AVOCA (Jan. 9) -- The AHSTW wrestling team improved its dual record to 9-5 overall on Thursday night with a home quad sweep of East Mills, ACGC and Griswold. The Vikings opened the meet with a 52-24 win over East Mills, going 6-1 in contested matches and picking up four wins by forfeit.

 HARLAN (Jan. 9) -- The Harlan Community bowling teams both picked up a decisive conference win vs. Creston Thursday at Cyclone Lanes, improving to 1-2 against Hawkeye Ten opposition. Led by Madison Horn’s team-high 405 two-game set (194 and 211), the HCHS girls (4-2 overall) won by 445 pins over the Panthers, 2,285 to 1,840.

 HARLAN -- The Harlan Community Schools Board of Education approved the hirings of two new varsity coaches for the 2019-2020 school year during its most recent meeting on Monday, January 6. Toshia Kasperbauer will be the new head softball coach at HCHS while Katie Arentson will coach the girls tennis team this spring. Kasperbauer is a 1994 HCHS graduate who played collegiate softball at Buena Vista University after recording more than 100 pitc

 ELK HORN (Jan. 7) -- Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton handed the CAM boys basketball team its first loss of the season last Tuesday night, winning 58-48 in a Rolling Valley Conference battle in Elk Horn. The Spartans (5-3 overall, 4-3 RVC) outscored the Cougars 16-7 in the second quarter to take a 28-19 halftime lead and were able to hold on for the victory as Tyler Petersen and Creighton Nelson led the way with 20 points each.

 AVOCA (Jan. 7) -- For the first time in nearly two decades, AHSTW beat Treynor in girls basketball Tuesday night... and it wasn’t close. The 12th-ranked (2A) Lady Vikes bolted out to a 31-7 halftime lead and held off several Cardinal rallies the rest of the way to finish with a 48-39 victory.

 AVOCA (Jan. 7) -- AHSTW’s impressive unbeaten streak to start the season came to an end here Tuesday night at the hands of second-ranked (2A) Treynor. The Cardinals flustered the Vikings with pressure defense early and raced to a 22-5 lead after one quarter.

 ELK HORN (Jan.

 LOGAN (Jan. 7) -- The IKM-Manning girls basketball team maintained its share of first place in the Western Iowa Conference Tuesday night with an impressive 64-58 road win at 14th-ranked (Class 2A) Logan-Magnolia. Turning the ball over just nine times in the game, the Wolves used a strong third quarter to build a 48-35 lead and staved off a late comeback after the Panthers pulled within three points with more than a minute remaining.

 LOGAN (Jan.

 HARLAN (Jan. 7) -- With 4:23 left in Tuesday’s third quarter, the outlook for the Harlan Community boys basketball was bleak. Lewis Central had rattled off 10 straight points - all in the paint - to surge ahead 48-33 and the Cyclones were searching for answers in their second timeout of the second half. “We could have quit. We could have folded.

 HARLAN (Jan.

 HARLAN (Jan.

 HARLAN (Jan. 3) -- Poor starts at home have become an all-too-familiar pattern for the Harlan Community girls basketball team during its current five-game losing streak. The Cyclones fell behind 16-3 vs.

 WESTSIDE (Jan.