The first half of the season is now in the rearview mirror for Iowa’s high school sports teams.
Unlike a number of surrounding states, athletes in the Hawkeye State get a two-week break from competition, but the practices still take place following Christmas Day.
The break gives not only a breather, but a chance to look back at the first few weeks of the season, and what went well and perhaps some things that didn’t and what can be worked on.
Here’s what’s happened so far:
BOYS BASKETBALL
Atlantic went into the winter break with a 1-5 record, the lone victory a 62-31 decision over Nodaway Valley on Saturday, Dec. 14.
That Nodaway Valley game showcased the abilities of two starters, Gavin McLaren and Shelton Mualia. Mualia was able to get inside and grab 10 rebounds, five each on offense and defense, and score 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while McLaren’s ability to go down low and shoot from the perimeter netted him his season-high 24 points, while he was strong on the boards with 12 rebounds total, nine of them on defense. The Trojans showed their rebounding potential, outrebounding the Wolverines 49-29.
McLaren is the leading scorer with 82 points in five games, for a 16.4 ppg average, while Mualia has a 7.3-ppg average over six games.
The issue is finding a third scorer, as no one else has more than 28 points on the season. The team will also be looking to improve free-throw shooting, with the team just 58.3% from the line.
Following the final game before break, coach Dalton Franken talked about some of the things his team would be working on during the break.
“Continue to clean things up defensively,†said Franken. “I thought we rebounded the ball a heck of a lot better (against Lewis Central) and that was a huge point of emphasis (following a loss to Carroll Kuemper Catholic). Just defensive rotations, helping out on the drive, and we’ve got to find something offensviely to go to consistently. We have to have other options.â€
GIRLS BASKETBALL
At the break, Atlantic is off to a 5-3 record, with wins over Hawkeye Ten Conference teams Denison-Schleswig, Glenwood, Clarinda and Carroll Kuemper Catholic, and a non-conference victory over Nodaway Valley.
Early season losses to Pella and Council Bluffs St. Albert saw the Trojans either lead by double-digits or be competitive, only to have the other team go on a run and the Trojans would struggle to rally back.
Atlantic also fell to Council Bluffs Lewis Central, 54-50, on Friday, Dec. 20, a game where the Trojans also held a double-digit first-half lead and appeared to be ready to roll to the win, only for the Titans to claw their way back into what was a very physical game.
This time, the Trojans continued to fight until the final buzzer, a point coach Dan Vagrason picked up on after that game.
“We didn’t quit. Early in the season, when teams went on a run ... we folded and they’d just beat us,†said Vargason. They’d do what they wanted and we’d just watch (against Pella). Same thing with St. Albert ... we were right there in the first quarter and we’d just watch.
“(Against Lewis Central), we were up 12 and they were up one on us and we came back and fought to the end, and we did what we could. We made plays and hung around. We battled against a very physical team and I’m proud,†said.
What has Vargason liked the best about his team? A lot of it was exemplified in the Lewis Central game. Two starters played much of the fourth quarter with four fouls, and one of them fouled out in the final 10 seconds, when the Trojans had to foul in an attempt to extend the game.
“I love the way the girls are playing basketball together. Nobody quits and everyone battled together. We’re playing smart basketball and hitting shots,†said Vargason. “We were still scoring (in a physical game) and they should have been and-1s. We’re scoring through contact and getting hacked and playing good basketball, and we kept our composure.â€
Paytn Harter, a two-time all-stater, has averaged a double-double, with 17.5 ppg and 12.1 rebounds per contest. She also has 20 assists and 23 rebounds, along with four blocked shots to become an even more complete player. Makenna Schroeder has also piked up a lot of scoring, with 12.5 ppg, while Zoey Kirchhoff, Lila Wiederstein and Katrina Williams each have nearly eight points per game.
BOYS WRESTLING
The pre-holiday portion of the schedule was very successful for Atlantic.
The Trojans had a tight loss, 35-34, to Council Bluffs Lewis Central in what might have been the dual for the Hawkeye Ten Conference championship. Wins have come over Earlham, Creston, Red Oak and Carroll Kuemper Catholic.
