VAN METER -- With 11:11 left in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s Class 1-A first-round playoff game, it appeared that the stars might be aligning just right for the AHSTW football team. Viking junior Gage Clay had just returned an interception 82 yards for the team’s second defensive touchdown and Kyle Branan’s extra point forced a 14-14 tie with fourth-ranked Van Meter. When Bulldog kicker Drew Gordon missed a 35-yard field goal wide lef

 BEDFORD -- Led by quarterback Connor Westergaard and a dominant effort defensively, Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton exacted a healthy dose of revenge in Friday’s opening round of the 8-Player football playoffs, winning 56-12 at Bedford. Westergaard played a role in all eight Spartan touchdowns on the night, scoring four rushing touchdowns, passing for three more and capping the night with a 15-yard fumble recovery return. According to KMA Sports, W

 COUNCIL BLUFFS -- For the first time in six years under head coach Angie Spangenberg, Harlan Community won’t be finishing the volleyball season at the state tournament. HCHS was swept in three sets by seventh-ranked Lewis Central Tuesday night, falling 21-25, 21-25, 15-25 in a Class 4-A regional semifinal that was somewhat emblematic of the team’s season as a whole. The Cyclones were more than competitive at times, but played too inconsistent

 REGIONAL -- AHSTW and Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton will open the high school football playoffs Friday night with first-round road games. The Vikings (8-1) will play a Class 1-A game at fourth-ranked Van Meter (9-0) while the Spartans (6-3) will travel to Bedford (8-1). Both games will start at 7 p.m. 

 FORT DODGE -- State meet veterans Greichaly Kaster of Harlan Community, Payton Sporrer (IKM-Manning) and Emily Copic (Exira-EHK) will return to Fort Dodge on Saturday to compete in the annual State Cross Country Championships at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course. All three area runners qualified for state individually last Thursday by placing in the top 15 of their respective state qualifying meets.

 LAKE CITY -- Eight valuable seniors played their final volleyball match for IKM-Manning Monday night as the Wolves were swept by South Central Calhoun, 15-25, 24-26, 21-25, in a Class 2-A regional quarterfinal. Following a sluggish start in set one, IKM-Manning had its share of good moments in the final two sets but never quite got on track against the 13th-ranked Titans, who beat the Wolves for the third time this season and avenged last yea

 AUDUBON -- A highly successful season for Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton volleyball came to a close Monday night when the Spartans lost at 9th-ranked Audubon in a Class 1-A regional quarterfinal, 12-25, 15-25, 11-25. The Wheelers finished with a 40-12 advantage in kills and also served 12 aces in the match, improving to 25-6 overall and setting up a regional semifinal vs.

 ATLANTIC -- A “gutty” performance only begins to describe what Harlan Community sophomore Greichaly Kaster accomplished in Thursday’s Class 3-A State Qualifying Cross Country Meet. Becoming physically sick to her stomach during the last half-mile of the girls’ five-kilometer race, Kaster barely broke stride and stubbornly held her position to place 10th out of 86 runners at the Atlantic Country Club. By finishing in the top 15 with her time o

 HARLAN -- The Harlan Community football team finished the year on a positive note and perhaps offered a glimpse toward 2017 with Friday night’s 49-14 home win over Atlantic. Junior tailback Nick Foss stole the show for HCHS at Merrill Field, breaking one single-game rushing school record and tying another as the Cyclones finished 4-5 overall and 3-4 in Class 3-A, District 7, tying Winterset and A-D-M for fourth place.

 AVOCA -- In a Week 9 battle that doubled as a postseason play-in game, the AHSTW football team started fast, finished strong and looked every bit deserving of their 11th playoff berth in the last 12 years. Dominating at times en route to a 23-0 halftime lead, the Vikings answered a stern third-quarter challenge from Missouri Valley by scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns and held off the Big Reds, 37-15, in Friday night’s regular-season fina

 MALVERN -- Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton steamrolled to a 40-0 halftime lead and cruised into the playoffs Friday night, beating East Mills 52-11 in a Week 9 matchup. The Spartans finished the regular season at 6-3 overall and 6-1 in 8-Player, District 7, placing second in the standings to earn the district’s runner-up playoff spot. Exira-EHK will play at Bedford (8-1) in a first-round playoff game Friday at 7 p.m.

 MANNING -- IKM-Manning scored the first 22 points of the game and never looked back Friday night, closing the season with a 48-21 home win over Tri-Center to finish tied for third in Class 1-A, District 7. Stephen Grimm totaled 228 rushing yards and four touchdowns to lead the Wolves, scoring on runs of 60, 10, 19 and 22 yards.

 PANORA -- State meet veterans Payton Sporrer of IKM-Manning and Emily Copic of Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton are headed back to Fort Dodge later this week after notching top 10 finishes in Thursday’s Class 1-A State Qualifying Cross Country Meet at Lake Panorama Golf Course. Sporrer placed fourth with a five-kilometer time of 20:58 while Copic placed 10th in 21:14.

 GLENWOOD -- If Harlan Community’s players didn’t already know it was tournament time Wednesday night, coach Angie Spangenberg cued them in pretty quickly at the start of set two. Already holding a 25-17 win to their credit over Glenwood, the Cyclones received serve to start the second set, showed a lack of communication on the first pass and let the ball hit the floor. Spangenberg immediately signaled for a timeout, only minutes after calling

HARLAN -- The Harlan Community football team will have one last chance to put it all together Friday night when it hosts Atlantic in the final game of the season for both teams. The Trojans visit Merrill Field with an overall record of 1-7 and a Class 3-A, District 7 mark of 0-6, having lost seven straight games since opening the year with a 16-14 win over Clarinda. HCHS stands at 3-5 overall and 2-4 in district play following last week’s thri