HCHS bowlers sign with Morningside

 HARLAN -- Two Harlan Community seniors, Jayden Gessert and Darren Stein, recently signed their letters of intent to join the women’s and men’s bowling programs, respectively, at Morningside College in Sioux City.
 Gessert averaged a 158.5 score as a senior and rolled a high game of 234, helping the HCHS girls qualify for their second consecutive state tournament. She was named first team All-District and was a medalist at the Hawkeye Ten Conference meet.
 In previous years, Gessert averaged 160.4 as a junior, 145.2 as a sophomore and 108.2 as a freshman. She was named first team All-District as a junior and was an H-10 medalist as a sophomore.
 Stein, an individual state qualifier as a sophomore in 2018, twice led the Cyclone boys in scoring average and was a Hawkeye Ten runner-up as a junior. His 5,396 total pins in 2018 also established a new school record.
 This past season, Stein bowled an average of 173.5 pins and had a high game of 255. His previous averages included 188.8 as a junior, 179.9 as a sophomore and 157.8 as a freshman. His high games during those years were 253, 259 and 198, respectively.
 Gessert and Stein will join a Morningside program that included three former HCHS bowlers during the 2019-2020 season. Senior Bailey Portwood and junior Jessica Phipps competed for the Mustang women’s team and senior Joshua Grote competed for the men.