Monday, May 20Exira-EHK 11, Woodbine 1 (5) WOODBINE -- Macy Emgartner struck out 12 Woodbine batters in five innings and eighth-grader Shay Burmeister had five of the team’s nine stolen bases as Exira-EHK rolled past the Tigers 11-1 in last Monday’s season opener. Emgartner, a second-year varsity freshman, allowed three hits, two walks and one unearned run from the pitching circle.

 OAKLAND (May 25) -- AHSTW rallied twice in the first half to tie up Greene County during Saturday’s Class 1A, Substate 8 boys soccer final. A third comeback was not in the cards, however, as the fourth-ranked Vikings lost to the ninth-ranked Rams 5-2 at Riverside High School. Greene County’s Junior Gutierrez, the state’s leading scorer with 55 goals, put three in the back of the net on the day, including a go-ahead penalty kick with 31:17 to

 COUNCIL BLUFFS (May 25) -- When it comes to Class 2A boys soccer in southwest Iowa, perhaps the only team playing better than Harlan Community of late was the one the Cyclones met in Saturday’s Substate 8 final. Scoring twice in a 54-second span of the first half and adding two more goals late, Lewis Central took control early and never let HCHS have any momentum, avenging a season-opening 4-0 loss in Harlan with a 4-0 victory at Titan Stadiu

 NEWTON (May 23) -- The Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton boys never got their second chance after some opening-day struggles at the Class 1A Boys State Golf Tournament. The Spartans posted a team score of 364 at the Westwood Golf Course Thursday, finishing last out of eight teams when Friday’s second day of competition was cancelled due to very wet course conditions.

 HARLAN (May 24) -- Connor Bruck pitched five scoreless innings of relief and Brenden Bartley drove in four runs from the eight hole Friday night as Harlan Community erased an early 6-3 deficit and beat Sioux City Bishop Heelan 9-6 in an early-season matchup of Class 3A state baseball powers. Bruck, who struck out all six batters he faced in last Monday’s season opener at Carroll, was extremely sharp once again against the fifth-ranked Crusade

 WINTERSET (May 25) -- Harlan Community finished 1-1 at the rain-shortened Winterset Softball Tournament on Saturday, beating ninth-ranked (2A) Van Meter 3-1 in five innings and losing to Interstate 35 (Truro) 5-3 in six.

 UNDERWOOD (May 20) -- Morgan Schaben pitched six hitless innings and drove in five runs at the plate to lead the Harlan Community softball team past Underwood 15-3 in last Monday’s season opener. The Cyclones scored three runs each in the first three innings and blew the game open with a six-run sixth to win by the mercy rule. Schaben, who has signed to play collegiate softball at Central College in Pella, struck out eight and walked three, a

 HARLAN (May 24) -- The Harlan Community girls soccer team finished the regular season by winning three out of four home games last week, beating AHSTW, WCV/Nodaway Valley/ACGC and Creston while losing to Panorama. The four-game set included a sudden-death, double PK shootout win over WCV/NV/ACGC on Wednesday and Friday’s match being moved from Creston to Harlan due to the forecast for severe storms in southern Iowa. The Cyclones will take a 9

 OAKLAND (May 22) -- AHSTW goalie Lucas Young will be the first to tell you that stopping penalty kicks isn’t nearly as easy as he made it look here Wednesday night. Locked in a PK shootout vs. Underwood, Young made three lunging saves and one other Eagle attempt sailed wide left.

 DENISON (May 22) -- Avenging a 3-0 loss from the regular season, the Harlan Community boys soccer team went to Denison Wednesday night and beat the 12th-ranked Monarchs 2-1 in a Class 2A, Substate 8 semifinal. Michael Heithoff’s first-half penalty kick and Levi Culp’s second-half goal put the Cyclones up 2-0 and they were able to hold on for the win.

 COUNCIL BLUFFS (May 20) -- Nearing the midway point of the second half Monday night, Harlan Community was outplaying Glenwood but still trailed 1-0 as time started to become a factor. Barely two minutes later, the entire complexion of the soccer match had changed. Getting back-to-back goals from Aaron Wollaston and Michael Heithoff in a matter of 142 seconds, the Cyclones suddenly led by one and never let go of their momentum, holding off the

 ATLANTIC -- The IKM-Manning girls golf team clinched a state tournament berth last Monday (May 20) by placing second at the Class 1A, Region 2 Final Tournament played at the Atlantic Country Club. Boyer Valley won the meet with a team score of 413 and IKM-Manning scored a 422 to edge Griswold by a stroke for second place.

 STORM LAKE (May 20) -- The Harlan Community girls golfers finished the season by placing eighth out of 11 teams at Monday’s Class 3A Regional Final Tournament played on the Buena Vista University Golf Course at Lake Creek Country Club. Humboldt easily won the meet with a first-place score of 352 while Atlantic also qualified for state with a 390.

 MOVILLE (May 20) -- AHSTW senior Emma Jorgensen missed qualifying for state by three strokes on Monday, shooting a 101 and placing 11th in the Class 1A, Region 1 Final girls golf tournament held at The Meadows Country Club in Moville. Jorgensen, who qualified for the meet by winning last week’s first round regional at Neola’s Quail Run, took a 10 on hole number 17 to hurt her chances at making the top six and advancing to state.

 CARROLL (May 20) -- Brett Sears and two relievers combined on a one-hitter and Harlan Community broke open a close game with five runs in the fifth inning to defeat Carroll 10-1 in the baseball season opener for both teams here Monday night. Sears, now 29-3 during his five-year varsity career, allowed one hit and one unearned run in four innings of work, walking one and striking out nine.