NEWTON -- For the fifth year in a row, the Harlan Community volleyball team claimed the championship of the Newton Tournament Saturday without so much as dropping a match. HCHS won all five of its matches and finished 10-1 in set play, improving its season records to 19-3 (matches) and 44-13 (sets). The 3rd-ranked (Class 4-A) Cyclones defeated the same five teams as a year ago to win the title, starting with pool play wins over Ottumwa (2-0),

 MANNING -- The IKM-Manning football team put together five touchdown drives of at least 70 yards and rallied back twice against OA-BCIG Friday night for a 33-24 victory in Class 1-A, District 1. Jared Vollstedt’s fourth-quarter TD runs of 8 and 34 yards allowed the Wolves to erase a 24-20 deficit at the end of the third quarter. They also trailed 12-0 just four minutes into the game before scoring 20 unanswered points.

AVOCA -- The AHSTW football team ran its winning streak to five games on Friday night with an impressive 55-14 win over Missouri Valley. The Vikings (5-1 overall, 3-0 in Class 1-A, District 1) steamrolled to a 48-14 lead by halftime, needing just 23 plays to score seven touchdowns on seven possessions.

 ELK HORN -- Drew Buckholdt led the way with five total touchdowns Friday night as Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton celebrated Homecoming week with a 62-20 rout of Woodbine. The Spartans built a 48-6 lead by halftime and played the last two and a half quarters with a running clock, improving to 6-0 overall and setting up a Week 7 showdown of unbeaten teams at defending 8-Player state champion Newell-Fonda.

 AVOCA -- Averaging nearly five ace serves per set, the IKM-Manning volleyball team snapped a short two-match slide in Western Iowa Conference play Thursday with a sweep of AHSTW, 25-14, 25-19, 25-20. The Wolves served 90 percent with 14 aces as a team, led by Rylie Muhlbauer’s 15-for-15, three-ace effort and Kelli Grimm’s five aces (14-for-15). Muhlbauer also led the way with nine digs and Grimm posted a team-high two blocks. 

 DENISON -- Led by a pair of seniors who placed in the top four individually, the Harlan Community boys and girls cross country teams placed first and second, respectively, at Tuesday’s Denison-Schleswig Invite at Denison High School. Senior Michael Sciranko placed third to lead the Cyclone boys to their fourth team title in seven meets this season.

 HARLAN -- Another Friday night, another shot at redemption for the Harlan Community football team. On Homecoming week it’s the Winterset Huskies who venture to Merrill Field for just the second HCHS home game of the season.

 RED OAK -- Playing in its first five-set match in nearly two years, the Harlan Community volleyball team stepped up at crunch time and won a tightly-contested 3-2 decision at Red Oak Tuesday night, prevailing 23-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-22, 15-12. HCHS let a late lead slip away in the third set to fall behind 2-1, but rallied back from a 22-18 game-four deficit to extend the match. The Cyclones, ranked third in Class 4-A, maintained their share o

 ELK HORN -- With the fifth set deadlocked at 10, Mara Burmeister rotated to the front row for Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton and played like a girl on a mission. Four Burmeister kills later, the Spartans celebrated a 15-11 set victory and an up-and-down 3-2 decision over Ar-We-Va here Tuesday night, winning 25-21, 25-20, 13-25, 13-25, 15-11. Exira-EHK showcased both good moments and bad moments in snapping a short three-match losing skid, but neve

 MONDAMIN -- Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton improved to 5-0 on the gridiron last Friday night with a resounding 62-14 win at West Harrison. The Spartans are 3-0 in District 1 (8-Player) going into this week’s Homecoming game vs. Woodbine (1-4, 1-2). Exira-EHK led the Hawkeyes 33-2 at halftime and played with a running clock for most of the second half, outgaining West Harrison in total offense, 365-207.

 HARLAN -- A year after winning its first-ever Cyclone Invite championship, the Harlan Community boys cross country team defended the home crown Saturday morning by outlasting Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson at the Harlan Golf and Country Club. Placing five runners in the top 15 and stealing key points from Tee Jay down the stretch, the 6th-ranked (3-A) Cyclones scored a 43 to finish 10 points ahead of the Yellow Jackets (53) and claim their t

 ATLANTIC -- In a football rivalry dating back to 1901, Harlan Community had never before scored more than 49 points vs.

 AVOCA -- Facing last year’s district champion on Homecoming night wasn’t ideal, admits AHSTW head football coach Davis Pattee. Distractions aside, however, the Vikings took advantage of an opportunity in front of them Friday night, avenging last season’s only district loss with an impressive 34-21 win over IKM-Manning. Senior quarterback Nathan Herbst ran for nearly 250 yards and four touchdowns and added a scoring pass for good measure as AH

 TREYNOR -- Adjusting to some mid-season lineup changes, the IKM-Manning volleyball team ran into an opponent Thursday night that appears to be rounding into late-season form. And despite rallying to make things close in game one, the Wolves couldn’t match the overall firepower of Treynor in suffering their first conference loss of the season, 19-25, 14-25, 13-25. Treynor’s balanced hitting attack compiled a team kill efficiency of .382 while

 HARLAN -- Perhaps it was fitting that Harlan Community senior Taylor Frederick saved one of her nastiest kills for match point Tuesday night. As a team, the Cyclones played some of their best volleyball at the end of each set to sweep Lewis Central, 25-21, 25-21, 25-23, in a Hawkeye Ten matchup of top-five ranked teams in Class 4-A. Frederick’s 18th and final kill capped a match-ending 9-3 rally for HCHS, which also used key mini runs to fini