In the bottom of the 2nd inning in the Class 3A Quarterfinal game, Senior Bobcat Connor Maiers scored on a wild pitch from third base putting his team up 1-0, which would be all the Bobcats needed en route to an eventual 10-0 victory over the Cyclones.
Cyclone Seniors Ella Plagman and Ellie Ineson recently took home individual honors for their seasons in softball. Plagman received honorable mention, while Ineson made 2nd team.
Junior Cyclone Quinn Koesters slammed the door on Hawkeye 10 rival Lewis Central Wednesday night recording the final four outs in the Cyclones 9-6 3A-8 Championship game victory.
“This team has worked hard all year,” Koesters said. “We’ve had struggles, but right now we’re on top and we can do anything.”
Braydon Ernst got the ball to start the night for the Cyclones. Ernst went three innings, struck out five batters, but gave up four runs on six hits, including three walks.
“Braydon got in a little bit of trouble when he walked their eight and nine hitter and put guys on base for their best hitter who hit a triple down the right field line to score a couple,” said Cyclones Head Coach Heath Stein.
In the bottom of the 2nd inning up 1-0, Freshman Warhawk Lola Shriver hammered a 2-run home run over the head of Spartan left fielder Hailey Bieker putting the Warhawks up 3-0, which would be all they would need to win the Regional Finals and send the Spartans home.
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.
