were back at home again Saturday, Sept. 28.

ANAMOSA - Welcome to Cascade ‘south.’

ANAMOSA - Coming off a frustrating loss at Camanche just five days earlier, Anamosa volleyball coach Caitlin McVay wanted to see her team to get right back into the mix for another River Valley Conference North division title with a big win hosting Cascade Tuesday, Sept. 17.

DYERSVILLE - Through more than three and a half quarters, it appeared the Anamosa football team had done enough to pick up their first win of the season at Beckman Friday, Sept. 20, and spoil the Blazers’ Homecoming party.

ANAMOSA - It’s not uncommon in a close setback to look back and see plenty of missed opportunities.

 TIPTON - Turning in their best team performance of the young season at Tipton Tuesday, Sept. 10, Anamosa cross country coach Ken Sunseri was pleased for his improving boys’ squad, but also wanted to make sure they remained focused on the big picture.

ANAMOSA - The atmosphere was raucous inside the Anamosa High School gym Tuesday, Sept. 10, and no, it’s not basketball or wrestling season.

ANAMOSA - Pulling out of the annual Clinton Prince of Peace Invitational for the first time in many years, the Anamosa volleyball program decided to instead host their own tournament Saturday, Sept. 7.

      Raider volleyball coach Caitlin McVay is sure glad they did.

IOWA CITY - Everything about the Anamosa football team’s performance through the first two quarters of play at Iowa City Regina Friday, Sept. 6, screamed for the Raiders to just give it up.

ANAMOSA - Knowing how important the first few series on both sides of the football would be in the 2019 season-opener against visiting Maquoketa Friday, Aug. 30, Anamosa football coach Lucas Stanton was hoping his young team would be able to come out and execute right away against a Cardinal program that gave the Raiders their lone triumph of the 2018 campaign.

VINTON - Last year was a dream season for the Anamosa volleyball program. The Raiders claimed a division championship in their first run in the River Valley Conference and even cracked into the state rankings for the first time in a generation.

NASHVILLE, TENN. - As one of the top archers in the entire country over much of the past half-decade, Anamosa sophomore Lilly Machart has been used to the pressures of high-quality tournaments.

DEWITT - Hopefully, in the not too distant future, the Anamosa baseball team might be able to point to Friday, July 19, 2019,  as the date the Raider program officially turned the corner and are able to regularly compete against the state’s best.

WEST LIBERTY - Only eight teams earn berths to the state softball tournament.

      Monday, July 15, in West Liberty, one of those top eight teams were not going to be represented in Fort Dodge as the eighth-ranked Raiders battled the fourth-ranked Comets in a class 3A regional championship game.

ANAMOSA - Coming off a heartbreaking one-run loss in the opener of their River Valley Conference doubleheader hosting North Cedar Thursday, July 11, Anamosa baseball coach Bryan McCray wanted to see how his young team would respond.

GOOSE LAKE - The pressure was squarely on the Anamosa softball team as they made a second trip to Goose Lake in a four-day span Friday, July 5.

ANAMOSA - As if they needed to provide any more evidence that they are indeed one of the best teams in the state, the class 3A eighth-ranked Anamosa girls went out and displayed all their dizzying skills once again Wednesday, June 26, rolling to a doubleheader sweep against visiting Springville.

SPRINGVILLE - After dropping a frustrating game against Springville at Anamosa’s own home tournament way back on June 1, the Raider baseball team came into their contest with the host Orioles Wednesday, June 26, a much more focused team.

MONTICELLO - It wasn’t too long ago when any game that went past the fifth inning was considered a moral victory for the Anamosa baseball program.

MONTICELLO - With Kalli Minger dominating in the pitchers’ circle Monday, June 17, Anamosa softball coach Brad Holub knew it wasn’t going to take much in the way of support from his offense for his team to tally a win in the opener at Monticello.

ANAMOSA - They came to Anamosa Monday, June 10, as one of the most prodigious power-hitting softball teams in the history of Iowa High School softball.

ANAMOSA - Taking care of their business through the season’s first nine games, the Anamosa softball team had rarely been tested usually rolling to blowout triumphs.

ANAMOSA - How often do you get to meet what could (and most likely will) be a future National Football League Hall of Famer?

ANAMOSA - Taking advantage of the few opportunities they had in the first game of a doubleheader hosting Bellevue Monday, June 3, the Anamosa baseball team showed just how far the program has come in the last couple of summers.

ANKENY - During what had been a brilliant high school career leading up to the class 3A state golf tournament in Ankeny Tuesday, May 28, and Wednesday, May 29, every time Anamosa senior Kara Hunt faced a daunting challenge, she responded like a champion.

BELLEVUE - It didn’t take too long for fans to realize, the class 1A regional quarter-final playoff contest between visiting Anamosa and host Bellevue-Marquette Tuesday, May 28, was going to be a fierce battle.

TIPTON - Cruising through the first eight games of the 2019 schedule, including the first two contests at the Tipton Invitational Saturday, June 1, the Anamosa softball team had rarely been tested.

CASCADE - Very few expected the Anamosa baseball team, a program that has struggled mightily for years to win baseball games, especially against state-ranked foes like Cascade, to pick up a win against the host and class 2A eighth-ranked Cougars Thursday, May 30.

      So, the Raiders decided to just go out and shock the world.

ANAMOSA - It was the day Anamosa baseball coach Bryan McCray had been waiting for since late last summer.