DENISON -- A gold-medal rally in the 4x400 relay wasn’t enough to net the Harlan Community girls a team title Tuesday night, but it did provide a solid finishing touch to an encouraging performance at the Monarch Co-Ed Relays. Competing in chilly, but dry, conditions on Denison’s brand new track, the Cyclone girls led the six-team field by winning nine events and finished just seven points behind Denison-Schleswig (140 to 133) in the final te

    CEDAR RAPIDS -- Harlan Community’s Allison Bruck and Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton’s Maggie Rasmussen have been selected to play in the Iowa Girls Coaches Association’s Larry Niemeyer Senior All-Star Basketball Games this weekend at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. The event consists of six games over two days - Saturday and Sunday, April 1-2 - with 12 all-star teams selected.

    HARLAN -- The Harlan Community boys tennis team fell one match shy of a dual victory in Tuesday’s season opener vs.

 AUDUBON -- Gage Clay took home four gold medals for AHSTW and Evan Wilson picked up a win for Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton Tuesday night as both teams opened their outdoor track season at the Audubon Boys Early Bird Invite. Clay, last year’s third-place medalist in the 2-A state 100-meter dash, started 2017 in strong fashion by winning the 100 in 11.38 seconds and clocking 23.21 to win the 200.

 HARLAN -- Harlan Community senior Alyssa Wyman signed a letter of intent on March 2 to continue her academics and basketball career at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls. Alyssa is the daughter of Marty and Amy Wyman. Wyman played in 18 games for the Cyclone girls this past season, averaging 3.8 points per game in a reserve role as HCHS finished with an 11-11 record.

    CARROLL -- The Harlan Community girls and boys track teams both won nine events at Thursday’s Carroll Early Bird Co-Ed Invite (March 23).    No team scoring was kept at the outdoor season opener and all times were hand held. Teams who competed included HCHS, Carroll, Boone, Kuemper Catholic and Earlham.    The HCHS girls won four out of seven relays on the day, placing first in the shuttle hurdle, 4x200, 4x100 and 4x400.

 REGIONAL -- There was no shortage of local representation this past season when it comes to women’s collegiate basketball. Eight former area standouts - ranging from seniors to freshmen; NAIA to NCAA Division I - played women’s college hoops at one of six Midwest institutions during the 2016-17 campaign.

    OMAHA, NEB. -- Harlan Community baseball coach Steve Daeges was inducted into the Nebraska-Iowa Old-Timers Baseball Club Hall of Fame last Saturday, March 18, in a banquet held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Omaha. Daeges was one of five honorees on the night, joining the Hall of Fame along with Frank Pecha, Jim Thomas, the late Merl Eberly and the late Loren Babe.

    REGIONAL -- Six Harlan Community senior bowlers, including two first-teamers, have been named to the 2016-2017 Hawkeye Ten All-Conference bowling teams. HCHS girls who were recognized include Jessie Phipps on the first team, Molly Wingert (second team) and Nicole Willcoxon (honorable mention). Phipps posted a team-high 151.1 game average as the Cyclone girls finished 5-6 in duals and placed fourth at the Hawkeye Ten Tournament.

 MANNING -- IKM-Manning senior Rylie Muhlbauer signed a letter of intent earlier this month to play volleyball at Morningside College in Sioux City. Rylie is the daughter of Steve and Nancy Muhlbauer of Manning. Muhlbauer was a four-year volleyball letter winner for the Wolves and earned first or second-team all-conference honors as a sophomore, junior and senior.

 MANNING -- IKM-Manning senior Hunter Behrens signed a letter of intent in February to play football at Morningside College in Sioux City. Hunter is the son of Chris and Jenni Behrens, Manning, and plans to major in Business Management/Marketing with a minor in Agronomy. Behrens was a four-year football letter winner at IKM-Manning, named All-District three times and twice selected to the Omaha World-Herald’s All-Western Iowa teams.

 STORM LAKE -- Led by Allison Bruck’s gold in the 60-meter hurdles, area athletes combined to earn top-three medals in nine events at the BVU High School Elite track meets held Friday and Saturday on the Dennis Young Indoor Track. The two-day event saw Harlan Community and AHSTW compete on Friday while IKM-Manning attended Saturday’s portion of the meet. Bruck, an HCHS senior, won the girls’ 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.70 and also helped

 IOWA CITY -- A total of 14 student-athletes from the Harlan Community Schools competed in the Special Olympics Mid-Winter Games on March 10-11 in Iowa City.

Hawkeye Ten All-Conf. Boys Basketball
FIRST TEAMChad Moran, Lewis Central, sr., GKyle Arrington, Lewis Central, sr., C*Matt Dentlinger, Kuemper, sr., F*Garrett Franken, Atlantic, sr., F*Nate Mohr, Glenwood, jr., G*Andrew Blum, Glenwood, jr., F*Caleb Rasmussen, HCHS, sr., GKylan Smallwood, Creston, so., G* Unanimous Selection

DES MOINES -- AHSTW junior R.J. Harris was named third-team All-State by the Iowa Newspaper Association earlier this week after leading the Vikings to one of their best basketball seasons in school history. The INA announced its 2017 All-State Boys Basketball selections on Tuesday, choosing three teams per class and naming Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s Joe Smoldt as this year’s Mr.