Sports

In just its second year of existence, the Waukon bowling program has already taken a very promising step forward, all the way to the ultimate destination of every high school athletic program, the State level of competition. Granted, that step was taken by a single individual, but Waukon boys bowling sophomore Matt Rozzell carried the entire Waukon bowling program with him when he competed in this season’s Class 1A State Bowling Tournament in Waterloo.

The Waukon Park & Recreation Youth Soccer Program is for boys and girls in Kindergarten through sixth grade. Basic fundamentals of soccer will be taught along with team participation. Teams will be grouped together as follows: Kindergarteners will be alone in their own league, first and second graders will be together in a league, third and fourth graders will be together in a league, and fifth and sixth graders will be together in their own league.

Different size fields and balls will be used to accommodate the different ages and skill levels. All players must wear shin guards and those shin guards must be covered by socks or pants. Cleats are optional.

Young wrestlers in grades Kindergarten through sixth grade took part in the Waukon Junior Wrestling program during a recently completed season that lasted from November through January. This season saw the club members compete in four different team tournaments, including the South Winneshiek Tournament at Calmar, the MFL Duals at Monona, the Legends Youth Wrestling Tournament at Cresco (where the Waukon club won the $100 award for bringing the most kids to the tournament), and hosting their own Heffern/Lonning/Mathis Memorial Tournament at Waukon High School, where the club won the third-place team award. The Waukon Junior Wrestling program teaches basic moves for beginners and more advanced moves for seasoned wrestlers. Club leaders and members would like to express their appreciation to the coaches, sponsors and parents for a great season and are looking forward to an even better season next year. Photo courtesy of Micah Lynn Photography.
 

Waukon wrestling 170-pound senior Tristan Hansmeier will be among the top senior wrestlers from northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota who will face off in the 17th annual Iowa-Minnesota All-Star Border Battle dual meet at 7 p.m. this Friday, March 9 at Crestwood High School in Cresco. The event is sponsored by the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame housed in Cresco and tickets for the event will be sold at the door at Crestwood High School.

Dennis Meirick, president of the hosting Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame, notes that wrestlers from Crestwood, New Hampton, South Winneshiek, MFL/MarMac, Postville and Riceville will also wrestle for the Iowa squad against some of the state of Minnesota’s top matmen from the southeast portion of the state. The Minnesota squad pulled off a 37-30 win in last year’s Border Battle to even the series at eight wins for each squad.
 

The Kee girls basketball team prided itself on a defensive effort very difficult to solve this season, limiting opponents to a season average of just under 31 points per game that helped the Hawks to just a single-loss regular season and their second-ever State Tournament qualification. The only two teams to successfully solve that Kee defensive puzzle this season also seemed to solve nearly everyone else’s as they both played to the State Championship game of their respective State Tournament bracket with undefeated season records, one of those solvings ultimately bringing the Hawks’ best-ever season on record to a final close where all other teams strive to be.

“Relax, we got this.”

That’s what first-year Kee girls basketball head coach Lisa Steckel said her players told her as they broke their huddle heading into the overtime period of their Class 1A Region 2 championship game played Wednesday, February 21 at New Hampton against sixth-rated West Hancock. No report as to whether the first-year coach relaxed or not, but her players certainly lived up to their promise as they went and “got” a 7-0 shut-out in that extra frame to post a 46-39 triumph and the program’s second State Tournament qualification in the last three seasons - and ever.

Kee girls basketball team to open State Tournament play Wednesday against undefeated Newell-Fonda

The Waukon Park & Recreation Youth Soccer Program is for boys and girls in Kindergarten through sixth grade. Basic fundamentals of soccer will be taught along with team participation. Teams will be grouped together as follows: Kindergarteners will be alone in their own league, first and second graders will be together in a league, third and fourth graders will be together in a league, and fifth and sixth graders will be together in their own league.

Different size fields and balls will be used to accommodate the different ages and skill levels. All players must wear shin guards and those shin guards must be covered by socks or pants. Cleats are optional.

In a game as close as the win-loss records of the two teams playing in it, the Waukon boys basketball team (14-8) battled Dyersville Beckman (13-8) right down to the wire in their Class 2A District 7 championship game Wednesday, February 21 played at Western Dubuque High School. That last-second showdown saw the Indians miss out on one final opportunity to either tie or win the game, instead falling by a 64-62 final result to have their season brought to a close.

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The ninth-rated Kee girls basketball team outlasted sixth-rated West Hancock, 46-39, to win its Class 1A Region 2 championship game played Wednesday, February 21 at New Hampton. Playing the Eagles to a 39-39 scoreboard knot at the end of four quarters, the Hawks didn't let the Eagles score at all in the extra frame to secure the victory and their second-ever State Tournament qualification. The Lady Hawks (22-1) will now play fourth-rated Newell-Fonda (24-0) Wednesday, February 28 in the opening round of the Class 1A State Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, beginning at 5 p.m. The winner will advance on to the Class 1A semifinals Friday, March 2 at 3:15 p.m. to play the winner of the first-round match-up between second-rated Central Decatur (24-0) and 10th-rated Montezuma (20-3), with that semifinals winner then advancing on to the Class 1A State Championship game Saturday evening, March 3 at 7 p.m.

Like father, like son the old saying goes, and for Waukon 170-pound wrestling senior Tristan Hansmeier, his first-ever State Tournament qualification ended up telling that tale, as he joined his father, Waukon wrestling volunteer assistant coach Dave Hansmeier, as a sixth-place State Tournament finisher for the wrestling Indians. Hansmeier won two of five matches in his season grand finale debut to finish as this year’s Class 2A 170-pound sixth-place finisher, getting those two wins early in the tournament before falling in his final three matches.