Sports

The 2019-2020 season for the Waukon girls basketball team was finally brought to a close this past week, but not before a thrilling ride that took the Lady Indians to the brink of a return trip to every team’s ultimate destination. That biggest thrill came in the form of a 60-59 triumph on a last-second shot that helped the Tribe upset its as-of-late biggest rival, eighth-rated Crestwood, in a Wednesday, February 19 Class 3A regional semifinal battle for the ages at Cresco. That win took the Lady Indians to the brink of a return trip to the State Tournament, but another familiar foe at that point, Davenport Assumption, dashed those season grand finale hopes the Tribe had built in the first half, pulling away from a halftime Indian lead to end the Tribe’s season with a 55-42 defeat Saturday, February 22 in a regional finals battle played at Dyersville Beckman.

The first Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament experience for Waukon wrestling freshman Jakob Regan ended up being shorter than he obviously would have liked, but the 106-pounder came within a couple inches and a couple seconds of having that first-ever trip become much more. Although he lost both of his matches at the tournament in the opening session of the Class 2A season grand finale Thursday, February 20 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Regan had both of those opponents on their back at one point to collect near-fall points and nearly end the matches early in his favor.

Qualifying as a freshman for the season grand finale, Regan becomes the first Waukon wrestler with the potential of being a four-time State Tournament qualifier since Waukon High School 1990 graduate Steve Pladsen accomplished that feat. Regan closes out this season with a 32-12 record.

The “rubber match” third meeting between the Waukon boys basketball team and fellow Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) squad Crestwood certainly had more meaning to it than just deciding which team would win a three-game series when the two teams took to the floor in Waukon Thursday, February 20 for their Class 2A District 7 semifinals battle that would determine whose season would end and whose would extend. Having split their regular season home and away series in NEIC play with an early 64-38 loss at Crestwood and a more recent 60-57 Indian win at home, that home court advantage for the Indians waned away in the second half of this contest as the visiting Cadets outgunned the Tribe after the halftime break to turn a 37-35 Indian lead at that midway point recess into a 69-61 end to Waukon’s 2019-2020 season.

UPDATE: Regan caught some big moves in his second State Tournament match but fell by a 12-4 major decision to fourth-rated Albia sophomore Carter Anderson, having his State Tournament experience ended.

Waukon wrestling 106-pound freshman Jakob Regan came up just a bit shy in his first State Tournament match, 6-5, against seventh-rated South Hardin/BCLUW sophomore Carter Kolthoff. He will wrestle again yet this afternoon (Thursday).

Full details of Regan's first-ever State Tournament journey will be featured in the February 26 edition of The Standard! You can subscribe to The Standard's print edition or e-edition by clicking here.

The continuation of the high school wrestling season was at stake when wrestlers took to the mat at the Class 2A District 6 Tournament at New Hampton High School Saturday, February 15, with half of the four-man bracket in each weight class at those district tournaments having their season ended and the other half advancing on to the 2020 Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament.

Waukon wrestling freshman Jakob Regan was one of four wrestlers competing in the 106-pound weight bracket at that District 6 Tournament, needing a first- or second-place finish to earn further advancement to this year’s State Tournament. Although it took three matches to do so, Regan battled his way through that tournament field with narrow wins in two of those three matches to earn a second-place district tournament finish and gain qualification for this season’s grand finale.

The Kee girls basketball team pieced together an undefeated week at a time when all teams want to, ending its regular season and beginning its postseason with decisive victories to keep its 2019-2020 campaign rolling along. The Lady Hawks wrapped up their regular season with a 63-28 win at home over non-conference opponent Spring Grove, MN Tuesday, February 11 before getting their Class 1A regional tournament underway with a 52-18 first-round win at home over fellow Upper Iowa Conference squad South Winneshiek Thursday, February 13.

Regional semifinal at eighth-rated NEIC nemesis Crestwood looms this Wednesday

The Waukon girls basketball team both ended its regular season and began its postseason this past week, both coming in victorious fashion to extend the bucket Tribe’s season even further. The Lady Indians first avenged a Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) loss at Decorah from earlier in the season with a 53-42 home win to close out the regular season Tuesday, February 11 before getting their Class 3A regional tournament road off to a victorious start as well with a 57-45 home win over New Hampton Saturday, February 15.

The Waukon bowling teams wrapped up their regular season schedules this past week with both dual meet and tournament action. The bowling Indians first completed their dual meet season with a sweep of Oelwein at home Monday, February 10 in a meet rescheduled from January 24, the Waukon girls winning by a 1923-762 result and the Indian boys completing the sweep with a 2794-2660 victory. Each team also sent two bowlers to compete in the North Central Bowling Conference individual tournament Saturday, February 15 at Charles City, with the Waukon girls junior pair of Madi Palmer and Taylor Peterson each bowling to Second Team All-Conference honors and the Waukon boys senior pair of Matt Rozzell and Nathan Liddiard bringing home First Team and Second Team All-Conference accolades, respectively.

Waukon High School senior Asher Fahey signed a National Letter of Intent during NCAA Division I football’s regular signing day Wednesday, February 5 to join the University of Iowa football program as a preferred walk-on player, meaning he has secured a spot on the team but is not yet considered a scholarship player. “They were the main school that recruited me and their facilities are top of the line,” Fahey said of his decision to take his football talents to the University of Iowa. “Their coaches have been really great to work with, and they will push you to be your best; their practices that I’ve been down there to watch were really intense.”

Fahey said the Iowa coaches have been recruiting him as an offensive lineman with his options open at this point as to position specifics on that line. “That’s one of the biggest things Iowa football is known for, their offensive line,” Fahey said. “It’s an honor to be recruited to be a part of that.”

The 2019-2020 wrestling season came to a close for all but one member of the Waukon wrestling team Saturday, February 8 as the mat Tribe took part in its Class 2A Sectional Tournament hosted by Decorah High School. The Indians took seven wrestlers to the tournament, with all but freshman 106-pounder Jakob Regan having their season brought to completion as he wrestled to a 106-pound runner-up finish to earn advancement on to this Saturday’s Class 2A District Tournament at New Hampton. The Indians also got a thirdplace finish from junior Marcus Gibbs at 126 pounds, as he won his consolation match but was denied a wrestleback opportunity after his semifinal assailant was defeated in the finals. Sophomore 120-pounder Owen Malone ended up fourth after also winning his firstround match but falling in his consolation bout.