ADEL -- Another week, another high-scoring, three-hour marathon for the Harlan Community football team. Only this time, it was the Cyclones doing much of the second-half celebrating as Nick Foss gained 395 all-purpose yards and scored four touchdowns in a 58-34 victory over Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Friday night. The game was tied 20-20 with 4:37 left in the first half before HCHS outscored the Tigers 38-14 the rest of the way - including 28-6 duri

 HARLAN -- For the first time in nine years, Harlan Community did not claim a varsity team or individual champion during Saturday’s Cyclone Invitational cross country meet at the Harlan Golf and Country Club. The Denison-Schleswig girls won their second straight team title in Harlan while the Thomas Jefferson boys snapped a two-year HCHS run of home meet victories.

 MISSOURI VALLEY -- The IKM-Manning football team suffered another heartbreaking loss on Friday night, letting a 24-7 third-quarter lead turn into a 28-24 loss at unbeaten Missouri Valley. The Big Reds pulled within three points following a nine-play, 98-yard scoring drive, then recovered an onside kick with 2:30 remaining and scored again less than a minute later to take the lead. IKM-Manning was unable to convert a first down on its final po

 EXIRA -- Scoring 62 first-half points, Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton rolled to 3-0 in district play Friday night with a 69-6 win over Clarinda Academy. The Spartans (3-2 overall) returned three interceptions for touchdowns in the game and handed the Eagles (3-2) their first district loss. Drew Buckholdt added 124 yards rushing and three TDs.

 MANNING -- The IKM-Manning volleyball team wasn’t really all that far away from sweeping the 12th-rated team in Class 2-A Thursday night, but instead finished on the short end of a 3-0 decision, falling 21-25, 24-26, 21-25 to Treynor in Western Iowa Conference action. All three sets were tightly contested throughout, each featuring a 20-20 tie. In sets one and three, the Cardinals scored five of the last six points to pull away.

 COUNCIL BLUFFS -- Harlan Community and Lewis Central have waged some classic battles over the years in Hawkeye Ten volleyball action, and Tuesday’s latest match showed the potential, at times, to join that list. Too many unforced errors, however, prevented HCHS from ever seizing momentum as the 12th-ranked (Class 4-A) Cyclones were swept by the 7th-ranked Titans, 18-25, 24-26, 16-25, to fall two games back of the H-10 co-leaders. HCHS misfire

 STATE -- Harlan Community volleyball coach Angie Spangenberg has been selected to receive the Golden Plaque Award from the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union for distinguished coaching in the sport of volleyball. She is just the sixth volleyball coach in the state to receive this honor. Spangenberg will recognized for her Golden Plaque Award during the 2016 State Volleyball Tournament in Cedar Rapids.

 ADEL -- If the Harlan Community football team is going to work it’s way back into a playoff chase this fall, the climb up the District 7 ladder must begin Friday night at Adel. In need of a confidence-boosting win following back-to-back defeats vs. Creston and Glenwood, the Cyclones will face an Adel-DeSoto-Minburn team which has also struggled for victories.

 ESSEX -- Five Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton players scored at least one touchdown last Friday as the Spartans blitzed Essex, 60-6, for their second straight victory. Exira-EHK improved to 2-2 overall and 2-0 in District 7 (8-Player football).

 AVOCA -- Five AHSTW runners earned top-10 finishes and the Lady Vikes placed second as a team at the AHSTW Cross Country Invite last Tuesday (September 13). Dalton Fischer secured the team’s highest medal of the day, placing second to Treynor’s Jerry Jorgensen with a time of 18:34. Miguel Hernandez placed 25th for the Vikings, who finished eighth in the team standings with a score of 166. Underwood posted a 61 to win the boys team title.

Front row, L-R: Whitney Warner, Delaney Kelly, Sidney Craig, Allison Bruck, Kara Weis. Middle row, L-R: Lexi Larsen, Brenda Hopkins, Haley Arkfeld, Lexie Holloway. Back row, L-R: Coach Willie Baughman, Head Coach Angie Spangenberg, Olivia Petersen, Haley Leinen, Kendal Preston, Ellen Keast (manager), Coach Chad Swanson. Not pictured: Hayley Hopkins, Anna Ahrenholtz, Chloe Hansen.

 Front row, L-R: Andrew Shelton, Cierra Hoegh, Daytona Wehr, Dakota Schaben, Jessica Buman, Bailey Hansen, Marissa Wingert, Jordan Bendorf, Baylee Hoegh, Colton Stanley. Second row, L-R: Lucas Carter, Savannah Parman, Lindsey Metzger, Alyssa Sotelo, Ryan Kopiasz, Kenzie Jones, Molly Gubbels, Sheneka Oliver, Michael Clemons. Third row, L-R: Jacob  Henry, Morgan Bendorf, Asia Williamson, Greichaly Kaster, Olivia Renze, Kara Rueschenberg, Alexis

 HARLAN -- It wasn’t yet the knockout punch to Harlan Community’s 2016 playoff hopes, but it was a damaging body blow at the very least. For the second straight week, HCHS scored a lot of points but allowed even more, yielding 632 yards in an exciting, but disappointing, 49-41 loss to Glenwood at Merrill Field. Coupled with their 70-49 setback at Creston/O-M in Week 3, the Cyclones have allowed an astonishing 119 points and 1,174 yards in a tw

 HARLAN -- Two nights after starting slowly in a three-set loss at Kuemper Catholic, the Harlan Community volleyball team reversed roles in Thursday’s home match with Atlantic, scoring 21 of the first 26 points and cruising by the Trojans, 25-11, 25-14, 25-15. It was a marked turnaround for the 12th-ranked (Class 4-A) Cyclones, who fell behind 19-3 in the opening set Tuesday but raced to a 21-5 lead on Thursday. HCHS improved to 6-8 overall an

 AVOCA -- The AHSTW football team ran its shutout streak to three straight games here Friday night, blowing out ACGC (Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center) 55-0 to improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Class 1-A, District 7. Since opening the season with a 13-6 overtime win over Shenandoah, the Vikings have blanked Lawton-Bronson, 28-0, Tri-Center, 40-0, and the Chargers, 55-0, and have not allowed a point in 14 consecutive quarters.