COUNCIL BLUFFS (April 9) -- Jay Swanson earned top medalist honors with a 39 but the Harlan Community boys golf team fell to 1-1 on the year following last Tuesday’s 163-179 loss at Lewis Central. Owen O’Brien of LC matched Swanson’s three-over-par 39 on the front nine of Fox Run Golf Course and was runner-up medalist based on a handicap hole tiebreaker.

 CARROLL (April 8) -- Cole Kramer’s successful penalty kick in the second round of a PK shootout proved to be the game winner last Monday night as the Harlan Community boys soccer team outlasted Kuemper Catholic 3-2 and improved to 2-0 in the Hawkeye Ten Conference. HCHS rallied back twice in regulation to force a 2-2 tie, then played two scoreless overtime sessions before matching the Knights by making 4-of-5 tries in the first PK shootout.

 REGIONAL (April 14) -- Area track and field athletes have through Thursday night’s meets to improve their season-best performances in an effort to qualify for the 110th Drake Relays in Des Moines, April 25-27. As of Sunday night, local track teams were in position to qualify seven entries in six events for Drake, based on results posted to Quik Stats Iowa.

 HARLAN (April 9) -- The Harlan Community boys track team picked a perfect time to win its only gold medal during Tuesday’s Ken Carstens Cyclone Invitational. Leading Atlantic by one point with one event to go, HCHS held off the Trojans by less than half a second to win the 4x400 relay and claim its fourth team title in five meets this season by a 124-121 margin at Merrill Field. Treynor placed third with 80 points and St.

 EARLHAM (April 9) -- The depth of the Harlan Community girls track team was on full display in Earlham Tuesday night as the Cyclones scored twice in nine of 12 individual events and placed in the top four of all seven relays to win the girls’ portion of the Cardinal Co-Ed Relays. HCHS won four events and posted 169.33 points to outlast Panorama (156 points, 7 golds) and 11 other schools for its fourth team title in five meets.

 AREA (April 9) -- The Harlan Community girls tennis team lost by a pair of 8-1 dual scores in its first two meets of the season last Friday (April 5) at Denison and Tuesday at home against Lewis Central. The Cyclones return four players with varsity experience from last year’s 2-9 campaign, led by new number one singles player Elise Juhl. Juhl teamed with Bobbie Schechinger for an 8-5 win in doubles play against the Monarchs but HCHS was unab

 ADEL (April 6) -- Despite taking more shots on goal than two of its opponents, Harlan Community finished 0-3 last weekend following three close losses vs. quality competition at the ADM Boys Soccer Tournament. HCHS dropped to 2-3 on the season. The Cyclones were defeated by Southeast Polk 2-0 on Friday night, then lost a heartbreaker to ADM 2-1 Saturday morning that ended in a penalty kick shootout won 4-2 by the Tigers.

 HARLAN (April 4) -- The Harlan Community girls’ string of meet titles ended at three Thursday night, but with an asterisk attached. Competing without several key individuals partaking in State Mock Trials, HCHS still managed to score 23 times in all 19 events and finish with 122 points, but Atlantic scored 132 to take home the team plaque from the Koos Invitational Girls Track Meet at Merrill Field. Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, led by seni

 DENISON (April 5) -- The boys teams from Harlan Community and IKM-Manning combined to win all seven relays and 15 of 19 events overall at Friday’s Denison-Schleswig Co-Ed Relays, placing first and second, respectively, while the IKM-M girls also made a strong second-place showing. Of the 57 boys medals presented to top-three finishers, 38 went to individuals and relays from HCHS and IKM-Manning.

 AVOCA (April 4) -- The AHSTW track teams combined to win 11 events during Thursday’s AHSTW Co-Ed Invitational as the girls placed second and the boys took third in the final team standings. The Lady Vikes won seven events and placed second in four others, scoring 152 points and placing second behind Underwood’s 172.

 HARLAN (April 5) -- For the second time in as many duals this season, the Harlan Community boys tennis team lost 9-0 in Friday’s home meet against St. Albert. The Falcons dominated in singles play, winning 10-1 or 10-0 in five out of six matches. HCHS number six Braden Fink played the closest match, losing 3-10 to Vince Arculeo. The Cyclones’ number one doubles team of Brock Bruns and Jonathan Cheek played well against St.

 HARLAN (April 5) -- Jay Swanson led the way with a medalist round of 38 on Friday as the Harlan Community boys golf team opened the season with a 20-stroke win over Denison-Schleswig at the Harlan Golf and Country Club. HCHS, which also counted rounds of 44 by Jacob Dotzler and Mason Peters and a 47 from Blake Goshorn, scored a 173 to Denison’s 193.

 MANNING (April 6) -- Sophomore Kyler Rasmussen shot nine-hole rounds of 44 and 37 at the Manning & Manilla Golf Club Saturday, scoring a medalist round of 81 to lead the IKM-Manning boys to first place in the IKM-M Invitational. The Wolves finished with a 365 team score, followed by Coon Rapids-Bayard (371), Boyer Valley (387), Underwood (388) and ACGC (462). Rasmussen’s 81 earned first-place medalist honors by two strokes over Grant Kenk

 ANITA (April 1) -- The Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton boys golf team opened the season with a first-place showing at Crestwood Hills Golf Course last Monday in the first Rolling Valley Conference Meet of the season. The Spartans, who return four members of last year’s third-place Class 1A state tournament team, scored a 180 in Anita to top CAM, the host school, by seven shots.

 COON RAPIDS (April 1) -- Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton junior Jacey Anthofer shot a medalist round of 41 last Monday as the Spartan girls golf team opened the season with a Rolling Valley Conference Meet at the Coon Rapids Country Club. Anthofer, who placed 12th at the 1A state tournament last year, parred four out of nine holes on the par-35 course, finishing five shots ahead of runner-up medalist Sammi Jahde of CAM. The Spartan scorecard also i