HARLAN (May 24) -- Connor Bruck pitched five scoreless innings of relief and Brenden Bartley drove in four runs from the eight hole Friday night as Harlan Community erased an early 6-3 deficit and beat Sioux City Bishop Heelan 9-6 in an early-season matchup of Class 3A state baseball powers. Bruck, who struck out all six batters he faced in last Monday’s season opener at Carroll, was extremely sharp once again against the fifth-ranked Crusade

 WINTERSET (May 25) -- Harlan Community finished 1-1 at the rain-shortened Winterset Softball Tournament on Saturday, beating ninth-ranked (2A) Van Meter 3-1 in five innings and losing to Interstate 35 (Truro) 5-3 in six.

 UNDERWOOD (May 20) -- Morgan Schaben pitched six hitless innings and drove in five runs at the plate to lead the Harlan Community softball team past Underwood 15-3 in last Monday’s season opener. The Cyclones scored three runs each in the first three innings and blew the game open with a six-run sixth to win by the mercy rule. Schaben, who has signed to play collegiate softball at Central College in Pella, struck out eight and walked three, a

 HARLAN (May 24) -- The Harlan Community girls soccer team finished the regular season by winning three out of four home games last week, beating AHSTW, WCV/Nodaway Valley/ACGC and Creston while losing to Panorama. The four-game set included a sudden-death, double PK shootout win over WCV/NV/ACGC on Wednesday and Friday’s match being moved from Creston to Harlan due to the forecast for severe storms in southern Iowa. The Cyclones will take a 9

 OAKLAND (May 22) -- AHSTW goalie Lucas Young will be the first to tell you that stopping penalty kicks isn’t nearly as easy as he made it look here Wednesday night. Locked in a PK shootout vs. Underwood, Young made three lunging saves and one other Eagle attempt sailed wide left.

 DENISON (May 22) -- Avenging a 3-0 loss from the regular season, the Harlan Community boys soccer team went to Denison Wednesday night and beat the 12th-ranked Monarchs 2-1 in a Class 2A, Substate 8 semifinal. Michael Heithoff’s first-half penalty kick and Levi Culp’s second-half goal put the Cyclones up 2-0 and they were able to hold on for the win.

 COUNCIL BLUFFS (May 20) -- Nearing the midway point of the second half Monday night, Harlan Community was outplaying Glenwood but still trailed 1-0 as time started to become a factor. Barely two minutes later, the entire complexion of the soccer match had changed. Getting back-to-back goals from Aaron Wollaston and Michael Heithoff in a matter of 142 seconds, the Cyclones suddenly led by one and never let go of their momentum, holding off the

 ATLANTIC -- The IKM-Manning girls golf team clinched a state tournament berth last Monday (May 20) by placing second at the Class 1A, Region 2 Final Tournament played at the Atlantic Country Club. Boyer Valley won the meet with a team score of 413 and IKM-Manning scored a 422 to edge Griswold by a stroke for second place.

 STORM LAKE (May 20) -- The Harlan Community girls golfers finished the season by placing eighth out of 11 teams at Monday’s Class 3A Regional Final Tournament played on the Buena Vista University Golf Course at Lake Creek Country Club. Humboldt easily won the meet with a first-place score of 352 while Atlantic also qualified for state with a 390.

 MOVILLE (May 20) -- AHSTW senior Emma Jorgensen missed qualifying for state by three strokes on Monday, shooting a 101 and placing 11th in the Class 1A, Region 1 Final girls golf tournament held at The Meadows Country Club in Moville. Jorgensen, who qualified for the meet by winning last week’s first round regional at Neola’s Quail Run, took a 10 on hole number 17 to hurt her chances at making the top six and advancing to state.

 CARROLL (May 20) -- Brett Sears and two relievers combined on a one-hitter and Harlan Community broke open a close game with five runs in the fifth inning to defeat Carroll 10-1 in the baseball season opener for both teams here Monday night. Sears, now 29-3 during his five-year varsity career, allowed one hit and one unearned run in four innings of work, walking one and striking out nine.

 DES MOINES (May 16-18) -- Just five minutes prior to Saturday’s 100-meter dash final at the state track meet, AHSTW senior Drake Partridge was having his sore right thigh wrapped with tape. An hour later, incredibly enough, the Viking sprinter was celebrating - not one, but two - individual state championships inside Drake Stadium. During the course of a wild 68 minutes, Partridge raced to victory in the Class 1A 100, leaped into the arms of

 DES MOINES (May 16-18) -- From a powerful start in the discus Thursday morning to a fast finish in Saturday’s 4x400 relay, the Harlan Community boys track team left Des Moines with a lot to feel good about from the 2019 Co-Ed State Track Meet. The Cyclones qualified 14 entries in 13 events for state and took home six medals, placing 11th in Class 3A with 22 points - five more than their total from the previous three years combined. As the wea

 DES MOINES (May 16-18) -- Not many teams walk away from Iowa’s state track meet with a medal percentage of 85.7, but that’s exactly what the AHSTW girls accomplished last weekend inside Drake Stadium. Bringing home top-eight medals in six of the seven events they qualified, the Lady Vikes scored 22 points and finished in a three-way tie for 11th place in the Class 1A girls team standings. Led by junior Ryann Portch’s second-place effort in th

 DES MOINES (May 16-18) -- The IKM-Manning boys’ 4x800 relay squad was all about breaking the school record last Thursday at the Co-Ed State Track Meet in Des Moines.