By DANA BECKER sports@messengernews.net From an early age, Brycen Bell knew he wanted to be a football player. His successes with Fort Dodge Senior High helped provide him an outlet to continue that dream, signing with Augustana University for next year. “The recruiting aspect was ...
CLARION — Jadyn Jondle spent countless hours practicing and preparing, just hoping to catch the eye of a possible Div. I volleyball coach. The Clarion-Goldfield/Dows standout did that and more, recently committing verbally to the University of South Dakota. Jondle, a junior, picked the ...
Charlie Shelly understands that with each honor and medal earned on the track, he is adding his name to the long list of successful spring athletes at St. Edmond. The Gael senior is now hoping to get one more crack at doing more of it later this year. “St. Edmond has such a rich history ...
It’s only natural for people to dust off the history books during a global health crisis. We do a lot of comparing and contrasting when faced with adversity or tragedy. So naturally, the flu pandemic of 1918-20 became an immediate reference point when COVID-19 first hit the mainstream ...
Messengerland wrestlers packed the medal stand at state this past decade with a number of championship-level performances. Area wrestlers won 13 state championships and had 18 silver medals between 2010-11 and 2019-20. The Portillo brothers from Clarion-Goldfield/Dows combined to win five ...
The Fort Dodge wrestling program has been a dominant force on the mat, and their run past decade is as good as it gets. The Dodgers have brought home 11 team trophies since 2015, including both the traditional state title and state dual championship in 2018. Fort Dodge had runner-up finishes ...
Vinnie Harvey made a huge impact at St. Edmond on the football field and the wrestling mat. While competing for the Gael wrestling team he finished as a two time medalist and a state runner up, making him only the second finalist in school history behind state champion Ben Becker. Through ...
WEBSTER CITY — Taylor McKinney put together a memorable, record-breaking career as a member of the Webster City girls basketball program. However, McKinney had self-doubt when it came to continuing her run on the hardwood following this past season. That all changed for McKinney, as she ...
GILBERT - Former Iowa Central standout Evan Johnson was just getting into his first official spring training with the Seattle Mariners when he was sent home to Iowa. Johnson, who shined for the Tritons and Creighton University, signed a minor league contract with the Mariners shortly after the ...
Cal Twait’s dream of playing in the NFL has taken a couple of detours, but every path has made him stronger and more determined to keep his hopes of playing on Sundays alive. Twait, a 2015 Manson Northwest Webster graduate, suffered two injuries following his standout career at Northern ...
Jeff Anliker didn’t know what he had at first when Cal Twait stepped on the football field, but it didn’t take long for the former Manson Northwest Webster head coach to find out. When Twait, a four-year starter at Northern Iowa first stepped onto the Cougar football field, it was as the ...
The honeymoon ended for Andy Jones just a few minutes after he took over as the new promoter at Sports Park Raceway in Fort Dodge. This project wasn’t going to be about lip service or empty promises. It was time to get to work. Jones and his crew rolled up their sleeves and began to address ...
Bre Tjebben will always remember the season that never was at Iowa Central. Now she is just focused on her next stop. Tjebben, a Fort Dodge Senior High all-stater and a Triton All-American, has committed to the Morningside College softball program. “My time at Iowa Central was the best ...
I miss sports. Not for the reasons one may assume, though. Sure, I long for the games. The performances. The excitement of competition. I’d take the NCAA Tournament back in a heartbeat. A run-of-the-mill Major League Baseball slate would suit me fine. And I can just picture moving day at ...
ATLANTA — This was definitely not the way Vicky Flores saw her season with Georgia Tech tennis coming to an end. Flores, a Fort Dodge native, was left shocked by the decision from the NCAA to cancel all remaining spring sports immediately in hopes of helping contain the spread of ...
The amount of highs, lows and everything in between Maggie Harvey has experienced in the past year would be enough to last a lifetime for most. But as far as Harvey is concerned, it’s shaped her into the kind of student, softball player and mother that she has become. Harvey, a ...
There is a new start date for springs sports in Iowa. Both the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union confirmed on Monday a first practice date of May 1 assuming schools resume that same day. The first day for competitions is scheduled for May 4 with ...
Iowa’s all-time leading scorer for girls basketball, a budding career hampered by injuries, a local star taken too soon and a handful of state championships. That sums up the past decade of basketball in the area, as we have been blessed with some incredibly talented individuals and ...
Over the past decade, the amount of talent both locally and from the area on the basketball court has been tremendous. School scoring records have been set, runs to the state title made and numerous other honors earned along the way. The seven players named to the first Messenger all-decade ...
Eric Stein felt a sense of greatness as he watched the 2019-20 Iowa Central baseball team start to come together. But in an instant, any chance of achieving that was taken away from the Tritons. When the NJCAA made the ultimate decision to cancel remaining spring athletics, Iowa Central was ...