Sports

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.

The Waukon boys basketball team played a busy schedule of three games this past week, the early part of that schedule being filled with make-up games and the lone originally scheduled contest being the only one to end up short of the win column. The Indians opened the week with wins in those two makeup games on the road, besting Postville, 73-48, Monday, February 3 in a season opener rescheduled due to extension of the Waukon football season before also topping Oelwein, 66-57, Tuesday, February 4 in a game postponed from January 24. The bucket Tribe then played host to Charles City Friday, February 7, falling victim to a Comet eruption in the second half to fall by an 85-54 final result.

The Kee girls basketball team played in one of its busiest weeks of the season this past week against teams near each end of the Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) spectrum at this point in the season, the end result of those games improving as the week went on. The Lady Hawks first fell at now UIC season champion MFL/MarMac, 62-42, Tuesday, February 4 before avenging its worst loss of the season with a 54-50 triumph at Turkey Valley Thursday, February 6 and then completing a regular season sweep of South Winneshiek with a 63-27 road win Friday, February 7. Now holding a 13-7 season record that includes a 10-6 Upper Iowa Conference mark, the Kee girls were next scheduled to wrap up their regular season Tuesday, February 11 at home against Spring Grove, MN. Postseason tournament play is slated to begin Thursday, February 13, when the Hawks will host South Winneshiek.

The Waukon wrestling team brought its regular season to a close this past week with its final dual competition Thursday, January 30 and the annual Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) Tournament Saturday, February 1. The mat Tribe first hosted its final dual event, defeating both Clayton Ridge, 45-9, and Postville, 41-24, but falling to MFL/MarMac, 48-31. The Indians then finished seventh at the Northeast Iowa Conference Tournament hosted by Crestwood High School.

The mat Tribe will next compete in its Class 2A Sectional Tournament at Decorah this Saturday, February 8.

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The Waukon boys basketball team experienced the opposite ends of the spectrum in hosting a pair of Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) teams this past week, both extending and ending a win streak with a win and a loss. The Indians first avenged a loss to Crestwood from earlier in the season with a 60-57 win at home Tuesday, January 28 over the Cadets before suffering their first Northeast Iowa Conference sweep of the season and having a five- game winning streak brought to a halt in falling at home to Waverly-Shell Rock, 56-43, Friday, January 31.