Sports

JULY, 1990 —State Softball Trip Caps year of success at WHS. By qualifying for the state softball tournamtn, the Cherokee Bravettes capped off a year that will go down as one of the most successful every in Washington High School. Cherokee athletic teams had a share of five Lakes Conference championships during the 1989-90 school year, three of which were won outright...

I keep asking myself, of all the columns I’ve never written, why isn’t this one of them? Kenny died. For everyone in Cherokee, and the State of Iowa, you know who “Kenny” is. Legends don’t need a last name. The Mick, Yogi. Casey. Ali. Arnie. Elvis. Magic. Teddy. Ike...

NOVEMBER, 1962 —In big, bold type across the top of sports pages of the Daily Times read: CHAMPIONSHIP! Braves Tough Defense, 3 TDs Key Unbeaten Year. Cherokee - a football team with everything including tons of desire - hot-footed it over the soggy Washington turf Friday night behind a gutty 145-pound quarterback and won the Lakes Conference championship hands down, by decking Spencer 20-7...

As the virus continues to spread, let’s face it, our spring high school sports seasons are pretty much toast. We still hold out hope that normalcy will return soon. But, until that happens, everyone must become more creative in what we do. Therefore, in order to justify my existence here, I too must become more creative. So in the immediate future I will randomly select a Daily Times bound volume month, blow the dust off and take a look at sports days of yesteryear...

As the virus continues to spread, let’s face it, our spring high school sports seasons are pretty much toast. We still hold out hope that normalcy will return soon. But, until that happens, everyone must become more creative in what we do. Therefore, in order to justify my existence here, I too must become more creative. So in the immediate future I will randomly select a Daily Times bound volume month, blow the dust off and take a look at sports days of yesteryear...

—Good friend Tom Bohnenkamp recently reminded us that Alta-Aurelia High School 1992 graduate Brandt Carlson is currently the head boys’ basketball coach at Ankeny, a team that defeated Waukee 78-70 for the Class 4A state championship title this season...

I empathize with coaches and the crap they tolerate as they go about their jobs while fending off interfering, confrontational parents who think they have all the answers to ensure their child’s stardom and the team’s success. Today I supply some verbal comebacks for coaches everywhere who’ve found themselves in the cross hairs of an oblivious parent who knows everything about everything...

Regrettably, only a handful of Northwest Iowa basketball players made the Iowa Sports Writers Association All-State teams released this week. The six schools in the Chronicle-Times coverage area, Alta-Aurelia, Cherokee, MMCRU, South O”Brien, Ridge View and River Valley, had just one player recognized - senior Jackson Louscher of South O’Brien as a second team pick in Class 1A. A well deserved honor...

Ahh yes. Can you hear it? ’Tis the pitter-patter of tiny feet dancing somewhere over the rainbow. Sure enough, ’tis St. Paddy’s Day tomorrow and the wee little leprechauns are most likely up to no good. We’ve heard rumors the little fellows may show their wee faces at the Brightside Lounge, but no one can be sure when dealing with the little devils...

I’m always grateful when folks share stories and information, suggesting it might make good copy for End of the Bench. This is no exception. Thanks for planting the seed, Joe Lundsgaard. Our good friend Joe shared a name I’d never heard before - Marvin Tuttle...

The Iowa Print Sports Writers Association released its 2019-20 girls’ all-state basketball teams on Tuesday, naming three teams in each of the state’s five classifications. Two Cherokee County players were recognized by the IPSWA. Making the coveted cut on the Class 3A first team is Cherokee junior JeMae Nichols, while making second team status in Class 1A is MMCRU sophomore Taylor Harpenau...

Even though none of our six area coverage teams - Alta-Aurelia, Cherokee, MMCRU, South O’Brien, River Valley or Ridge View were able to make the state tournaments, falling just short does not take away any of the individual and team accomplishment that occurred during the past winter basketball season...

I tripped and knocked over my golf clubs and bag in the garage the other day and as I picked them up it dawned on me that I haven’t swung them for about six years and probably won’t ever again. Suddenly sad and melancholy, I started looking around the garage and saw my youngest son’s old “Little League” bag with his glove, spikes, balls and bat he will never use again. ...

SPENCER - Algona Garrigan advanced to the state tournament here Saturday night, knocking South O’Brien out of the picture with a 68-48 Class 1A substate title win. Don’t let the final score fool you. It was much closer than the final score would indicate...

LEMARS - After a near even first half, West Sioux drained five three pointers in the third period and cruised to a 83-66 Class 2A district final win here Tuesday. The accurate sharp shooting from the arc gave West Sioux enough cushion, 56-49, going into the final quarter where the fifth ranked Falcons nailed their free throws to secure the win. The Falcons, 21-2, will play in a substate final against South Central Calhoun at a site to be determined on Saturday...