The Trojans are ranked 16th in the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Class 2A dual team rankings, meaning that with continued success in duals they will qualify for the 24-team regional duals on Feb. 4.
In traditional tournaments, the Trojans have also been strong, finishing secodn at the Joe Fitch Invitational at Humboldt, seventh out of 41 teams at the annual Council Bluffs Classic and third at the John Kinyon Invitational at Roland-Story.
The Council Bluffs Classic was one of the most successful ever for the Trojans, with senior Evan Sorensen taking the 285-pound championship. Sorensen became the second-ever Trojan to win a championship, behind Kadin Stutzman in 2021. Aiden Smith was runner-up at 138 pounds, while Collin Harris (113) and Braxton Hass (120) each finished fourth.
Five wrestlers were ranked in Class 2A per IAwrestle just prior to the break, led by Sorensen, second at 285 behind Mount Vernon’s Evan Wood; Sorensen was 13-0 prior to the break. Others ranked were Harris, 14-5, 10th at 113; Smith, 20-1, fourth at 138; Kalvin Hayes, 16-4, sixth at 144; and Jayden Harter, 15-5, ninth at 150.
Also off to a great start were Keaton Schroeder, 17-3 at 106; Hass, 14-7 at 126; and Donovan Hedrington, 15-6 at 190.
GIRLS WRESTLING
Healing and staying healthy has been the emphasis for the Trojan girls’ wrestling team in its first season. Most meets have seen only a handful of the team take to the mats, with other weights left open either due to illnesses or injury.
One wrestler who has been healthy the whole way, and been impressive in the first part of the season, was junior Haley Armstrong. She has an 18-1 record coming out of the break, with a championship at the Council Bluffs Classic being the crown jewel, to go along with a win at the Raccoon River Northwest Invitational hosted by ADM of Adel.
Hailey Huffman recently returned to action at 125 pounds, giving the Trojans some extra depth. Cadence Kinzie has a 14-4 record at 120 pounds, while Leiah Thomas is 8-7 at 170 pounds. The Trojans will be also looking to Isabella Schwarte (135), Alexa Anderson (140) and Lily Johnson (145) for extra depth in the new year.
BOYS SWIMMING
The Trojans were likely working on turns and getting off to good starts during the break.
Not that they have had a bad start. They competed hard against Boone and Carroll, but those teams were strong and showed what the Trojans need to work on going into the second half of the season.
Per GoBound Iowa’s database, senior Keaten Rieken is the best sprint and mid-distance swimmer, with season-best times in the 50- (23.29), 100- (52.96) and 200-yard (2:01.82) freestyles. Hunter Quist is the leader in the 500-yard freestyle (5:56.92) and second in the 100-yard freestyle (55.46).
Of the various strokes, Quist leads in the 100-yard backstroke at 1:06.42, while Paxtyn Meet is the 100-yard breaststroke leader at 1:28.31. Rieken leads the 100-yard butterfly at 1:00.77, while Quist is the leader in the 200-yard individual medley at 2:29.72.
In relays, Quist, Keaten and Kort Rieken, and Lucas Doyle lead the 200-yard freestyle with a season-best 1:40.20, while the foursome also have the best 400-yard frestyle time at 3:49.98. The 200-yard medley relay, with Meek replacing Doyle, has a season-best time of 1:57.33.
COMING UP
Atlantic’s teams get back into action this weekend, with the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams hosting doubleheaders both today and Saturday, against Shenandoah (today) and Creston (Saturday). The latter is a makeup of a boy-girl doubleheader that was supposed to be played Dec. 13 in Creston and was moved to Atlantic. The second Trojans-Panthers meeting will be Monday, Jan. 27 in Creston.
The boys’ wrestling team has its first 2025 competition Saturday at the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Duals. The Trojan girls will wait until Tuesday, Jan. 7, to compete at the Panorama Girls’ Wrestling Invitational.
The Trojan boys’ swimming team is back in the pool Saturday, Jan. 11, at the Des Moines Hoover Invitational.
