In the bottom of the 1st inning with two outs, Spartan Junior Hannah Nelson launched a ball over the head of the left fielder plating two runs, putting the Spartans up 2-0. Nelson also hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 3rd inning en route to an eventual 3-2 victory.
“I knew I had to put the ball in play, so anything close I took a swing at it, and it worked in my favor,” Nelson said.

Senior Cyclone Stephen Leinen pitched six innings, throwing 101 pitches, striking out 12 batters Friday night in the 3A-8 First Round Tournament game en route to a 12-2 mercy rule victory over the Atlantic Trojans.

Adam Bendorf said he was super excited to be named the new head wrestling coach for Harlan Community High School.
“It’s something that I’ve always kind of joked about that if I had a second life to live, I’d be a preschool teacher and a high school wrestling coach,” Bendorf said.
Bendorf will be taking over for John Murtaugh who coached HCHS wrestling for 20 years.

The HCHS varsity baseball team concluded the regular season Wednesday night against the Council Bluffs Lincoln Lynx, losing 3-1.
Junior Franz Reisz took the mound for the Cyclones and pitched six innings, struck out six batters, gave up three runs on six hits on 107 pitches.

Friday night, the HCHS Cyclones baseball team will begin their postseason journey at home against the Atlantic Trojans.
“I think the guys are very anxious,” said Cyclones Head Coach Heath Stein. “We like our draw and we’re going to go in and compete as best we can.”
With Atlantic being a rival school, Stein hopes to see a large crowd in attendance.

Spartan eighth grader Riley Miller was the star of the game pitching seven innings, striking out nine batters, and allowing just two runs in a 4-2 victory over the Audubon Wheelers.
Miller also knocked in two runs at the plate, including one in the bottom of the 3rd inning and one in the bottom of the 5th.

In the top of the 9th inning with no outs, Senior Hawkeye Mason King launched a 3-run home run over the left field fence making it a 6-3 game en route to a 8-3 victory for the Hawkeyes, their 21st of the season.
For King, it was his second home run of the game as he hit one out in the top of the 5th with his team trailing 3-2.

In the bottom of the 2nd inning with one out and her team trailing by one, Junior Viking Graycen Partlow dumped a ball into right field clearing the bases and making it a 3-1 game en route to an eventual 9-2 Vikings victory.
Partlow stepped up again in the bottom of the 3rd inning when she connected at the plate for a two out, 2-run double with the bases loaded, putting her team up 7-1.

In the top of the 4th inning Friday afternoon at Jim Goeser Field, Cyclones head coach Heath Stein removed Braydon Ernst from the game after he loaded the bases with no outs, forcing in the tying run on a walk and then allowing another two runs to score.

Thursday night, the HCHS Cyclone baseball team was hoping to extend its 10-game winning streak against the Clarinda Cardinals on the road, but were unable to do so, dropping game one, 8-5, but bouncing back to win game two, 7-6.

Exira-EHK’s Bella Muller took home a national award Monday night in the snatch category competing against more than 20 other girls and finishing fourth overall in the national weight lifting competition in Colorado Springs.

Cyclone Senior Jenna Gessert likely entered the pitching circle for the final time at H. Jack Field Tuesday night at home against the Sioux City East Black Raiders. Gessert went the distance, only walking two batters in her outing, but the Cyclones lost 24-12.
“Jenna did a great job,” said Cyclones Head Coach Brandi Eckles. “She hit her spots and she wants to go out with a bang, so we’re going to keep going.”

In the bottom of the 1st inning at Jim Goeser Field, Sophomore Cyclone Hayden Soma connected at the plate for a 2-run double off Tigers starter Linkin Weitl, followed by an RBI single by Junior Cyclone Matthew Sorfonden and a sacrifice fly by Weston Reisz that put them up 4-0, and set the tone for the night en route to a 10-2 victory.

The Cyclones continue to stay hot winning both games of a doubleheader Monday night on the road, outscoring the Shenandoah Mustangs 20-0.
In game one, Franz Reisz got the ball for the Cyclones pitching five innings, striking out seven batters and allowing just four hits on 76 pitches.

HCHS Head Track and Field Coach Sam Brummer has won the 3A At Large Coach of the Year award.
“It’s a super good accomplishment,” Brummer said. “It’s a total team award is how I view it, but it’s just as much an attribute to coach [James] Cairney and coach [Steve] Wilwerding and the rest of the team on our success with how the season went. I’m just super honored and humbled to have received the award.”