Sports

INWOOD - An inspired and never quit Cherokee volleyball squad upset favored West Lyon here Monday night 3-2 in Class 3A Regional Tournament play. In a crucial come-from-behind fifth set stunner, the Braves stayed focused and determined and edged a tall and talented West Lyon team 15-13 to advance into tonight's 7p.m. second round match at Sioux Center against the host Warriors (23-8), who are ranked ninth in the final IGHSAU rankings...

It was a tough way for Cherokee's five seniors in a final home appearance here Tuesday as top-ranked volleyball powerhouse Hull-Western Christian blanked the Braves 3-0 on Senior Night. Cherokee, 20-9 on the season, play in a varsity tournament on Saturday at Sioux City Heelan, before taking to the court in regional tournament action against 19-5 West Lyon on Monday at 7p.m. in Inwood...

Over the weekend, I contacted every red-blooded American male I know who still speaks to me (no Trumpers) and asked what they would do if they were sitting on a bar stool talking football with the boys and minding their own business when a stunningly beautiful young woman with all the right moves and amenities, started gyrating in a lap dance with their lap!...

ESTHERVILLE - Following a week filled with Homecoming festivities, Cherokee's volleyball Braves crawled out of bed early last Saturday morning and made the long trek to Estherville, winning six matches and pocketing the team championship here. "Overall, we needed this day," said a jubilant Cherokee head coach, Summer Herwig. "We needed to get six wins under our belt and the win over Spirit Lake early in the morning was huge," she added...

GOOD NEWS We can all use a shot of good news, right? Two weeks ago, Cherokee's accomplished ace kicker and wide receiver, Mason Carver, suffered a severe knee injury requiring surgery last Monday. Good news. Mason parents, Calvin and Susan, report to us that the surgery went very well and Mason is already on the mend and focused on rehabilitation for his upcoming senior season of basketball...

Sheldon mimicked what every team this season has been able to do so effectively against the 3-man front Cherokee defense. They ran the ball efficiently and with minimal hindrance, right smack up the middle, time and time again. The result was a 28-20 loss for the Braves on Homecoming here last Friday night. In the last three Cherokee losses, the defense has given up a whopping 765 yards rushing...

As I continue to page through old scrapbooks, school annuals and other archives, it is always with pleasure to share these tidbits of our past Cherokee County sports history with you. Here's a look back at the month of October 2011, 1996 and 1971. Enjoy!...

SPIRIT LAKE - In a very competitive match, Cherokee gave Spirit Lake all they wanted for much of the night, but due to a few mid-game lapses by the Braves, the host Indians were able to log a 3-1 volleyball match win here Tuesday night. "We played hard, but had too little, too late," said Summer Herwig, Cherokee head coach. "We're continuously having mid-game ruts that we struggle to get out of," she added...

ALTA - Fueled by consistent depth, Cherokee's Class 2A, No. 9th state ranked lady cross country Braves, captured the Alta-Aurelia Invitational here Monday with a narrow one point, 42-43, victory over No. 7th ranked Sibley-Ocheyedan. The Braves picked up valuable team points landing four of the top eight finishers in senior Kyrstin Agnitsch (3rd, 20:04.59), junior Riley Lubeck (5th, 21:03.05), senior London Rogge (6th, 21:13.42) and sophomore Megan Courtright (8th, 21:56.61)...

A year ago I took several quick trips down Memory Lane via this column. It seemed to help pass the time during a frustrating Covid 19 pandemic, of which we are still suffering through. And because folks seemed to enjoy those trips to the past, I decided to resurrect the column idea and share some additional memories...

SPENCER - Cherokee's junior varsity volleyball team finished 2-1 in tournament action here last weekend. The young Braves, coached by Jodi Mongan, defeated Okoboji in the first match of the Spencer Invitational by set scores of 21-8 and 21-17, before losing match two to Estherville-Lincoln Central 2-0 by sets scores of 13-21 and 18-21...

A talent-stacked Cherokee volleyball lineup went 2-2 in a five-team tournament here Saturday. Cherokee logged 2-0 match wins over South O'Brien and MMCRU, while losing 2-0 to Sioux City East and a close 2-1 hard-fought match to tenth ranked (2A) Boyden Hull...

Coaches I've known never put much stock in rankings. They prefer to downplay any polls for fear their team may become complacent or over confident. I get it. But when your school is recognized as a top contender in its class, that's worth a mention...

