Sports

The Kee volleyball team finally got to open its 2016 season, hosting Edgewood-Colesburg (Ed-Co) Thursday, September 1 after having had its first match of the season postponed due to the flooding that gripped northeast Iowa a week earlier. Whether it was a case of first-match jitters or the difference between the Hawks playing their first match and the visiting Vikings already having six matches under their belt this season, the Kee netters had difficulty maintaining any momentum in being swept by Ed-Co by scores of 11-25, 21-25 and 6-25.

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

The Kee cross country team took part in its second meet of the season, competing in a seven-team scoring field at the MFL/MarMac Invitational held at Luana’s Tri-City Golf Course Thursday, September 1. Both the girls and boys varsity teams were able to compile team scores, the Lady Hawks finishing in second place behind top-rated Central Elkader and the boys placing fifth.

The Hawks were next scheduled to compete in the Clayton Ridge Invitational at Guttenberg Tuesday, September 6. Kee will pull double duty next week, competing Tuesday, September 13 at Starmont and Thursday, September 15 date at Elkader.

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

The Kee football team opened its home schedule with a slug fest Friday, September 2 against Riceville in the Hawks’ final of two season-opening non-district battles. The Kee gridiron gang took an 8-0 lead early in the battle but allowed the visiting Wildcats to control the middle two frames before coming up just short in a fourth quarter comeback effort that was left unrealized at a 22-14 Kee defeat.

The Hawks are scheduled to travel to Central City this Friday, September 9 to open their District 3 schedule. The Wildcats are also winless yet on this young season, suffering a trio of lopsided losses so far, 63-22 at Lone Tree in Week 0, 55-13 at Springville in Week 1, and 55-12 to Easton Valley this past Friday. Kee will then prepare for its Homecoming game against Tripoli Friday, September 16.

Allamakee County Economic Development is partnering with Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC), Winneshiek County United Way and the regional chambers and economic development organizations in Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette and Howard counties to raise money for victims impacted by the August flooding. Individuals and businesses interested in donating to the fund, can send their cash/check to the locations listed below. All proceeds raised will be directly given back to flood victims.
NEICAC is serving as the fiscal agent for all five counties. Checks should be made to NEICAC Flood Relief with the designated county in the memo line. Contributions to NEICAC are tax deductible.

The Kee cross country team got its 2016 season underway in a somewhat reversal of fortune from previous seasons at the Edgewood-Colesburg Invitational held Tuesday, August 23 at Edgewood. The cross country Lady Hawks were able to put together their first team score in recent history, doing so in successful fashion with a third-place finish in the 10-team scoring field. Meanwhile, the Kee cross country boys were one varsity runner shy of being able to compile a team score in their 2016 season debut at the Edgewood-Colesburg Invitational.

With six returning letterwinners and a total of nine seniors on this year’s squad of 45 high school girls, the 2016 Waukon volleyball team enters the season with an abundance of familiarity. However, a new face will emerge at the top of that Indian volleyball totem pole, as first-year head coach Madison Wagner has taken the reins of the varsity volleyball head coaching position.

Wagner is in her first year of teaching at Waukon Middle School and is a native of Lancaster, WI. She earned her teaching degree from Ashford University in Clinton, where she played college basketball after a multi-sport high school athletic career.

The Waukon football team got its 2016 season underway in strong fashion, rolling over Class 1A MFL/MarMac by a 54-8 final result Friday, August 26 in Monona. The Indians amassed nearly 200 yards each on the ground and through the air, while also benefiting from seven turnovers by the host Bulldogs, five of which the football Tribe pushed to the scoreboard to help build a 48-0 lead by the halftime break.

“I did not expect the score to be quite so lopsided,” Waukon football coach Chad Beermann said. “MFL/MarMac has improved up front, and they did give us some problems there. The big difference seemed to be the skill players in space, on both offense and defense. And, they did give us plenty of turnovers.”

The 2016 Waukon football team looks to return a long list of players with varsity experience from a team that played to a 10-2 overall record last fall and the third State Play-Off venture to at least the quarterfinal round of postseason play in the last four seasons. Fourth-year coach Chad Beermann lists 25 young men as returning letterwinners, many of them gaining that letterwinning experience due to the success of last season’s squad that won a share of the Class 2A District 3 season championship and made another deep play-off run.

“One of the benefits of getting to play 12 games last season instead of just nine was to get the sophomores in practice with the varsity for three weeks,” Coach Beerman explained. “That helps them. We don’t have a large group of seniors, but several of them worked very hard.  They have to set the tone to keep everyone moving and on the same page.”

A significant reversal of fortune in returning experience from last season to this season hopes to pay the same dividends in game results for the Kee football team as the 2016 gridiron campaign gets set to get underway. After playing to a 2-7 record on the experience of just six returning letterwinners during the 2015 season, the Hawks return over half of their 26-player high school roster with letterwinning experience this fall.

Providing further promise is the fact that eight of this year’s returning letterwinners are seniors this season, providing a solid foundation of veteran experience. That senior crew includes Casey Carroll, Brock Colsch, AJ Gagner, Jon Mooney, Clay Olson, Tyler Reinhart, Cody Rosendahl and Jacob Walleser. Juniors Tucker Colsch, Brock Flack, Tristan Rolfs, Eric Rud and Noah Spearbecker, as well as sophomore Aidan Winters, also return with considerable game experience from last season.

When second-year Kee cross country coach Pat Wagner says, “I definitely feel Kee’s boys and girls will make some strides in distance running this fall,” he’s not just talking about the steps taken by his Hawk runners as they navigate the course. Instead, it’s no loss of runners to graduation from last season and a considerable increase in female participation this year so that both the boys and girls squads can now compile a team score that has Coach Wagner seeing his Kee distance charges taking considerable steps forward with the strides they take.

“We lost no one to graduation, that should automatically make us better,” Coach Wagner said. “And we have added several quality people. I have been pleased with how early season workouts have gone. Cross country is a hard sport so you do have to do some work on a daily basis. The student athletes have come in and done that. They have shown enthusiasm, and we are off to a good start.”