Sports

Waukon wrestling 145-pound senior Adam Benzing not only wrapped up his career late last week at every wrestler’s ultimate destination - the State Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, but also where every State Tournament qualifier would like to end up - on the podium as one of the top eight finishers in their respective weight class. Benzing put together a successful Friday, February 20 in the middle of the three-day season grand finale for two of his three wins in six total matches on his way to a sixth-place State Tournament finish in the 16-wrestler Class 2A 145-pound bracket. Benzing completed the final season of his Waukon High School wrestling career with a 32-12 overall record.

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The Kee boys basketball team brought its regular season to a close in the midst of a six-game losing streak and a 2-19 overall record to start this past week, but the Hawks reversed that fortune in the first game of their postseason schedule to accomplish something that hasn’t been done by a Kee boys basketball team since 2011. The Hawks’ regular season came to an end with back-to-back losses at home of 77-59 to North Fayette Valley Monday, February 9 and 69-42 to Seneca, WI Tuesday, February 10, but the Kee boys put their regular season difficulties behind them to open Class 1A District Tournament play with a 53-49 triumph over East Buchanan Monday, February 16 in a game played at Edgewood-Colesburg High School.

The Kee girls basketball team both ended its regular season and began its postseason in victorious fashion, the Hawks starting up another winning streak when it matters most. Kee first shook off a pesky North Fayette Valley squad, 38-30, in West Union Monday, February 9 to end its regular season in a game rescheduled from Tuesday, February 3 due to winter weather. The Lady Hawks then began Class 1A Region 4 tournament play by outlasting Central Elkader at home for a third straight time this season, 48-42, to advance on to the second round of regional play.

The Waukon boys basketball team played its final non-conference game of the regular season when the Indians traveled to Calmar to take on South Winneshiek Monday, February 9. The Indians and host Warriors played to some very equal statistical numbers in the ballgame, equal nearly everywhere but where it mattered most, the 70-56 Indian final margin on the scoreboard.
Currently holding an 11-9 overall record, 4-7 in the Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC), the Indians were scheduled to wrap up their regular season with a Tuesday, February 17 home game with Charles City in a battle for fifth place in the final league standings between two teams with identical NEIC records this season. The Tribe will then open postseason tournament play Monday, February 23 at Decorah against Crestwood, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Waukon wrestling 145-pound senior Adam Benzing will continue his final high school season at every wrestler’s ultimate destination after wrestling to a runner-up finish at the Class 2A District 5 Wrestling Tournament in Independence Saturday, February 14. This year’s qualification will be Benzing’s second such trip to the Class 2A State Tournament, as he first qualified two seasons ago in much the same manner as a sophomore but was denied a return trip last season after recovering from a mid-season knee injury.
Coming into Saturday’s District Tournament as a runner-up finisher from the previous Saturday’s Sectional 9 Tournament, Benzing was matched up with Sectional 10 Tournament champion Charlie Engelbrecht, a junior from Mount Vernon ranked 10th among Class 2A 145-pound wrestlers. Benzing struck first with a first-period takedown, allowing Engelbrecht an escape to lead by a 2-1 result after one period.

The Waukon girls basketball team has had its season brought to a close, suffering losses in both its regular season finale and opening round of postseason tournament play this past week. The Indians surrendered a 45-42 loss at home to Prairie du Chien, WI Tuesday, February 10 to bring their regular season schedule to a close, and then had their 2014-2015 season brought to completion with a 60-37 loss at Dyersville Beckman Saturday, February 14 in the opening round of Class 3A regional tournament play. That loss brings the Indians’ season to a close with a 7-15 overall record, 4-8 in Northeast Iowa Conference play for a fifth-place finish in the final league standings, while Beckman advanced on to play Crestwood Wednesday, February 18 in the regional semifinals.

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The 2014-2015 high school wrestling season came to an end for all but one member of the Waukon wrestling team Saturday, February 7, as at least a runner-up finish was required to advance on from the Class 2A Sectional Tournament hosted by North Fayette Valley High School in West Union. That one team member was senior Adam Benzing, who finished as the 145-pound runner-up to lead the Indians and earn advancement to this Saturday’s District Tournament at Independence High School.
Benzing tallied the Indians’ top individual finish at the tournament, with three other Indians finishing third. Three fourth-place finishes, and two each of fifth- and sixth-place finishes rounded out the Indian individual efforts on the day, all those adding up to 110 team points and a sixth-place team finish for the Tribe.

In what turned out to be its only contest of the week, the Kee boys basketball team fell to Clayton Ridge at home by a 70-46 end result Friday, February 6. The Hawks also had a Tuesday, February 3 home date with North Fayette Valley postponed to Monday, February 9 due to winter weather. Holding a 2-17 overall season record, 1-13 in the Upper Iowa Conference, the Hawks were slated to wrap up their regular season by hosting back-to-back games, including that Monday, February 9 date with North Fayette Valley rescheduled from Tuesday, February 3 and a Tuesday, February 10 home date with Seneca, WI. Kee will then open postseason tournament play Monday, February 16 at Edgewood-Colesburg High School against East Buchanan.

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The Waukon boys basketball team split its pair of games this past week against teams on each end of the success spectrum. The Indians were dealt a 91-48 home loss Tuesday, February 3 by a highly-regarded Caledonia, MN team, but recovered from that loss to pull out a 60-53 home win Friday, February 6 over an Oelwein team with just two wins so far on the season.
Currently holding a 10-9 overall record, 4-7 in the Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC), the Indians were scheduled to hit the road one final time for the regular season, Monday, February 9 at South Winneshiek before wrapping up their regular season with a Tuesday, February 17 home game with Charles City in a battle for fifth place in the final league standings between two teams with identical NEIC records this season. The Tribe will then open postseason tournament play Monday, February 23 at Decorah against Crestwood, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The Kee girls basketball team split its pair of games this past week, having its schedule rearranged a bit to end up with back-to-back nights of basketball. The Hawks’ Tuesday, February 3 game at North Fayette Valley was postponed by winter weather, but could only be worked into the host Hawks’ schedule Monday, February 9, which was supposed to be Kee’s regular season finale at De Soto, WI.
Instead, the De Soto game was moved to Thursday, February 5 and resulted in a 54-12 Kee rout of the host Pirates. The following night, however, the Lady Hawks were dealt just their third loss of the season, 59-42, by a Clayton Ridge team that is one of the other top teams in the Upper Iowa Conference.