When the student body rushes the field, it's always a good thing. That was the scene here Friday as Cherokee's football Braves welcomed the revelers after christening the new turf at George Hicks Field here in a big way, defeating MVAOCOU's Rams, 43-0...

If you hop online and look at the Little League World Series webpage, there's a video clip well worth the watch. It features South Dakota 12-year-old team member Kye Carlson making a fabulous play at second base. The smile on his face after making the play is, in itself, worth the watch...

HULL - Cherokee's junior varsity volleyball squad finished second behind host Hull- Western Christian in tourney play here Tuesday, going 2-1 on the night. After defeating George-Little Rock 21-11 and 21-9, the Braves got by MOC-FV 2-1, losing the first set 20-22 and then coming back to win 21-19 and finally, 15-10...

MARCUS - On a sweltering summer night, it was a battle to the bitter end before Cherokee senior Trey Benson ended it all with an interception in the waning seconds to give Cherokee's Braves a narrow 27-20 win over MMCRU's Royals here Friday night. Cherokee, 1-0, travel to Onawa this Friday to face off against West Monona's Spartans,...

Hey Maw, come look at this. There’s a woman driving a golf cart! Wait a minute, now she’s getting out and going to hit a ball! What the h…? How are the men allowing that? What’s this world coming to? Next thing you know they’ll be playin’ cards at the Legion and sittin’ in the outside seat at church. Over my dead body!...

Former Cherokeans, Parker and Chrstina Wildeman, Cherokee grads and University of Iowa alum, have changed their wardrobe colors from black and gold to red and white. Likewise brother Paul Wildeman, a South Dakota State University alum changing from blue and gold to red and white...

Cherokee cross country teams carded record setting seasons last year, and promise to be even better this fall. Cherokee's girls' team, winners of Lakes Conference and district titles last fall along with a seventh place finish in a very tough Class 2A state meet, are sparked by the return...

Give Paul Pingel a jingle and you'll feel Willie Good about it. After all, you'll be supporting Cherokee athletes. Seriously, call, text or email Pingel or Good as they are seeking team entries for the 2nd Annual Cherokee Athletic Boosters Kickball Tournament to be held Saturday beginning at 9a.m. at the Cherokee Fairgrounds. (Pingel: 712-363-5474 - phpingel@evertek.net; Good: 712-261-1847 - wgood@ohallorans.com)...

Summer Herwig, Cherokee’s first-year volleyball coach, is no stranger to the game. A Buena Vista graduate, Herwig has been playing volleyball competitively since elementary school growing up in Treynor. “I have played club volleyball since I was 11 and competed in three national tournaments,” noted Herwig. “Then played libero in my high school career before playing four years at BVU while majoring in Biology.”...

The Cherokee Turf Committee is excited to announce the grand opening of George Hicks Field on Friday, September 10. Top donors will be invited to the field for a meal beginning at 4:30 PM and have the opportunity to see the unveiling of the completed project before kickoff. Speeches will begin at 5:30 PM on the field. Gates will open to the general public at 6:00 p.m.. There will be a brief ribbon cutting ceremony around 6:45 as the Braves take the field against MVAOCOU!...

The Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association recently released its 2021 All- District teams. Among those recognized were seven Cherokee County baseball players earning all-district honors in Class 2A and Class 1A. Two of the seven county players were first team selections in Alta-Aurelia second...

Something mysterious was up earlier this spring when youngest son Alex called me after his Le Mars Bulldog tennis team played (and beat) Sioux City East at the Morningside University tennis courts. “Dad, I got this strangest feeling at those courts today,” Alex told me on the phone. ...

By the looks of things early Sunday morning as thousands of RAGRAI riders rolled into town, they were representing possible record numbers (best guess, 20,000). Since its inception in 1973, this glorious brainchild of then Des Moines Register columnists and editorial faces of “The Newspaper Iowa Depends On,” Donald Kaul and John Karras, RAGBRAI has ascended into the world’s largest, most cherished weeklong biking party, revealing the many treasures Iowa has to offer - most notably its people...

Genetics and work ethic have been at play for Jenna Anderson’s whole life as the accomplished prep soccer star advances her career into college. The daughter of Mike and Stacy Anderson of Kansas City, Kan. and granddaughter of Gene and Jeannie Anderson of Cherokee, Jenna overcame a serious knee injury to continue excelling in her favorite sport and reaping multiple honors for her stellar play on the soccer pitch...