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 — The Iowa Print Sports Writers Association, with assistance from the Iowa Football Coaches Association, is announcing it’s all-state football teams for 2020.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
DES MOINES - You know a softball program is good when they can reach the regional championship level two years in a row as well as winning back-to-back conference championships.
The Anamosa softball program is that good.
ANAMOSA - Members of the Anamosa softball team talked about it before the start of the 2020 campaign.
ANAMOSA - As one of the best teams in the River Valley Conference (RVC) each of the past two years, the Anamosa softball team has been well represented on All-RVC teams.
But nothing quite like this summer.
ANAMOSA - There’s no doubting the needle is pointing upwards for the Anamosa baseball program following another improved campaign in 2020.
MOUNT VERNON - History has been something the Anamosa softball team has been making each of the last two summers.
DEWITT - For the second straight summer, the Anamosa baseball team was in DeWitt playing a class 3A district semi-final game against the talented and third-ranked Sabers Friday, July 17.
ANAMOSA - Looking to head into the post-season playing some of their best softball of this COVID-19 shortened summer, the class 3A eighth-ranked Anamosa softball team looked very businesslike in a trio of impressive triumphs over Iowa City Regina, Wilton and Mid-Prairie closing out the 2020 regular season last week.
WILTON - Executing with two-outs has been a challenge for the Anamosa baseball team for most of this COVID-19 shortened summer season, but Tuesday, July 7, in Wilton, not only did the Raiders execute on the offensive end with two outs, they did defensively too, keying a huge 14-4, five-inning rout over the Beavers.
ANAMOSA - Coming off a pair of extremely frustrating losses hosting West Branch and Monticello earlier in the week leading into their contest hosting North Cedar Friday, July 3, Anamosa baseball coach Bryan McCray challenged his team.
ANAMOSA - Senior Night is an emotional time each and every season, but Friday, July 3, in Anamosa, it was extra special as Raider softball fans said good bye to a sensational class in Ellie Tallman, Kalli Minger, Autumn Kirby, Maggie McQuillen and Jordyn Erickson.
ANAMOSA - It’s not often when two state-ranked teams get together and the main objective isn’t about winning the game.
ANAMOSA - Jumping out to a quick 3-0 first-inning lead hosting Northeast Thursday, June 25, Anamosa baseball coach Bryan McCray was hoping that early success was going to be a sign of things to come for the rest of the game against the Rebels.
MONTICELLO - It’s what good teams do to win when not all facets of the game are working seamlessly at the same time.
ANAMOSA - Coming off a tough loss hosting class 3A eighth-ranked West Liberty in a playoff-like atmosphere Thursday, June 18, the fourth-ranked Anamosa softball team needed to quickly get back on track hosting rival Monticello 24-hours later Friday, June 19.
ANAMOSA - Heading into the 2001 girls track and field campaign, Anamosa’s Ashley Lerch had made trips to the state meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines each of the previous two seasons in the wheelchair 100-and-400-meter dash events.
ANAMOSA - During an amazing month-long stretch in the summer of 1999, Anamosa graduate Matt Schirm, then a Coe College junior, would have a life-altering experience playing baseball in El Salvador and Nicaragua for Athletes in Action.
ANAMOSA - It was a run of success unlike anything the Anamosa boys track and field program had seen in a number of years.
ANAMOSA - There was no question that if there was actually going to be an Anamosa softball season, the Raider girls were going to do something to honor senior teammate Maggie McQuillen, who has been making a remarkable recovery following a horrific car accident March 19, that left her fighting for her very life.
ANAMOSA - Just take a look at the sign at the bottom of the hill leading up to the high school.
ANAMOSA - There have been numerous events that have stood out to Anamosa boys basketball fans over the past 25 years.
ANAMOSA - It didn’t take the Anamosa volleyball team very long to get into a winning mentality in the fall of 1997, and thankfully for Raider fans, it lasted all season long during that would prove to be one of the greatest campaigns the program would witness over the next quarter century.
ANAMOSA - Dan Achenbach came into his senior season for the Anamosa football team in 1997 with some pressure placed squarely on his shoulders.
ANAMOSA - Today, Thursday, May 14, was supposed to be the day that Anamosa senior Olivia Nebergall, and the rest of her talented Raider girls track and field teammates, would make more memories by battling for berths to Drake Stadium in Des Moines competing at the class 3A state meet qualifier.
ANAMOSA - Anyone who has competed under Anamosa wrestling coach Denny Christenson knows they guy was one of the best motivators in the entire state.
Heck, maybe the country.
ANAMOSA - The news hit like a bomb dropping in Anamosa Friday, May 1, and the ripple effects could be felt all the way into Johnson County.
ANAMOSA - If the rules that are in play now would have been allowed back in 1996, the Anamosa football team’s class 2A co-district 5 championship would have earned that Raider team a berth into the playoffs, a place the program had only been one other time in school history at that point.
ANAMOSA - During the entire 1996 Anamosa boys track and field campaign, then Raider senior Nic Weers had his mind set on one thing and one thing only.