Nine Cherokee basketball players were recognized by league coaches and earned All-Lakes Conference honors announced this week. Cherokee basketball teams placed three players on coveted first teams, two on second team and four on the honorable mention list. Two of Cherokee’s three first team picks were unanimous selections...

ORANGE CITY - Cherokee’s state tournament hopes were dashed here Saturday in a 73-70 heartbreaking loss to Sioux City Heelan. It was the Braves fifth straight regional final appearance, going to the tourney in 2015 and 2016, and now dropping its third regional final in a row...

In our little corner of the world there are so many positive things taking place right under our noses. These old Irish eyes smile and see it almost everyday, especially in our schools. It’s refreshing to witness so many good things happening today by simply observing our youth at play...

PAULLiNA - South O’Brien’s No. 3 Class A ranked Wolverines hammered Akron-Westfield 73-29 to advance in the tourney against Kingsley-Pierson (12-11) here Tuesday at 8p.m. K-P defeated LeMars Gehlen 52-43 to advance. In the other half of this district, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn (10-13) eliminated Hinton (14-9) 79-53. HMS will play George-Little Rock (11-11). The two winners will face off at sioux Center on Thursday at 7p.m. for the 1A district title...

HAWARDEN - Cherokee’s Braves got their 16th win of the season, a 64-47 win over Rock Valley here Thursday, advancing to Tuesday’s Class 2A District Final against West Sioux at LeMars. Game time, 7p.m. A solid zone defense coupled with some effective individual performances by seniors Ryan Hurd and Kobe Grell were key in Cherokee tourney win. ...

Teagan Slaughter experienced one of those nights she won’t forget. You know the kind where your dialed in and the shots drop no matter where you are on the court. How sweet is. The Cherokee junior lit it up here Wednesday night early and often, making baskets from everywhere in the gym except the balcony, netting 27 points in the first half and sparking a Braves’ 80-56 Class 2A regional semifinal win over MOC-FV’s Dutch...

JeMae Nichols swished a three pointer and got the 20 points she needed to reach the 1,000-point mark here Saturday evening. Nichols’ 20, Lexi Pingel’s 18 points and Kenna Mongan’s 17 fueled Cherokee’s 80-46 win over OABCIG in Class 3A regional tourney action, and propel the Braves into tonight’s 7p.m. regional semi against MOC-FV’s Dutch, a 64-56 upset winner of Unity Christian. The Braves enter second round tourney play tonight ranked No. 11 in Class 3A...

SHELDON - Representing Cherokee at the state wrestling tournament will be talented freshman Brenden Fisch, who punched his ticket to state via a second place Class 2A district finish here last Saturday. Fisch, a 170-pounder, improved his record to 28-4 with a runner-up district effort and is just one of 16, 170-pounders in Class 2A to make the state tourney field. ...

Almost six months ago, way back in early September, River Valley’s Garrett Trapp was named our “Prep of the Week” selection for his football prowess. And, guess what? It’s no surprise to folks in these parts that the Wolverine junior also has “game” when it comes to the sports of basketball...

I could have stood the shackles if it wasn’t for the rattling of the chains… And so goes the Country song I’m reminded of at every Cherokee Braves basketball game I’ve attended the past few years. Parents and grandparents, caretakers, babysitters, guardians, school administrators, parole officers, do your jobs and tell the young kids at the ballgames to SIT THE HELL DOWN!!!...

MARCUS - “We are undefeated and conference champions,” exclaimed a jubilant MMCRU head girls’ basketball coach Gillian Letsche here Tuesday following her team’s 43-40 win over a tough and determined South O’Brien cage club. The last time a team from this school went unbeaten in regular season play was in 1986 as the Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Eagles of coach Jerry Martin, some 34 years ago. Wow!...

Last weekend in sectional wrestling tournament competition, Cherokee and Ridge View advanced three, and Alta-Aurelia will send two grapplers into district tournemament matches this Saturday. Cherokee wrestlers Simon Mummert (106 lbs.), Carson Fuhrman (160 lbs.) and Brenden Fisch (170 lbs.) will represent the Braves in Class 2A District action at Sheldon beginning at noon Saturday...

Cherokee’s 6-7 senior Ryan Hurd joined an elite club here Thursday night. Hurd surpassed the 1,000-point career mark in a win over LeMars last Thursday and became only the seventh player in Cherokee school history to score 1,000 or more points in a prep career here...

