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High School Football

Algona rips Harlan, 49-6

ALGONA — The Algona football team showed they are still a Class 3A threat, even without star quarterback Alex Manske. Nathan Manske, the sophomore brother of the Iowa State University commit, tossed two first-half touchdown passes as the Bulldogs crushed one of the more storied programs in the state, Harlan, to advance on Friday by a final of 49-6. With the win, Algona (9-1 overall) will now face Mount Vernon this coming Friday for a spot in the semifinals and the UNI-Dome. Manske threw for almost 200 yards with two scores to University of Iowa baseball commit Tate Slagle in the ...

Area roundup

E-Hawks fall to South Hardin ELDORA — The Emmetsburg football team suffered a heartbreaking 27-20 loss to South Hardin here Friday night in a 1A contest. South Hardin (8-1 overall) will now meet Dike-New Hartford in the Pod B final, after the Wolverines handled South Hamilton, 55-22. With the game tied at 20-all late in the fourth, South Hardin’s Sam Benson picked off a pass and returned it for a score, pushing the Tigers ahead for good. The E-Hawks (8-2) had an early lead before Peyton Welch fired off back-to-back passing TDs to put South Hardin ahead. Emmetsburg reclaimed the ...

Dodgers head to No. 1 North Polk

ALLEMAN — The Fort Dodge football team had to scratch and claw its way into the 2024 Class 4A playoff field. Now that the Dodgers are in, they refuse to rest on their laurels. The ultimate challenge awaits on Friday, as head coach Nik Moser’s squad visits North Polk to take on the top-ranked and top-seeded Comets. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Fort Dodge (7-2 overall) is the 16th and final seed in the bracket. The co-District 1 champions clinched a bid with a dramatic 24-20 victory at No. 8 Spencer last week. The Dodgers will be a heavy underdog on paper against North Polk (9-0), ...

Familiar foe for Humboldt

Top-ranked Humboldt will meet a familiar foe in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs, while Algona will face a perennial power. The Wildcats (8-1 overall) fought through one of the toughest districts (3A-2), going 5-0. They will meet their district’s third-place team again, Clear Lake (6-3). The Bulldogs (8-1), who were that district's runner-ups, will host Harlan (6-3). In other area contests, defending eight-man champion Bishop Garrigan (9-0) will entertain Riceville (8-1). Emmetsburg (8-1), the district runner up to Manson Northwest Webster (8-1) in Class 1A, District 2, ...

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Good teams come and go in sports. Successful programs withstand the test of time. Teams rely on the specific talent of individuals or classes to succeed. Programs develop a system that stabilizes and sustains. Teams aren’t always necessarily about chemistry, unity or other intangibles. ...

Cougars back home

MANSON — The ninth-ranked Manson Northwest Webster football team has put together a season to remember so far, but they don’t want it to end. Gone are the mental hurdles and moral victories. The Cougars are here to win. For the past two weeks MNW (8-1 overall) has been the underdog, but for the past two weeks the Cougars - who are looking for their first trip to the quarterfinals - have proven the critics wrong. MNW will host its second straight postseason opponent when it entertains Sumner-Fredericksburg in a Class 1A second round contest. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in ...