Sports

Wed
13
Mar

Waukon girls wrestling program continues its growth as Lady Indians qualify three wrestlers for State Tournament for second straight year

The 2023-2024 Waukon girls wrestling season marked another year of growth for the young program, and that growth came in a variety of ways for the Lady Indians as the team fielded its highest participation numbers so far. It is that growth, in so many aspects, that the coaching staff of Danielle and Wade Bucknell sees as this season’s greatest accomplishment.

“Our greatest accomplishment this year was expanding our team, coaching staff, and having most weight classes filled,” the Bucknell tandem shared. “We added Miles Howe as a coach this season and his knowledge in wrestling and personality really contributed to the positive atmosphere in the wrestling room. Also, in a few short seasons we’ve gone from a majority of weight classes unfilled to only two open weight classes. Our middle school program is really thriving with good numbers, which we are looking forward to continually growing as well.”

Wed
13
Mar

Waukon boys wrestling team battles to 14-6 dual record, qualifies three wrestlers for State Tournament for second consecutive year

The 2023-2024 Waukon boys wrestling season proved to be another step forward in a continuing trend of growth and improvement for the program that once yielded as many forfeits as it did wrestlers in its line-up. Proof of this season’s advancement lies in the mat Tribe’s 14-6 dual meet record, a second consecutive season of sending three wrestlers to the State Tournament and being able to consistently fill the entire 14 weight classes in its varsity line-up.

For more complete coverage, pick up this week's print edition or subscribe to our e-edition by clicking here.

Wed
13
Mar

Waukon track teams see first competition of their 2024 seasons at Dickinson Relays, bring home trio of top-10 event finishes

Several members of the Waukon girls and boys track teams got their first competition of the 2024 season under their belts early last week when they competed in their respective Dickinson Relays events at the UNI-Dome on the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. The Waukon girls had more than a dozen team members competing in a variety of individual and relay events in their Tuesday, March 5 competition, and the Indian boys participated in just one event Monday, March 4, with each squad bringing home finishes within the top 10 in their respective events.

For more complete coverage, pick up this week's print edition or subscribe to our e-edition by clicking here.

Wed
06
Mar

Kee girls basketball team plays to 18-6 season, runner-up UIC finish with young squad that could return all but one player

The Kee girls basketball team played to an 18-6 season record, marking the most wins for the Lady Hawks in six seasons, when they played their way to a 22-2 season record and their most recent trip to the Class 1A State Tournament during their 2017-2018 campaign. That 18-6 result included a 13-3 effort in Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) play that placed the Kee bucket brigade in a tie for second place with Central Elkader, one of the three teams the Hawks split with during this winter’s UIC campaign, with those other two league splits coming to UIC champion MFL/MarMac and third-place North Fayette Valley and Kee getting the ultimate upperhand in defeating Central in a third game to advance in regional tournament play.

Wed
28
Feb

Splitting a pair of three-point thrillers brings best season in Kee boys basketball history to an end, including 59-56 OT win over South Winn for first-ever district title and 52-49 heart-breaker in substate defeat


Junior pair takes turns leading the way with 24-point efforts ... The Kee boys basketball junior pair of Dalton Mudderman (photo above) and Jordan Cota (photo below) each took turns in leading the Hawks in their final two games of this season with 24-point efforts. Mudderman scored 24 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out a team-high five assists in Kee’s 59-56 win in overtime over South Winneshiek in the Class 1A District 12 Championship game played Tuesday, February 20 at Waukon High School, a game in which Cota also hit for double digits with 16 points and added a team-high nine rebounds. Cota took his turn at scoring 24 points in Kee’s 52-49 Class 1A Substate Championship loss to Gladbrook-Reinbeck Saturday, February 24 at Oelwein High School, a game in which Mudderman added another double-digit effort of his own with 17 points. Photos by Danielle Potter. View and find out how to purchase these photos and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.

The historic run that has made the 2023-2024 Kee boys basketball season the best in program history was brought to an unfortunate close this past week, with the Hawks ending up on each end of a pair of three-point thrillers in the furthest postseason push ever by a Kee boys basketball team. The bucket Hawks began the week by laying claim to their first-ever district championship after pulling out a 59-56 overtime thriller in the Class 1A District 12 title game played against fellow Upper Iowa Conference squad South Winneshiek Tuesday, February 20 at Waukon High School.

Wed
21
Feb

Trio of Waukon boys wrestling team members compete among Class 2A elite at this year’s State Tournament


First-round win at first State Tournament ... Waukon boys wrestling 113-pound junior Jayden Mara tries to set up Columbus Junction junior Jacob Nelson for a turn in their opening-round match at the Class 2A State Wrestling Tournament held at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines Wednesday-Saturday, February 14-17. Mara claimed a 4-0 win in that first-round match before falling in his next two matches, including to the eventual 113-pound champion, to have his first-ever State Tournament experience ended. Photo by the Iowa Newspaper Association Photo Pool.