The powers that be who rank Iowa prep girls’ basketball teams have once again put Cherokee’s Braves back into the rankings at No. 13 in Class 3A. Cherokee has been in and our to the state rankings numerous times in the 10 times the rankings have been posted this season...

“Senior Night” here Tuesday was sweet as candy for Cherokee’s basketball programs. Everybody won. Junior varsity and varsity Cherokee teams made it a “complete sweep” by winning all four games against the visiting Indians of Spirit Lake. Question: When was the last time that happened? Easy Answer: Too long ago...

South O’Brien senior Taryn Hintz answered the call. When two starters from last year’s SOS squad were unavailable due to injury and transfer, the question was, who’ll answer the call? The answer for SOS came quickly, Taryn Hintz. In three consecutive wins for SOS last week, Hintz scored 52 points, grabbed 28 rebounds, blocked five shots and picked off six steals for the 10-8 Wolverines...

We enjoyed reading a Sioux Falls Argus Leader story by Matt Zimmer on our very own Kaely Hummel as she enters her final weeks of her college basketball career at the University of Sioux Falls. Zimmer points out that Hummel is “on the short list of the best women’s basketball players to grace the Stewart Center floor.”...

Want a local twist to this weekend’s Super Bowl XVI? Okay, then don’t miss the Puppy Bowl XVI on Animal Planet, starring “Theodore,” a Pomsky (half Pomeranian, half Husky) puppy owned by Cherokee native Jackie Schmillen. That’s right. Theodore made the starting lineup for Sunday’s Puppy Bowl XVI and will represent “Team Fluff” in a battle with team “Ruff.”...

Consistency and confidence. That’s been the storyline of Cherokee cager Ryan Hurd this season. Lakes Conference stats show the talented 6-7 senior at the top of the list in scoring, assists, steals and rebounds. In three wins over Storm Lake (58-55), Alta-Aurelia (88-60) and East Sac (62-47), the senior pivot has scored a combined 62 points, grabbed 26 rebounds, dished 13 assists, with five steals and four blocked shots. Hurd’s body of work speaks for itself...

It was obvious early in both games here Thursday that Cherokee’s Braves had too many weapons. The result was a Cherokee clean sweep as the hosts cruised to a pair of one-sided wins over Alta-Aurelia’s Warriors. Cherokee gals, recently ranked 15th in Class 3A, played everyone on the bench throughout before logging their 11th win of the season, 76-19 over the lady Warriors. Then in the nightcap, it was all Cherokee in a 28-point, 88-60 win over AA cagers...

We obviously can’t compete with the blistering speed of which social media spits out information. However, just in case you still have a flip phone, permit us to share a few tidbids involving area athletes, prep and pro. —Former Ridge View prep Ezra Miller, once a prized recruit for the Iowa Hawkeyes and thought to be another in a long line of linemen for Iowa put into the NFL, has retired from football after a lone redshirt season due to nagging back problems...

MMCRU’s Cade Pepper wears No. 2 on his uniform. But perhaps Royals’ Coach Cam Kuchel should consider giving him the No. 1 jersey. Just saying. All the 5-9 junior guard did last week was put up 71 points in three games and deservingly earn our Chronicle Times “Prep of the Week” honors...

Nine seasons have come and gone since Cherokee’s boys’ basketball team has won nine games. In fact, the last time the Braves won nine or more games was the 2010-11 season when the team finished 10-11. Thursday night the Braves of 2029-20 won their ninth game against four losses in defeating East Sac 62-47. The monkey is off the Braves’ back as they take a five-game winning streak hosting Alta-Aurelia on Thursday and Storm Lake on Friday this week...

SIOUX CENTER - Balanced scoring and sound defense propelled Cherokee past Sioux Center here Tuesday 81-53, making it four in a row for the Braves, now 8-4 on the season. “We got out to another great start and that’s always huge on the road,” said Cherokee Coach Mark Hurd. “Our team ball was great and we moved the ball well and got good looks and shots.”...

A proud couple moments for button-busting Cherokee fans at the Tyson Events Center last Saturday. Two Cherokee senior student athletes, Kayden Waldner and Trevor Lundquist, were recognized as 2020 CNOS Foundation Basketball Classic “Tomorrow’s Leader Award” recipients...

Cherokee basketball teams were in complete control from start to finish in both games of a non-conference coed doubleheader here Tuesday with Manson NW Webster. Cherokee’s lady Braves improved to 7-3 with a 40-point margin of victory, 70-30, over the visiting Cougars of the Twin Lakes Conference, while the Braves cruised to a36-point margin of victory, 86-50, over the Cougars in the nightcap...