HARLAN -- The Harlan Community volleyball team opened preseason practices on Monday, August 7, with a roster of 30 players in grades 9-12. First-year Cyclone head coach Willie Baughman, a varsity assistant the last two years, inherits a program that finished 20-18 overall last year and placed fifth in the Hawkeye 10 Conference with a record of 6-4. HCHS returns seven letter winners from a year ago, led by first-team all-conference libero Sidn

 AREA -- Forty-two total baseball and softball players from the area have been recognized on this year’s Hawkeye Ten, Western Iowa and Rolling Valley all-conference teams, including 20 first-team selections. The Harlan Community baseball team, which set a school record for wins (36-3) and finished as the Class 3-A state runner-up, leads the charge with five first-team players, followed by the Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton baseball and softball tea

 HARLAN -- Harlan Community junior Olivia Petersen was one of just 20 girls in the nation awarded the Ultra Ankle® JVA AthLeader Award in volleyball this past June to recognize those players who exemplify outstanding volleyball performance, academic excellence, leadership, responsibility and selflessness.

 GALVESTON, TEX. -- Alex Bladt, 12, caught a 30-inch black tip shark on July 3 while fishing in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Galveston, Texas. Alex, the son of Greg and Tammy Bladt, Harlan, was on a fishing charter with his father and brother Aiden when he reeled in his meal for the day.

 DES MOINES -- Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton junior Sophia Peppers was named first-team All-State and eight other area softball players garnered second team, third team or honorable mention recogniton on the 2017 Iowa Girls Coaches’ Association All-State Softball list released July 31. Peppers, a three-time all-state selection, was one of four Spartans honored by the IGCA in Class 1-A following a 16-11 season that ended in the regional semifinals.

 HARLAN -- Placing first in 33 out of 78 events and setting five school records on the day, Harlan Community’s summer swim team won its 11th consecutive Western Iowa Swim League conference meet championship on Saturday, July 8 at the Norman D.

 PORTSMOUTH -- Heath Stein homered twice and Justin Schaben added a home run and a double to lead Portsmouth over Walnut 5-1 in the championship game of the Iowa Western Amateur Baseball League Tournament on Sunday, July 30, in Portsmouth. Portsmouth outhit Walnut 7-6 and there was just one error in the ball game. Brett Croghan pitched a complete game six-hitter for the win, allowing only Andrew Sachs’ fifth-inning solo home run.

 DES MOINES -- Harlan Community senior shortstop Dillon Sears has been selected to play in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Series in the Des Moines metro area. Games will be held August 3-6 at Waukee, Johnston and Ankeny. Sears will play for the Small Schools West squad, which will play Large Schools West on Thursday, Aug.

 DES MOINES -- Led by repeat first-team selection Dillon Sears, four players from Harlan Community and one from Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton have been named to the Iowa Newspaper Association’s 2017 All-State Baseball teams released on Tuesday, August 1. A committee of INA writers selected first, second and third teams for classes 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A, also naming four senior captains. This year’s HCHS all-state baseball players include 3A first-team

 HARLAN -- The Harlan Community football team’s annual Cyclone Camp of Champions is being held this week (July 31-August 4) at Merrill Field in preparation for the 2017 season. According to HCHS head coach Curt Bladt, the varsity camp for grades 10-12 included 65 players as of Tuesday’s session.

 DES MOINES (July 29) -- Sometimes the only thing left to do is simply tip your hat. Playing in its third consecutive state championship game on Saturday, the Harlan Community baseball team ran into a future Iowa Hawkeye pitcher and a deep lineup loaded with seven college signees. Davenport Assumption, as advertised, was the real deal. The top-seeded and 2nd-ranked Knights (41-5) chipped away by scoring in every inning and used a 13-strikeout

 DES MOINES (July 28) -- For all of the dominant performances and 10-run blowouts during the course of a 36-win season, perhaps the true hallmark of this 2017 Harlan Community baseball team is the manner in which they respond when the chips are down and a game is on the line. The Cyclones did it again Friday afternoon at Principal Park, answering Sioux City Bishop Heelan’s game-tying three-spot in the top of the sixth with three runs of their

 DES MOINES (July 27) -- Harlan Community and Sioux City Bishop Heelan won’t need a formal introduction when the two teams get together for Friday’s 11 a.m.

 DES MOINES (July 25) -- With recent history as the guide, this one was vintage Harlan Community. A fast start with the bats, stingy pitching and game-changing defensive plays all added up to another victory Tuesday night as the top-ranked Cyclones defeated Oskaloosa 6-0 in a Class 3-A state baseball tournament quarterfinal at Principal Park. Improving to 6-1 in their last seven state tournament games, the defending state champions will take a

 DES MOINES (July 24) -- Perhaps sophomore Brett Sears said it best following Harlan Community’s 10-2 substate win over Denison-Schleswig last Wednesday. “We can kind of relax now, have a little fun and try to go do what we do at state,” said Sears, a third-year starter who has yet to end a varsity baseball season in anything but the 3-A state championship game. HCHS returns to the State Baseball Tournament in Des Moines this week for the seve