For the second consecutive season, the Waukon boys wrestling team qualified three young men for every wrestlers’ ultimate destination, continuing the recent growth of the program from more than a dozen years of no more than just a single State Tournament qualifier. This year’s three qualifiers for the season grand finale held at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines Wednesday-Saturday, February 14-17 remained in pursuit of the program’s first State Tournament placewinning in half a dozen seasons, coming within a match of achieving that next growth accomplishment as all three Tribe matmen had their first-ever State Tournament qualification brought to a close shy of a podium placewinning within the top eight wrestlers of their respective weight brackets of 24 competitors, with two of those wrestling Indians being able to bring back their season grand finale experience to the Waukon wrestling room next season.

Wed
21
Feb

Kee boys basketball team continues its season-long success with convincing wins in first two District Tournament games


Double-double includes career high ... Kee boys basketball senior Kaleb Drape soars through the air to block this shot attempt in the Hawks’ 78-43 home win over Starmont in the semifinal round of Class 1A District 12 Tournament play Thursday, February 15. Drape recorded a double-double effort of 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in the victory, along with adding this blocked shot and team-leading totals of seven steals and six assists. Photo by Danielle Potter. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.

The start down the postseason tournament path for the Kee boys basketball team played out to somewhat of an easy stroll as the bucket Hawks outscored their first two Class 1A District 12 Tournament opponents by a combined 143-54 in advancing to the program’s first district championship game since the 2009-2010 season, when names such as Joe Manning, Blake Feuerhelm, John Heiderscheit, Jalen Cooper, Cole Carroll and Jordan Milton appeared in the scorebook. The Kee boys began this year’s tournament trail with a 65-11 domination of Tripoli at home Monday, February 12 before handling Starmont by a 78-43 final result Thursday, February 15 in the district semifinal round of competition.

Wed
21
Feb

Waukon boys basketball team has season ended with split of District Tournament pair at Postville and North Fayette Valley


Up and under ... Waukon boys basketball senior Mason Wasson soars under the basket for this circus shot in the Indians’ 53-47 win at Postville in the opening round of Class 2A District 6 Tournament play Monday, February 12. Wasson tallied a pair of 11-point, six-rebound efforts in both this game and the Tribe’s season-ending loss at North Fayette Valley Thursday, February 15. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.

The Waukon boys basketball team played to a split of its two games this past week, with that split ultimately resulting in the end to the bucket Tribe’s 2023-2024 season in the semifinal round of Class 2A District 6 Tournament play in an unfortunately familiar location. After opening this year’s postseason journey with a 53-47 win at Postville Monday, February 12 in the opening round of that District 6 bracket, the Indians advanced to the Thursday, February 15 district semifinals at North Fayette Valley, a place that has not been kind to the Waukon basketball boys in recent action, and continued not to be with a 59-48 loss to the host TigerHawks that brought this winter’s campaign to a close.

Wed
21
Feb

Waukon girls basketball team has season brought to a close with 63-43 loss in regional semifinals at sixth-rated Dubuque Wahlert


Soaring and scoring ... Waukon girls basketball senior Kaitlyn Krambeer soars down the lane toward the basket in the Indians’ 63-43 loss at sixth-rated Dubuque Wahlert in the second round of Class 3A Region 6 Tournament play Wednesday, February 14. Krambeer finished the final game of her high school basketball career with eight points. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.

The Waukon girls basketball team had its 2023-2024 campaign brought to a close in the semifinal round of Class 3A Region 6 tournament play Wednesday, February 14, having to travel to sixth-rated Dubuque Wahlert to take on a 17-5 Golden Eagle squad coached by 1978 Waukon High School graduate Kris Spiegler. Falling victim to some full-court pressure defense and strong three-point shooting, the Lady Indians found themselves in an early 7-0 hole that would gradually get bigger on the way to a 63-43 end to their season.

The Indians ended their season with a 13-9 overall record and a third-place Northeast Iowa Conference mark of 5-5. With the win, Wahlert advanced on to the Region 6 championship game Saturday, February 17, where they also handled Center Point-Urbana, 48-31, to earn a return trip to the Class 3A State Tournament in Des Moines and their third State Tournament berth in the past four seasons.

Wed
14
Feb

Waukon girls basketball team’s undefeated week includes two regular season wins at home, 64-50 regional win over Oelwein for victorious start to postseason


Double-double leadership ... Waukon girls basketball junior Keira McCormick sends a shot toward the rim in the Indians’ 64-50 home win over Oelwein in the opening round of Class 3A Regional Tournament play Saturday, February 10. McCormick paced the Indians with her double-double effort of 22 points and 13 rebounds in addition to recording three assists and two steals in the postseason victory. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.

The Waukon girls basketball team played through a busy and successful week, taking on three opponents and posting wins over all three for an undefeated week that closed out the Tribe’s regular season with back-to-back victories and opened its postseason tournament trail in the same winning manner to continue the Indians’ season deeper into regional tournament play. That regular season finish on back-to-back nights at home included a 51-44 triumph over La Crescent, MN Monday, February 5 and 69-44 victory over Charles City Tuesday, February 6 in Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) play. After that regular season finish, the Lady Indians got their postseason off to an equally successful start with a 64-50 home win over Oelwein Saturday, February 10 in the opening round of Class 3A Region 6 Tournament play.

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