Sports

The Kee girls and boys cross country teams have been looking forward to the 2020 season with great anticipation as both hope to build on their respective representations at last season’s Class 1A State Cross Country Meet this fall. Although this fall’s high school athletic seasons have been tainted with the looming threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and all the considerations in preventing further spread of the virus, the fact that the state of Iowa is continuing with its plan of allowing high school competition and not delaying it like some neighboring states provides its own bit of inspiration of wanting to make the most out of the opportunity that has been granted.

The Waukon volleyball team will benefit from the return of five players with varsity letterwinning experience from last fall’s squad that posted a 10-20 season record and will look to improve on a sixth-place Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) finish in both regular season and tournament play this season. That return of veteran experience will include a mix of each of the three grade levels eligible to return from previous varsity action, including four with multiple seasons of varsity contributions and one solid newcomer who began to make her mark last fall.

Anticipation of the 2020 Waukon football team is soaring high, as the Indian grid squad returns eight starters and 18 total letterwinners this fall from a nearly perfect 2019 season that saw its lone loss come in the Class 2A State Championship game. However, this season’s challenges in trying to play to a return State Championship berth and fourth consecutive trip to the UNI-Dome level of the State Play-Offs will involve overcoming more than just 11 opponents on the other side of the football as all teams will also be battling the same opponent in a COVID-19 pandemic that can disrupt a season even quicker than any on-field opponent.

Waukon softball junior shortstop Annika Headington was honored by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association by being named to the Class 3A All-State Third Team following completion of the abbreviated 2020 season. Headington led the softball Indians this season with a .412 batting average, .512 on-base percentage and .824 slugging percentage, posting additional team highs of 14 hits that included four homeruns to drive in a team-high 17 runs and score 13 more that ranked second on this year’s squad.
 

Saturday, August 29, family and friends of lifelong resident and local “River Rat” Pat Sandry will be honoring his memory with the Third Annual Pat Sandry Memorial Fishing Derby and Friends of Pool 9 Fundraiser held on the Mississippi River. Sandry passed away in November of 2017 after a short, courageous battle with cancer. He thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors, had a great passion for fishing and hunting, and he truly treasured the beauty of Lansing and the surrounding area.

Entry fee is $50 per boat with 50% payback in prize money and 50% being donated to Friends of Pool 9. There is a limit of two adults and two children per boat.

Waukon Park & Recreation is planning to host its Fall Youth Recreation Programs for the upcoming season. Deadline to register is Friday, August 28 for youth programs such as First/Second Grade NERF Flag Football, Third/Fourth Grade Flag Football and Third/Fourth Grade Volleyball.

Although the Fifth/Sixth Grade Travel Volleyball League organized through Postville will not be held this year, there will instead be a Fifth/Sixth Grade Volleyball League played locally at the Waukon Wellness Center. That program will take place for five weeks.

Registration forms for all of these programs can be picked up at the Waukon Wellness Center or registration can also be completed online through the City of Waukon Park and Recreation website or Facebook page. Watch those online sources for further updates on the upcoming season.
 

Waukon softball senior second baseman Maddie Ellingson was among 55 Iowa high school senior softball players to be named to the Academic All-State team by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association following completion of the 2020 Iowa high school softball season. In order to receive the Academic All-State honor, a senior softball player must have recorded an ACT score of 27 or higher and compiled a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.75. Ellingson was the lone senior on this season’s Waukon softball squad that fell shy of the win column in its 13 games this summer.
 

The 2020 Iowa high school baseball season was anything but normal with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic abbreviating this season’s competition schedule and all but eliminating any pre-season preparation. Like most high school teams, however, the Waukon baseball squad made the most of its opportunity to play the game, and even though the end result was a 2-12 season record, second-year head coach Shane Schellsmidt said he saw so much to be proud of in how his team handled all the challenges that this season provided.

“The overall impact of COVID-19 was perhaps more about life lessons than on-field impact,” Coach Schellsmidt explained. “The shortened schedule, social distancing and hygiene efforts were temporary changes. Dealing with adversity and accepting changes that were not always desirable are the skills that this group will take forward with them into their adult lives.”

Despite a 7-6 regular season record and 9-7 overall record, the 2020 Kee softball season was anything but close to being an average season. Like all other Iowa high schools, the Hawks’ recently completed summer diamond campaign was much different than all its others by being delayed and shortened by COVID-19 to just over a month in length from its first practice allowed June 1 to the beginning of postseason play in mid-July, but there were also some unique twists and turns along the way that ultimately resulted in that 9-7 overall record that included a mark of 7-5 in Upper Iowa Conference play that placed the Lady Hawks fifth in the final Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) standings.

The following information is to be considered recommendation from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) for member schools to participate in the 2020 Iowa high school volleyball season. These recommendations may be updated before and during the fall 2020 season as situations warrant.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Schools are asked to read a Public Address Announcement at the start of each match to encourage social distancing (arm test) and to remind spectators to do their part in keeping their student-athletes on the court. People (players, coaches, officials, spectators, etc.) feeling sick or that have been exposed to someone sick, should not attend or participate in competitions or practices.

The IGHSAU strongly encourages all participants and spectators to practice social distancing and to wear face coverings whenever possible.